Bindae-tteok

Taste and texture

Bindaetteok is a pan-fried pancake based on soaked, ground mung beans, with fillings such as pork, sprouts and bracken. The bean base gives a clear nuttiness. Despite tteok in its name, it is not a steamed rice cake. A thick round is divided into pieces, revealing vegetables and meat within the mung bean batter.

Peeled mung beans are commonly used. Some recipes soak beans and rub off the remaining skins; others begin with peeled beans. The soaked beans are drained and ground with enough water for blending. That water and moisture left in the fillings determine batter consistency. Some recipes add rice flour or starch when the mixture is too wet.

Other grains vary. Maangchi soaks and grinds sweet rice with the beans, while My Korean Kitchen adds glutinous rice flour and potato starch to ground beans. Rice or starch thus forms part of these batters, unlike versions made simply by grinding soaked beans. Prepared mung bean pancake mixes are another option and may contain additional ingredients or seasoning.

Kimchi is chopped and its moisture managed. The Korean Cultural Center recipe removes loose kimchi filling and squeezes the cabbage; My Korean Kitchen rinses and squeezes it. Recipes using chopped ripe kimchi directly also incorporate its seasoning and tang. Rinsing retains the cabbage pieces while reducing the spread of red seasoning through the batter.

Mung bean sprouts add slender, crisp stems. They may be blanched, chopped and seasoned with salt and sesame oil, or washed, drained and mixed directly into the batter. Prepared bracken is trimmed of tough sections and cut short. The Cultural Center recipe seasons bracken and pork with soy sauce, scallion, garlic and sesame oil for the filling.

Ground pork adds meaty flavor among the beans. Some recipes mix seasoned raw pork into the batter before frying. Poumom instead seasons the pork with salt and pepper, fries it first and combines it with blanched sprouts, chopped kimchi and scallion. The preparation preceding the batter therefore differs between precooked and uncooked pork versions.

Fillings can be incorporated in two ways. Mixing kimchi, vegetables and pork through the batter distributes them across the cut pancake. Alternatively, batter goes into the pan first, filling is placed in the center and more batter covers it. The Cultural Center recipe uses this layered method and tops the pancake with green and red chili.

The batter is spread into rounds in generously oiled pans and browned on both sides. The fried exterior, including the edges, contrasts with the substantial mung bean interior. Garnishes include chili rings or fine dried chili threads. Some recipes also mix egg into the batter, so mung beans are not necessarily its only yellow ingredient.

Some home versions omit pork and focus on vegetables. Hola soaks and grinds mung beans with ordinary non-glutinous white rice, then mixes in rinsed ripe kimchi, carrot, scallion and sprouts. Sprouts go in last, and small pancakes are topped with red chili strips. Carrot and sprout shapes show through this batter instead of the substantial bracken-and-pork filling.

The outside is crisp and the interior thick, with mung bean nuttiness at the center. Sprout stems, short bracken pieces and ground pork offer distinct bites. Kimchi contributes cabbage fibers, with additional tang when its seasoning is left on. The substantial layer of ground mung beans holds these varied fillings together.

A soy sauce and vinegar dip is a basic accompaniment. Some versions add chili powder and sesame seeds; the Cultural Center recipe includes water and ground pine nuts. The dip brings tang and saltiness alongside the oil-fried pancake. As the batter and filling are already seasoned, dip small amounts. Pickled onion or kimchi may also accompany it.

How to order it in Korea

1. Look for bindaetteok or mung bean bindaetteok on the menu. Checking the filling, such as pork, sprouts and bracken, helps you choose the pancake you want.
2. Ask whether it comes with the soy sauce dip.