Cheese Stuffed Kimchi Pancakes

Flourless, gluten-free Korean pancakes are stuffed with cheese and spinach and pan fried to crispy perfection!

Today we celebrate the coming of my dear friend Sarah’s #cheesebabygirl in February! Who’s Sarah? Oh, you may have seen one or two (times infinity) mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous food photos on her blog, Snixy Kitchen. What first drew me to Sarah’s blog (besides the photos that induce automatic jaw drop action) was her eloquent yet humorous style of writing. She also shares a love for Asian food thus starting our plan to visit Korea together. It’s going to happen, Sarah! Her unbelievable talent coupled with humility, genuineness, a fun-loving spirit, and her undying love for all things delicious make her one extraordinary woman. And I’m so happy to call her my friend.

Sorry (not sorry) if that was too mushy for ya. One thing I’m going to be intentional about this year is actually telling those who I deeply care about how much I love and appreciate them instead of just thinking it to myself.

But I digress. Today, in honor of her first bundle of joy, I’ve partnered up with many bloggers, whose lives Sarah has also touched, to throw her a virtual baby shower #cheesebabyshower! Fun, right? The theme is cheese and/or sweets because they’ve had a MAJOR role in sustaining the glowing mommy!

To keep the dream of eating our way through Korea alive, I made some gluten-free, cheese-stuffed kimchi pancakes. There are many different types of pancakes, or “jeon,” in Korea, and bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) is just one of them. Like all others, a batter is prepared and fried to golden perfection.

I’ve had it many.many times growing up, but I had never made it at home simply because mung beans weren’t something I used a lot in my cooking. Not to mention the Hungryman prefers the other flour-based pancakes as they tend to be thinner and crispier. The addition of mung beans makes them heartier and imparts a nutty flavor, which I heart. #housedivided.

However, I purchased a huge bag of them several weeks ago, and I’ve been conjuring up all kinds of ways to use up the entire bag ;). That’s my challenge of the month. The Hungryman is not amused.

You will find two kinds of mung beans at the store – green (unhulled) vs. yellow (hulled). Not realizing that hulling would be such a tedious task, I purchased the green ones. The only difference in the final product when using the two varieties of mung beans is the color. The flavor of the pancakes will be the same either way.

No matter which kind of mung bean you decide to use, they both require overnight soaking, or for at least 8 hours. If you want to try to peel the beans yourself, then rub the soaked beans together with your hands. But like I said, it’s not an easy task. I threw in the towel about halfway through. That’s ok. I like green foods ;).

And because kimchi grilled cheese is to die for…..

These kimchi mungbean pancakes serve as the perfect vehicle for stuffing with cheese (and spinach because, in case you missed it the first time, I like green foods..again the Hungryman is not amused).

I may have “accidentally” let some cheese spill out so that it gets nice and crispy. DO IT!

[Tweet “Flourless, GF Cheese Stuffed Kimchi Pancakes for @snixykitchen’s #cheesebabyshower @mjandhungryman”]

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Cheese Stuffed Kimchi Pancakes

By: Min | MJ and Hungryman

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 cups dried mung beans
• ▢ 3/4 cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sticky rice powder, Optional - will make the pancakes crispier
• ▢ 2 cups kimchi, chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ Olive oil, for frying
• ▢ Shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ Spinach
• ▢ Cilantro and chopped green onion for garnish

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Instructions 

• Soak beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
• Drain and rinse. Process the beans and water in blender to puree. It should be coarse in texture.
• Add the sticky rice powder, if desired, and use a spoon to mix well. Add kimchi and sesame oil to the mung bean batter. Heat a generous amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it gets warm, ladle the batter into the oil. You can make the pancake as small or as big as you wish. Be sure to spread it out as thinly as possible so that the pancakes don't get too thick. Also, the more oil you use, the browner and crispier the pancakes will get. I tend to go easy on the oil.
• Pan fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with paper towel. This will help absorb excess oil. Top with spinach and cheese. Place another pancake on top to close like a sandwich. Cook until the cheese starts to melt and the bottom pancake gets toasty. Flip and cook the other side. Remove from heat. Top with scallion and cilantro and serve immediately.

Notes

If not intending to use all the batter, store in the refrigerator.

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Now let’s check out what deliciousness the rest of the the team #cheesebabyshower conjured up in the kitchen! 😉

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• the briny – Smoky Beans n’ Greens Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potato and Sunflower Seed Cheese
• Half Baked Harvest – Greek Falafel Melts
• Healthy Nibbles & Bits – Japanese-Spiced Goat Cheese Ball with Pistachios
• Just Putzing Around the Kitchen – Cheesy Fried Spinach & Artichoke Bites
• My Natural Kitchen – Brazilian Cheesy Thyme Popovers
• Vanilla And Bean – Almond-Sage Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Gruyere
• Fix Feast Flair – Mixed Greens Salad with Lilikoi Vinaigrette, Honey Macadamia Nuts, and Goat Cheese
• FoodieCrush – Cheesy Sausage Pizza Bread
• Foodness Gracious – Avocado Feta Bowl with Couscous Grilled Chicken and Charred Corn
• Will Frolic for Food – Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles
• Vegetarian ‘Ventures – Pimento Mac & Cheese Bites
• Savory Simple – Cheddar Chive Crackers

Sweet Things

• the pig + quill – Mini Vegan PB+J Cheesecakes
• The Kitchen McCabe – Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes + Honeyed Chevre Whipped Cream
• The Little Epicurean – Matcha Mochi Waffles Sundae
• Shared Appetite – Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
• The Pancake Princess – Vegan Aquafaba Lemon Meringue Pie
• The Food Charlatan – Lemon Bars {gluten-free}
• Kale & Caramel – Spiced Caramel Chocolate Nut Clusters

Cheesy & Sweet Things

• The Bojon Gourmet – Blood Orange & Corn Flour Ricotta Cake with Whipped Mascarpone {gluten-free}
• HonestlyYUM – Sweet Cheese Puffs (for a Sweet Cheese Baby)
• fit for the soul – Queso Mais Ice cream {No-Churn}
• Completely Delicious – Chocolate Orange Ricotta Scones
• Good on Paper Design – Citrus Ricotta Mini Cakes {gluten-free}
• Floating Kitchen – No-Bake Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Layer {gluten-free}
• Hungry Girl por Vida – Gluten-Free Pretzel Goat Cheesecake Bites
• Heartbeet Kitchen – Roasted Citrus Bowls with Honey Mascarpone
• Salted Plains – Pavlova with Mascarpone Coconut Cream and Candied Citrus
• The Kitchen Paper – Candied Citrus Ricotta Cake
• le jus d’orange – White Cheddar and Apple Mini Pies with Cinnamon-Infused Honey