Enoki Mushroom Pancakes

Basically a latke.

In looking for something hearty to round out a meal of banchan and rice, I always turn to some kind of vegetable pancake. This time, I was excited to have enoki mushrooms from a rare pandemic trip to the Asian store (turns out Christmas Eve morning is a good time to be the only person in the store).

These are good. The mushrooms are very stringy, which makes them a little bit unwieldy to eat and also causes the baby to gag because he doesn't have enough teeth to break them down. I might experiment with chopping the onions a little bit shorter, but maybe that's blashphemy.

I followed this recipe from My Korean Kitchen, and the only change I made was to increase the amount of salt, which I recommend.

The Recipe:

200 g / 7 oz enoki mushrooms, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry, and optionally cut into slightly smaller pieces

2 tb flour

1 tsp sesame oil

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 medium carrot, minced

1/3 medium onion, minced

2 green onions, sliced finely

1/2 tsp sea salt

pinch black pepper

vegetable oil, for frying

dipping sauce, for serving (I used this one)

• Roughly separate the clusters of mushrooms. Spread them out on a large plate and sprinkle the flour and sesame oil on top. Roll them around until evenly coated.
• In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, chopped vegetables, salt, and pepper. Add the coated mushrooms and mix well.
• Working in batches, pan-fry the mixture into pancakes over medium heat in vegetable oil.
• Serve with dipping sauce.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: B+

Overall reason: Yummy but not dazzling, and they're fried.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes

Kindergartener quote: "They were my most medium, or just worse than medium, thing." 

The husband liked them.