Shrimp Zucchini Pancakes
Highly Recommended! A Delicious Zucchini Pancake Inspired by Baek Jong-won, Enhanced with Savory Dried Shrimp
Today, I’m bringing you an incredibly delicious recipe perfect for baby food! After tasting it, I found myself unable to stop eating these zucchini pancakes, inspired by Baek Jong-won’s recipe, now enhanced with dried shrimp. While Baek Jong-won’s original zucchini pancake includes spicy chili peppers and decorative red chili slices, I’ve substituted them with carrots and bell peppers, and used dried shrimp instead of dried shrimp for a baby-friendly version. This dish can be easily made as a zucchini pancake for toddlers or as baby zucchini pancakes. The savory flavor of the dried shrimp combined with the natural sweetness of the zucchini creates an addictive taste that both children and adults will love. I highly recommend trying this as a delightful zucchini pancake for your little ones!
Ingredients
- 4/5 Zucchini
- 3 Tbsp dried shrimp (baby shrimp)
- 3 Tbsp starch
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, thinly julienne the zucchini. Finely mince the carrots, as they can be difficult for babies to digest. Once your julienned zucchini and minced carrots are prepared, you’re ready to start making the batter.
Step 2
Place the julienned zucchini in a bowl and sprinkle with a small amount of salt. Gently mix. The salt will help draw out moisture from the zucchini, making it tender, and also enhance its natural sweetness. When making baby food, it’s crucial to use a very light hand with the salt. I used about two grinds from my grinder, roughly three pinches.
Step 3
The original Baek Jong-won zucchini pancake recipe calls for frying dried shrimp until crispy and then grinding them. However, today we’ll use dried shrimp for a simpler approach. Dried shrimp have thin shells, so they can be used as is without grinding, and they aren’t noticeable in the mouth, making them a great ingredient for baby food, similar to anchovies. Briefly stir-fry the dried shrimp in a pan over low heat to remove moisture. They should sound crunchy when handled. If frying seems like too much trouble, you can microwave them for about 30 seconds to dry them out. While I’m stir-frying the shrimp, the zucchini will already be tender and wilted.
Step 4
The zucchini, left to sit for a moment, will have released a bit of moisture. This moisture will help keep the zucchini pancakes moist.
Step 5
Add the stir-fried dried shrimp to the wilted zucchini and mix them together.
Step 6
Now it’s time to add the starch to achieve the right batter consistency. The starch will help bind the ingredients together.
Step 7
Mix thoroughly until no white starch powder is visible. The batter won’t look like a typical pancake batter; it will appear as if the ingredients are lightly coated. It’s similar to how ‘ssukbeomuri’ (steamed rice cakes) look, where the coating is subtle but visible, though with starch, it becomes more translucent.
Step 8
Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is sufficiently hot, scoop the batter with a spoon and place it in the pan, gently shaping it into round pancakes. If you’re worried about the zucchini strands separating, use the back of the spoon or a spatula to gently press and shape them. Even if the julienned zucchini seem spaced out, shaping them with a spatula will make them thin and pack them together as they cook.
Step 9
When the zucchini turns translucent and starts to cook, carefully flip the pancakes. Because of the starch, the pancakes might stick together, so try to flip them cleanly in one go. If they happen to stick together during flipping, don’t panic! Gently press them flat with your spatula to reshape them.
Step 10
If you don’t use enough oil while cooking the pancakes, they can easily burn. So, if the pan looks dry, add a little more oil. Adding just a bit of oil will prevent them from burning!
