Prawn Pakoras/Fritters-2

SERVES8 (FIRST COURSE)

• ACTIVE TIME:45 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:45 MIN

MARCH 2009

Dotted with bits of vegetables and seafood or meat, savory pancakes are both a popular side dish on the Korean dinner table and a beloved street-food snack. To make them more elegant, we’ve kept these crisp, colorful pancakes on the small side so they can be easily picked up with chopsticks and eaten in a few bites.

     2 garlic cloves

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

• ACCOMPANIMENT:

   
  soy-pickled jalapeños including liquid

• Preheat oven to 200ºF. Set a rack in a 4-sided sheet pan and put in oven.
• Mince and mash garlic with 3/4 tsp salt, then whisk together with water, eggs, and sesame oil. Whisk in flour until smooth. Stir in scallions, bell pepper, and shrimp.
• Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Stir batter, then cook pancakes in batches of 4 (2 Tbsp each, with some vegetables and 1 or 2 pieces shrimp), pressing down lightly with a large spatula to flatten and evenly distribute vegetables, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to rack in oven to keep warm. Add oil to skillet between batches as needed.

COOKS’ NOTE: Pancakes can be kept warm up to 1 hour.