North/ South Korea – Daechang-jeonya (대창저냐)

by Evelyn Brutz

ABOUT THE DISH

This dish is known to be as KOREAN FRITTERS. Fritters are something that is fried in shallow oil and are patty in shape, flattened, and crispy. To make its outer layer crispy some coating of either flour, or egg wash, or some slurry is made to coat it for the shape and make it crispier. This is cooked by using an ingredient like any portion of meat, seafood, vegetables, beans, and etc. In Korean cuisine, it is served as BANSANG or an Appetizer. In Korean cuisine, there are a huge variety of these Korean Fritters cooked. It can be variant according to the usage of different ingredients to make it like chicken, vegetables, fish, pork, etc. This is also be changed by using cooking skills like frying, grilling, steaming, Air frying, deep-frying, roasting, etc. This can be totally healthy and minimal in calories with the choice of ingredient like if you are a health freak and want the consumption of minimal calories, it is made up of boiled chickpeas, with some fresh vegetables and totally air-fried in the Fryer. This is like a tasty and healthy meal, a snack of the day.

You can make different varieties by adding the main ingredients of the choice, the spices of the choice, and the cooking method of the choice. The only bet for this dish is the shape. Small, round, flat fritters. If any meat is used, this is more like flat meatballs, or nothing else. But the use of Korean spices and Korean ingredients makes it Korean Fritters and named it JEON.

BANCHAN OR BANSANG

In Korean cuisine, the category for side dishes served with the main course, especially rice is known as BANCHAN. This is also be consumed as snacks and Appetizers. This can be either a one-dish or a collection of different dishes. These can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes.

The table setting of any Korean meal has different varieties that are usually known by CHEOP. The simple setting of any Bansang table has items like the following :

• Kimchi
• Bap
• Guk
• Tang
• Ganjang
• Jjigae

There are Cheops like 3 Cheop, 5 Cheop, 7 Cheop, 9 Cheop, and 12 Cheop. There is a special ROYAL COURT KOREAN CUISINE in which 12 Cheop are consumed and served at the table.

Banchan is served with BAP and GUK/TANG. Gochujang is also added to enhance the table setting and also for the Korean Spicy touch.

VARIETIES OF BANCHAN

• Namul
• Kimchi
• Bokkeum
• Jorim
• Jjim
• Jeon

HISTORY OF THE DISH

Jeolla province is the Province of Southern Korea. In this Province, the cuisine has retained the ancient traditional cuisine and many dishes from the GORYEO REGION. There are many dishes from this cuisine that have appeared as the ancient dishes from Jeolla province, like Jeon. There are also many dishes that created that history from Joseon Dynasty.

This dish, Jeon is more like Pancakes and Fritters nowadays and is affected by Western culture and cuisine. But the Traditional dish is quite different and also the cooking skills. This dish is included in the Korean regional cuisines that are Local Food of Korea.

Now there is some Sub Korean cuisine are also popular :

• Buddhist cuisine
• Ceremonial food
• Street food
• Vegetarian cuisine
• Korean regional cuisines

It is also served as ANJU :

ANJU

This is the food served with Alcohol and Beverages. In this specific food category, Anju, many main dishes, side dishes, and different snacks are served. Soju is Distilled Alcohol served in Korea with Anju. This is the tradition of the Chosun Dynasty, the use of Alcohol and Anju with it.

The main Beverages of Korea is :

• Soju
• Beer
• Makgeoli
• Wine

HEALTHY BENEFITS OF HAVING JEONYA

• It is a good source of protien
• It helps in Weight loss
• It provide strength to the body
• It maintains the sugar level
• It helps in reduced the cholestrol.
• It is good for healthy bones.
• It is a stress reliever.
• It boosts up the immunity.
• Protien in it build stronger muscles.
• It has protein, selenium, and phosphorus

NUTRITION

• 390 calories
• 31 g of Carbohydrates
• 27.5 g of fat
• 35.2 g of protein
• 2.2 g fiber
• 0.9 g sugars
• 1410 mg Sodium

NAMES OF JEON

There are a few names of the same dish in Korean cuisine :

• Jeonya (저냐)
• Jeonyueo (전유어)
• Jeonyuhwa (전유화)
• Gannap (간납)

TYPES OF JEON

MEAT VARIETIES OF JEON

YUKJEON

Yukjeon is known as 육전, which means “meat jeon“. The meat of any type is included in this jeon is placed into this category, Yukjeon. This is like chicken, pork, seafood, horse, any bird meat, etc.

Like the following varieties of specific meat types :

Deunggol-jeon (등골전)

This is made up of beef meat with the special is MEAT ON BONE, or spinal cord.

Donggeurang-ttaeng (동그랑땡)

This is the variety of meat patties or fritters in which meat is mixed with tofu. The meat of any kind is added but it is mixed with the crumbled TOFU.

• Beef
• Pork
• Fish
• Chicken

Meat-Jun

This dish is named HAWAI. This is called a Popular Korean dish.

SEAFOOD VARIETIES OF JEON

Daeha-jeon (대하전)

This is the jeon or Korean Fritters made by using Seafood, Prawns.

Daegu-jeon (대구전)

This name is for the fritters made by CODFISH.

Haesam-jeon (해삼전)

This is made by a combination of two ingredients :

• Seacucumber
• Tofu

Guljeon (굴전)

This is made by Oysters.

VEGETABLE VARIETIES OF JEON

Dubu-jeon (두부전)

This is made by a thin slice of TOFU.

Ssukjeon (쑥전)

This is made by Korean Mugwort.

Pyogo-jeon (표고전)

This is made by using two ingredients :

• Grounded beef
• Shiitake mushrooms

KOREAN COURT CUISINE, JEON

• Gajami-jeonya (가자미저냐) : made by flatfish
• Bungeo-jeonya (붕어저냐) : made by carp
• Biut-jeonya (비웃저냐) : made by Herring
• Bajirak-jeonya (바지락저냐) : made by clams
• Iri-jeonya (이리저냐) : Made by Salted milt
• Neopchi-jeonya (넙치저냐) : By Japanese Halibut
• Samchi-jeonya (삼치저냐) : made by Seerfish
• Yeoneo-jeonya (연어저냐) : Salmon

SERVED WITH EIGHT ESSENTIAL SAUCES

• 된장 (doenjang)
• 멸치액젓 (myulchi ek jeot)
• 국간장 (guk ganjang)
• 간장 (ganjang)
• 고추장 (gochujang)
• 참기름 (jang gireum)
• 쌈장 (ssamjang)
• 새우젓 (saewoo jeot)

INGREDIENTS

• Potato starch : 1 cup
• Salt : 1 tsp
• Pepper : 1 tsp
• Eggs : 2
• Carrots : 1
• Zuchinni : 1
• Chicken boneless : 1 cup thin slices
• Oil : 1/2 cup for frying

COOKING METHOD

• To make a batter, add potato starch, salt, pepper into a bowl and mix it with eggs.
• Add 2 eggs, if the consistency is not moderate add little water to make it a thick batter.
• Take chicken thin slices and add it into the batter with carrots and zuchinni thin slices.
• Slices are thin so the so it will be easy to cook.
• Heat up the pan and add oil into it and warm it up for shallow frying.
• Now make the thin patties out of this batter and fry into the oil.
• Heat musts be low to cook raw chicken and stiffness of carrots.
• After minutes each side, jeon is ready to serve.
• Serve it with sauce like soya sauce and sesame seeds.
• Enjoy your snack time !