Split Decision on Beef Pancakes

I saw it. I made it. Did I like it?

The object of my obsession. Pan-fried beef pancakes appear in Hospital Playlist.

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Someone on Twitter once suggested that the best way to watch an Asian drama was to skip the first episode. I tried that recently when I decided to give Hospital Playlist (Netflix, 2020) another shot. It was a huge hit, but I’ve never been able to watch more than a few minutes of it. 

Two doctors, Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk) and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do), had a conversation in Episode #3. Dr. Lee did a favor for Dr. Chae’s family so Dr. Chae presented him with a container of food to express her appreciation. 

Dr. Lee doesn’t use any, but yuk jeon needs a sauce.

Dr. Lee opened the container to find it full of golden brown yuk jeon or pan fried beef pancakes.

One look and I was smitten. 

I immediately stopped watching and started searching the Internet to figure out what this delicious looking food was. Sadly, I never made it back to the show. 

A Sign from the Gods

Later, I gave another drama, Because This Is My First Life (Netflix, 2017), a second chance. The contract-marriage romance hooked me this time around. One of my favorite Korean actresses, Jung So-min, who plays Ji-ho, goes to help a relative prepare food for a funeral ritual in Episode #10.

What does Ji-ho cook? 

Beef pancakes

It was a sign from the cooking gods; I had to make these.

Jung So-min’s neck hurts from make so many beef pancakes.

A Dish that Impresses

Korean beef pancakes are considered a dish for special occasions and dinner gatherings. That’s probably because it’s beef, which costs three or four times more in Korea than it does in the U.S. Dr. Lee in Hospital Playlist must have done something really big for Dr. Chae’s family to warrant such an extravagant gift. 

Yuk jeon consists of thin slices of beef, dipped in egg and flour and then pan fried. They looked pretty easy so I made some when my kiddo came home from college for a weekend visit. 

Not What I Expected

I discovered two things when I made the yuk jeon.

1) They aren’t that easy to make. Actually, time consuming is a better description because you have to pan fry a lot of slices of meat in order to make a meal. I went back to the cooking scene in Because This Is My First Life and saw that Ji-ho was massaging her aching neck as she stood over the griddle, cooking batch after batch.  

2) I was underwhelmed with the final product. It’s not that they tasted bad; they just didn’t taste as great as I thought they would. Kind of “meh.” 

To my surprise, however, my husband and kiddo liked them. As in “inhaled.”  As in “make these again.” I sent some with my kiddo when they headed back to college. If I had this recipe when they were in school, I would have made these for their lunch. 

Since it was a split decision, I decided to post the recipe. I may never end up watching the rest of Hospital Playlist, but I probably will make yuk jeon again.

Next time, I will cut my beef slices in half.

Recipe Notes

1. Use bulgogi meat for this, which you get at an Asian grocery store. You could also make your own by putting a hunk of steak in the freezer until it’s frozen solid and then slicing it against the grain. But I’ve done that before, and it’s a pain. 

2. I left my beef slices whole, and it was fine–just a little messy to cook. Next time, I will cut the beef in half before cooking it. It would have been easier to put a half slice flat in the frying pan. (Jung So-min’s meat was sliced in half while she was cooking it.) Some folks cut the meat in half after cooking it. 

3. A dipping sauce is critical. You can use plain soy sauce. You can mix up the dipping sauce that we used. Or you can use one of your own. 

4. I served this with a spicy Chinese cucumber salad and rice. 

Pan Fried Beef Pancakes (Yuk Jeon) 

Serves 3 or 4

This recipe was adapted from Jipbapmama on Medium.com. 

Ingredients

1 lb beef, sliced thinly (bulgogi meat)

1 cup flour

7 eggs 

salt

cooking oil 

Beef marinade

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/4 cup green onions, minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1 ⅓  teaspoons sesame oil

Dipping Sauce (optional) 

3 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

The beef slices are marinated, dredged in flour, dipped in egg and then pan fried.

Instructions 

1. Remove blood from the meat by patting with paper towels.

2. Make the marinade. Put the soy sauce, garlic, green onion, water, mirin, sugar, toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil into a bowl and mix well.

3. Dip each slice in the marinade and put the slices on a plate or baking sheet.  Set the meat aside for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

4. Place the flour in a shallow dish. 

5. In a separate bowl, crack the eggs. Beat with a pinch of salt until they’re well mixed. 

6. Pick up one slice of beef and coat on both sides. Repeat with the rest of the beef until all are coated.

7. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium heat and add some oil to coat it evenly.

8. Dip a beef slice in the egg mixture. Put it in the frying pan to cook  and repeat with more pieces until your pan is full. Cook for 1–2 minutes over medium heat until the bottom is slightly golden. Flip it over and let it cook for another 1–2 minutes.

9. Remove the cooked yuk jeon and keep them on a large plate while you cook the rest. Be sure to wipe down the pan with a clean paper towel between batches so the pancakes don’t get brown as you cook them.

10. To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. 

11. Serve the beef pancakes with the dipping sauce or soy sauce.