#korean squash

[morethansalad]

Vegan Rabokki (aka what happens when you mix tteokbokki with ramen noodles)

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Korean Squash

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[easyaschocopie]

Hobak Jeon (Fried Korean Squash)

Since it is Chuseok, my mom and I decided to prep some dishes. One of them was Hobak Jeon. It's a very typical dish you'll see among plates of different kinds of fried veggies that were dipped in flour then in egg batter.

For those who are unfamiliar with Chuseok, it's a big holiday in Korea. I would have to say it is somewhat equivalent to America's Thanksgiving. Chuseok is on 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar. I believe it's a 3-day holiday, and in Korea you can expect lots of traffic. People visit their hometowns and relatives gather and eat traditional Korean food. I believe there's also this tradition of paying respect to their ancestors by setting up a large table of food - but I don't know too much on that part. I've actually never celebrated Chuseok in Korea since I've been in America every time. 

Now, you'll see a bunch of dishes during Chuseok. My mom's side and my dad's side prepare different dishes - it depends on where you're from, your preferences, etc. Of all the dishes that I normally see my mom set up - my favorites are Hobak Jeon and Japchae.

This post is for Hobak Jeon because it's super easy, with little room for error. And what's great about this is that you can honestly "substitute" in the squash with almost any vegetable (or even meat), and it'll be delicious! Some ideas are: Pollack (picture below), Mushrooms (and you can stuff mushrooms with seasoned grounded meat or tofu or shrimp), Shrimp, Oysters, Tofu, Beef slices (you can also get thin slices of beef brisket, wrap it around a chunk of cheddar cheese), etc... the possibilities are endless.

The process is really easy, and it's great for any potluck-type dish! 

You just need a few eggs, beat them up.

Get a plate full of flour.

Slice your squash.

Try to slice them evenly (~0.5cm). Don't slice them too thick, but not too thin either.

Lay them out...

*Here's a big tip! Some people don't do this, but this step makes all the other steps easier and makes your Jeon taste better! You simply sprinkle salt over each of the slices and keep these slices laid out for a couple of minutes. What this does is, it'll first of all, season your squash, and it will also naturally produce water/moisture, which you can utilize when you dip each slice into the flour. The moisture will help stick the flour onto the squash no problem. Some people dip it in egg batter first and then flour (and then egg again?) but, just do this, and that extra (messy) step won't be necessary! 

(Can you see the sprinkles of salt on each slice?)

You'll get some clumps of flour stuck on certain areas of the squash. Just simply tap it vertically against the plate and the extra clumps will fall off.  

Then, let them drown in the egg (you'll need to get your chopsticks or whatever utensil you are using to push them to fully immerse them into the egg batter).

Start frying at Medium Heat! But what's super important in this process is OIL!!!! As much as I don't like using a lot of oil, if you don't have enough oil in the pan, your jeon will look very pale and not be tasty. Drizzle more oil during the frying process if you don't see your jeons browning well. I had to drizzle a bit more. Also, it's okay to have some flour clumps, the frying in oil process will take care of it.

And plate them nicely, and you're done!

HOBAK JEON  (Fried Korean Squash Pancake)

Ingredients 1. 1 Korean Squash/Zucchini 2. 3 Eggs 3. 1 Cup of Flour 4. Salt Directions 1. Wash your squash and dry it.  2. Slice your squash into even sized slices. Thickness should be roughly half an inch. 3. Lay them out on your cutting board or a plate, and sprinkle salt on each squash. Leave them for a couple of minutes, or until you start seeing some water forming on the surface of your squash slices. NOTE: Do not sprinkle to the point of covering the entire squash with salt because that will make it too salty. It's better to under-salt (and later make a soy sauce dip) than to over-salt. 4. Then coat the slices in flour. Dip front and back into the pile of flour. 5. Then take a few slices at a time and dunk them into the beaten egg batter.  6. Drizzle a frying pan with enough oil to barely coat the entire surface. Keep the heat at Medium to Med-Low. 7. Take the slices immersed in the egg batter and fry them. Continue coating the rest of your slices in flour, then dunk in egg batter, then place on frying pan.  Fry until the squash begins to brown. 8. Place onto a plate!