Butternut squash pancakes

It seems that most cultures have some form of pancake in their culinary repertoire, just like most cultures have some form of a filled dumpling - ravioli, gyoza, pierogi, potsticker, etc. Some of these pancakes are made from grains such as our own breakfast pancakes or French crêpes. They can be made from a legume such as chickpeas. They can also be made of shredded vegetables. Potato pancakes, or latkes, are probably the best know of this genre. In Korean cuisine, there are a few variations on this type of pancake, made with various vegetables. Today, I'm focusing on butternut squash.

My version is a slight variation on this recipe from Maangchi's website. If you have any interest at all in Korean recipes, you must check out her site. I make sweet potato pancakes in the style of traditional potato pancakes by grating them and binding with flour and eggs. This particular recipe was interesting because I noticed she did not use any egg to help bind the mixture. So I thought i'd give it a try her way. I veered slightly from her pancake path by using the grating disk of my food processor to make my life a bit easier and I made smaller pancakes instead of large ones. 

They turned out well. I think I would have liked them a bit crispier and I was surprised how well they held together. If I had used more oil, they probably would have turned out crispier. The kids liked them and it's a great, nutritional, all-in-one vegetable-starch to serve with a sauteed pork chop, as I did here.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PANCAKES

Ingredients: 1 small-to-medium butternut squash, 3-4 TB flour, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, olive oil

1. Peel and grate the butternut squash. If you have a food processor, that is ideal. Otherwise, use a box grater or you can julienne with a knife.
2. Combine the grated squash with the salt and let it sit in a big bowl for a few minutes. The salt will draw moisture out of the squash.
3. Add the flour and combine well.
4. Heat a saute pan on medium heat.
5. When it's hot, add olive oil to film the bottom of the pan. 
6. Drop the squash into the pan by the spoonful, flattening as you go.
7. Allow to cook for a few minutes until they start to get brown and crispy.
8. Flip and cook for an additional few minutes.
9. Remove and drain on a paper towel before serving.
10. Eat.

Comments

[S S]

Mmmmmm.....

[Maangchi]

I'm so glad to hear that your kids liked this recipe! It looks so so good! : )"If I had used more oil, they probably would have turned out crispier" yes, I agree!

[Tony Ham]

Thanks Maangchi!