Have you ever had Hwajeon (화전) before? Hwajeon is a Korean style pancake that is usually decorated with a flower. The most common kind of hwajeon is the Jindallae Hwajeon (진달래화전). Jindallae Hwajeon is a type of Korean pancake with azaleas. Making and eating Jindallae Hwajeon used to be a traditional Korean pastime. There are still some people who still partake in this tradition, but not as many as before.
Guk Hwajeon (국화전) is a type of hwajeon made with chrysanthemum leaves. It used to be the case where guk hwajeon was consumed for an old Korean autumn festival called Juyangjeol (중양절), but that festival is rarely observed nowadays, so the custom of making guk hwajeon has dwindled as well. When the autumn festival was widely observed, guk hwajeon was often consumed with gukhwaju (국화주), which is a type of Korean rice wine made with chrysanthemums.
Jangmi Hwajeon (장미화전) is a type of Korean rose pancake. Usually red (sometimes they are maroon colored) rose petals are carefully decorated and placed on top of the hwajeon. Unlike the guk hwajeon, the jangmi hwajeon is typically made during the summer. In the past the season determined the type of hwajeon that one could make, but since Koreans now have access to flowers all year long, it’s not unusual to see people making Jangmi Hwajeon in whatever season.
In the spring time is when people start making Jebikkot Hwajeon (제비꽃화전), which is a type of violet flower hwajeon. Making a hwajeon is pretty simple. You just take some glutinous rice flour and sugar and mix them into a dough like consistency. Then you roll out the dough and take some cookie cutters and let the cut out pieces sit in a griddle or frying pan. After the hwajeon is done you can decorate them with any edible flower.
Maendrami Hwajeon (맨드라미화전) is a cockscomb flower hwajeon. A cockscomb flower is a yellow colored flower that has a light and fuzzy texture. Usually the maendrami hwajeon is made in the autumn season, but if there are no maendrami hwajeons in your area you can substitute them with any edible flower. Also, you don’t have to use glutinous rice flour to make a hwajeon. You can use some baking flour with sugar and water and decorate them with flowers!
파전 – is a pancake made of green onions. The green onions are sliced into long strips. Then they are mixed in a batter of flour and eggs, with a little salt. The 파전 is fried and the edges are usually crispy. Like most Korean pancakes, they are cut into squares and dipped into some soy sauce.
김치전 – is a pancake made of 김치. I make this when I have some 김치 that’s about to spoil. Instead of letting it go to waste, I put it in some batter and fry it. The red pepper of the 김치 give the pancake a reddish/pink color.
호박전 – is made of squash. The squash can be sliced into thin strips, but most often it’s cut into thin circles. The 호박전 tend to look like mini pancakes. A lot of them are small enough to fit your mouth. One tip I’ll suggest is to chop them into thin round slices, so that they cook all the way through.