''Memil-buchimgae'' () or buckwheat pancake is a variety of '' buchimgae'', or

Korean pancake ''Buchimgae'' (), or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredie ...

. It is a crepe-like dish made of thin buckwheat batter and napa cabbage. Along with other buckwheat dishes, it is a traditional local speciality of Gangwon Province, where buckwheat is extensively cultivated due to its cooler mountainous climate.

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

and Jeongseon counties are famous for buckwheat dishes such as '' memilmuk'' (buckwheat jelly) and '' memilguksu'' (buckwheat noodles). Pyeongchang's biggest local festival was called Memilbuchigi festival before it was renamed Pyeongchang Festival in 2015. (''Memilbuchigi'' means memilbuchimgae in

Gangwon dialect The Gangwon dialect is spoken in South Korea's Gangwon Province and in North Korea's Kangwŏn Province. Although they are large provinces by area, relatively few people lived in the Gangwon Province. As a result, people living in the western s ...

.) Numerous memilbuchimgae can be seen in Pyeongchang Market, a farmers' market held in Pyeongchang every five days.

Preparation

The batter is prepared by mixing buckwheat flour and water to a thin consistency. Sometimes a small amount of wheat flour or

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...

can be added to it because buckwheat has less glutinous elements. In a traditional way, buckwheat mixed with water is ground by

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

and the batter is strained through a sieve. The filtered batter is cooked on a ''sodang'' (소당) which is the

lid A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...

of a ''sot'' (솥, a traditional big pot) and used for

pan-frying Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as baco ...

. Several pieces of vertically ripped salted napa cabbage and scallions are put on the heated ''sodang'', and the batter is poured over them from their margin. Sour kimchi can be replaced with the cabbage. When making the ''memilbuchimgae'', the batter should be poured thinly because thick ''memilbuchimgae'' is considered less delicious. Perilla oil is used to cook the dish.

Foods made with ''memilbuchimgae''

''Memilbuchimgae'' can be used as an ingredient in other dishes such as ''memil chongtteok'' (메밀총떡), also called ''memil jeonbyeong'' (메밀전병). The dish is formed like a

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

wrap Wrap, WRAP or Wrapped may refer to: Storage and preservation * Gift wrap or wrap paper, used to enclose a present * Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages * Plastic wrap, a thin, clear, flexible plastic used to co ...

stuffed with any available ingredient according to recipe, taste, or region. In the

Jeju Jeju may refer to: * Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo **Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo **Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju l ...

region, the dish is called ''bingtteok'' (빙떡) or ''Jejudo bindaetteok'' and stuffed with boiled shredded radish. The fillings commonly used in Gangwon Province are '' japchae'' (noodle salad), shredded sour kimchi, radish, scallions, garlic, and pork or

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

which are seasoned and stir-fried together. In the

region, half transparent noodles called ''

cheonsachae Kelp noodles or cheon sa chae (Korean: 천사채), are semi-transparent noodles made from the jelly-like extract left after steaming edible kelp. They are made without the addition of grain flour or starch. Kelp noodles have a crunchy texture and ...

'' (천사채), which are made from kelp, are especially used. The dish is considered a good '' anju'' because the combination of the savoury and somewhat bland taste of ''memilbuchimgae'' combined with the pungent flavour of the filling makes a good companion for drinking

alcoholic beverage An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Food Korean pancakes Buckwheat dishes

Preparation

Foods made with ''memilbuchimgae''

See also

References

External links