Bindaedok

We have been streaming the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience in the evenings after work. There are fewer well written humourous books and sitcoms these days compared to the network offerings during my young adulthood. I often feel unable to focus on heavy drama, crime stories and reality shows when we are surrounded by negative news much of the time. Kim's Convenience is cleverly written and reflects the  realities of multicultural life and the integration of second generation immigrants into Canadian society. 

I love the diversity of culture in southern Ontario and am privileged to work with people from many different backgrounds. For me, the best way to start to understand another culture is to try their food. One of my co-workers is from the state of Kerala in south west India. He is an Orthodox Christian whose faith traditions date back to 52 AD with the arrival of the apostle Thomas to India. He likes to cook for his family and shared a recipe for fish curry made with smoked malabar tamarind. I tried to copy the recipe but did not have some of the key ingredients which he brings back to Canada when he visits India. A few weeks ago he dropped off some of his authentic fish curry (made with fresh Canadian salmon) which was the best curry I have ever tasted. 

Back to Kim's Convenience...

We watched an episode last night where Janet wants her mother to make bindaedok, a Korean pancake. I have made a vegan version of bindaedok for some time but the one featured on the show had eggs as well as soaked mung beans and vegetables. I looked up another recipe online and tried it for lunch today with a few modifications. This version is faster to make than the vegan recipe. 

Soak: 1 cup of split, peeled dry mung beans in a generous amount of water for 2-12 hours. 

(This is also called Moong dal and is found in ethnic section of most supermarkets in our area.)

Mix in a large bowl:

2 large carrots, grated

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

Using a blender mix until smooth:

1 cup water

Drained soaked mung beans

2 eggs, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp rice or wheat flour

Add the blended beans and eggs to the vegetables and mix together. 

Heat an 8 inch frying pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add 1 cup of the pancake batter and spread it thinly to the edge of the pan. Cook one side until browned and then flip the pancake and cook the other side. I sprinkled the batter with sesame seeds.

Slice the pancake in 6 wedges and serve with dipping sauce. Makes 3-4 large pancakes.

                                                                   

Dipping sauce:

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp vinegar

a few drops of sesame oil

I think this tastes good cold for a packed lunch or leftovers can be reheated.