Memil-buchimgae


Memil-buchimgae or buckwheat pancake is a variety of buchimgae, or Korean pancake. 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 and Jeongseon counties are famous for buckwheat dishes such as memilmuk and memilguksu. Pyeongchang's biggest local festival was called Memilbuchigi festival before it was renamed Pyeongchang Festival in 2015. 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 can be added to it because buckwheat has less glutinous elements. In a traditional way, buckwheat mixed with water is ground by millstone and the batter is strained through a sieve. The filtered batter is cooked on a sodang which is the lid of a sot and used for pan-frying. 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 an ingredient to make other dishes such as memil chongtteok or also called memil jeonbyeong. The dish is formed like a dumpling or wrap stuffed with any available ingredient according to recipe, taste, or region. In the Jeju region, the dish is called bingtteok or Jejudo bindaetteok and stuffed with boiled shredded radish. The fillings commonly used in Gangwon Province are japchae, shredded sour kimchi, radish, scallions, garlic, and pork or squid which are seasoned and stir-fried together. In the Pyeongchang region, half transparent noodles called cheonsachae, which are made from kelp, are especially used.
The dish is considered a good anju because the combination of the savoury and a bit blend taste from memilbuchimgae' and pungent taste from the inner makes a good companion for drinking alcoholic beverages.