Fluffy & juicy Zucchini Fritters (aehobak-jeon) ｜애호박전 [vegetarian, vegan friendly]
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It’s the peak season of zucchinis. That means they taste the best and very cheap too 🙂
So during these summer months, I try to fill the table with different zucchini dishes.
Aehobak-jeon, Korean zucchini fritters
애호박전 Aehobak-jeon, a.k.a. Korean zucchini fritters, is Koreans’ go-to fritter to make in summer. It’s very easy and simple to make too! Zucchini is sliced and seasoned with salt. Then it’s lightly coated with flour, beaten eggs fried on a pan.
They’re so fluffy on the outside but so juicy & sweet on the inside. The best contrasting flavor and texture one could ask for 🙂 To make it even more pleasing, it’s served with sweet & sour dipping sauce made with soy sauce.
How to make vegan aehobak-jeon, vegan Korean zucchini fritters?
Although it’s made with eggs traditionally, you can make it vegan too. I have actually adapted this from an ancient cookbook. Instead of eggs, make a thin batter made with flour, water, salt and a hint of sesame oil. Sesame oil makes it so flavorful with thin batter giving it such light crisp & fluffiness. Find the recipe at the recipe section below.
Korean zucchini fritters (aehobak-jeon)
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini around 250g (½ lb.)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
For dipping sauce (cho-ganjang, vinegary soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili powder)
Instructions
- Slice zucchini into 5mm (or ¼ inch) thickness.
- Place them on a flat surface (like cutting board, tray, etc.). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt to season and to draw out moisture.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes until you can see the moisture drawn out of zucchinis. Don't let it sit longer as zucchini will lose too much juice.
- Coat it with all-purpose flour and dust it off. For batch cooking, put the flour and zucchini slices in a plastic bag and shake it. Sift the remaining flour through a sieve.
- In a bowl, beat two eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Put the flour-coated zucchini slices and coat with egg batter on both sides.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Place zucchini pieces one by one. Leave enough space in between so that each pieces will not stick to one another. Add more oil if necessary.
- Turn and fry until both sides are golden.
- Make cho-ganjang, the dipping sauce, by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Serve the zucchini fritters with the dipping sauce. It's best to eat them right after they're cooked. It's crunchy & fluffy on the outside and juicy & sweet on the inside. Enjoy!
