Korea's beloved seafood and scallion pancake — wide, crispy-edged, chewy-centered, loaded with squid and shrimp, best eaten with makgeolli rice wine on a rainy afternoon.
In Korea, there is a saying: pajeon on a rainy day. The sound of rain on a roof is supposed to resemble the sizzle of batter hitting a screaming-hot pan — and for generations, Koreans have responded to rain by making pancakes. Pajeon (scallion pancake) is one of Korea's oldest street foods, but haemul pajeon — the seafood version — is the celebration edition, the one you order when the occasion deserves it. The best versions come from Busan, Korea's great port city, where squid is fresh off the boat and green onions grow long and sweet in coastal air. In Dongnae district, pajeon restaurants have operated continuously for over 100 years. You sit on the floor around a low lacquered table, a whole pancake arrives crackling from the iron pan, still spitting hot oil at the edges, and you tear pieces off by hand and dip them into a soy-vinegar sauce. The chewy interior — from glutinous rice flour — and the crispy charred edges create a texture contrast that no description quite captures. Makgeolli, the milky unfiltered rice wine, is the only correct accompaniment. The Koreans say pajeon and makgeolli are soulmates, and on a rainy afternoon, it is very easy to believe them.
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