Ghamja Joen and Kimchi Joen, lovely rainy day snack

Jeon is well-loved Korean food. No feast is complete without it. There are two types of Jeon. First type uses wheat flour or various grain flours better. Meat, seafood, or vegetables are added in the batter and the better is fried in pancake shape. It is also called as Buchimghea.

Red one is Kimchi Joen and white one is potato (Ghamja) Joen. It is served with soy sauce thinned out with rice vinegar.

Buchimgheas make lovely rainy day snack.
There must be something in the rain that makes us crave for hot, greasy, aromatic fritters. I have talked about it with my one of Indian friends over hot pakora she cooked for me in one rainy spring day. I have spent in U.S. just few weeks at that time. Rain came into mind with wispers of homesikness. I spent some time wondering around the campus with my-later famous- pink umbrella. She gently knocked on my umbrella from behind and invited me over her place for hot pakora, the first authentic Indian food. The place was packed with her other friends, smell of onion and chillie fired in hot oil, smiling faces and conversation in several languages.

I should mention what is the other type of Joen. This kind focused more on meat or vegetables. Sliced vegetable or meat is coated with flour and egg and gently pan-fried. These are more labor intensive. Think about flipping over very small pieces of food on hot griddle. Now days, making Joen is the chore for the young ones or even man depending on family because it doesn't need special skills but time and patience. I remember sitting on the corner of kitchen flipping the fancy Joens for the feasts over the electric griddle, and munching hot Joen with a excuse of getting rid of imperfection. My aunts used to praised me by saying I would have beautiful girl when I get married since all of my Joens looked nice, without knowing -or turning their blind eyes on - how many 'imperfections' were there.