Pancakes unleash pan-Asian flavours

It’s a kind of street food in Asian countries. Pancakes

are eaten all-day long, says Executive Chef Randy

Joung at InterCon Doha. By Umer Nangiana

The traditional ingredients are calamari, shrimp, carrot, spring onion and white onion, and the dish is a pancake! Yes, it is pan-Asian pancakes in many distinct flavours representing different East Asian countries.

In Korea, for instance, they make this pancake called panjeon from a batter of egg, wheat flour, rice flour, green onion and often other additional ingredients depending on the variety. Sometimes, seafood and meat is added for enhanced taste.

Here at InterContinental Doha, The City’s pan-Asian Hwang restaurant, Executive Chef Randy Joung keeps the batter ready at his live cooking station for instant serving. He introduced these pancakes a month back and they were so popular that it is now included in the regular menu.

At the cooking station, it comes out crispy from the chef’s pan and lands in the plate. He then cuts it into smaller pieces and adds toppings of specially prepared sauces and herbs. The pancake is ready to be served.

It resembles an omelet but it is much more than your regular one. It is more juicy and every ingredient tastes separately in the mix.

“In Asia, each country is making a very different flavour of the pancakes. And that is exactly what we have focused on during our promotion this month and it has gone really well. So we will of course continue this dish in our a la carte menu for our respected guests,” Chef Joung tells me while making the second pancake which is a Japanese dish called okonomiyaki.

It is completely different in taste from its Korean variant. Its name is derived from word Okonomi meaning ‘what you like’ or ‘what you want’ and the yaki means grilled or cooked.

Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshime areas of Japan but is widely available throughout Japan.

Toppings and batter tends to vary according to region. Joung prepares it in almost the similar way as he prepared the Korean pancake, but the Japanese one comes out crispier and tastier.

“In my menu we prepare them with Asian ingredients including the vegetables, herbs and spices and we also mix meat with it,” says Joung.

He makes six different types of pancakes including the Singaporean and Malay styles with minced beef mixed with rice and pepper and the Philippines and Thai styles with egg plants as ingredients.

Traditionally, these pancakes come under the category of street food in their respective countries across East Asia with typical ingredients. However, at Hwang, Chef Joung adds more ingredients to add to the taste and texture of the pancakes.

“It has typical ingredients but when I prepare it here I add more ingredients, so it is not very big but very compact in style and shape,” says Joung. “This is an all-day meal. As I mentioned it is a kind of street food. In most Asian countries it is eaten all day long, with any meal or even as snacks between the meals,” he adds.

Chef Joung recommends it as appetiser but he says here the guests have been ordering it with salads and main course. “This is another way of eating it. I am also learning seeing how they enjoy it,” he adds with a chuckle.

Besides the pancakes, the restaurant had added another dish to its menu called bibimbap.

“It is a traditional Korean dish. We are serving it in a pre-heated hot stone pot. We prepare assorted seasoned vegetables with a fried egg and chilly paste sauce and then mix everything,” says Joung.

The hot stone pot would keep the raw meat inside cooking by the time you take your first slice of it. When it is served, all ingredients are assembled in equal proportions in the circular setting with a fried egg in the middle.

But before eating it, you have to mix the entire ingredients and that is the most interesting part. It gives the dish its taste. It is a complete meal, a main course dish. The hot stone pot is sizzling and you would enjoy it especially if you have not eaten it before this way. How do I assemble the ingredients makes the whole difference in the taste.   

Chef Joung says it is not just tasty, it is very healthy as well. All spices and ingredients are fresh and it has minimum salt and pepper. It is very organic.

At Hwang, bibimbap is rice with meat, vegetables, an egg and chili pepper paste. Served to the table steaming hot, diners delight in mixing the ingredients together as the flavours are unleashed around them.

Chef Joung took the helm of InterContinental Doha The City’s food and beverage offering in late 2013 and joins the team after several senior culinary positions at five-star hotels across the globe.

A native of South Korea, his goal is to drive and motivate his team to continue to offer premium dining experiences across all of the hotel’s restaurants. One of his specialties is Asian cuisine.

He has been the driving force behind the creation of Hwang’s pan-Asian menu while adding his own special touches to the dishes. To provide diners with an authentic experience, Chef Joung has assembled an all-Asian kitchen team and staff at Hwang who share his passion for the culture and the cuisine.