The pros: Trader Joe's Scallion Pancakes (Pa Jeon) are flavorful and super quick to make.
The cons: None really come to mind.
The verdict:
Whenever I would go into city with my Dad growing up, we always stopped by a restaurant called Ginger House on 7th Avenue in NYC (which has sadly closed since those days.) While we would always have a nice meal, we would always start the meal with an appetizer called Scallion Pancakes. This was the first time I had scallion pancakes anywhere. They were always served with a dip of soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, and some finely chopped scallions.
I had passed this item by several times before picking it up. Unlike my previous experience with scallion pancakes, this item is Korean. This pancakes doesn't just have scallions in it. There are several other veggies present, but they are quiet partners to the scallions here. The scallions are the primary flavor here. While scallions and pancakes might seem an unnatural flavor combination, it really works here.
I placed these in frying pan with some sesame oil. I crisped mine up. I prefer my scallion pancakes a little more crisp. It breaks up the soft texture here. I also made my own dipping sauce of soy sauce and peanut butter. It was all salty umami goodness. For $3.49 for four pancakes, these are well done. They are a good size to share or have on your own. I'd buy these again. They are worth a try.
The bag of Trader Joe's Scallion Pancakes (Pa Jeon) in the frozen aisle:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
Out of the package you get four pancakes that look like this:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? This is a yes from me. Very well done. Just as good as what you can get in an Asian Grocery Store.
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Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Brenda, did you defrost the Pancake before you crisped it a pan? I've wanted to get these ever since they came out but was a bit leery. Thanks for this review, Aloha!
Aloha Auntie Doni. I cooked it both ways. The pancake is fully cooked so all you are doing is reheating it. When I took it out from the freezer it needed additional time in the pan. I kept touching the center to see if it were done. Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad I could help 🙂
I'm a HUGE fan of scallion pancakes and look forward to trying these out!
Brenda, what is your recipe for the dipping sauce? Just soy sauce and peanut butter?
I've never measured. I just go by taste.
I put one (frozen) in my air fryer at 400 F degrees for 4 min then flip it to cook 2 more min or until crispy (package says to bake in conventional oven for 4 to 7 minutes total). I eat with unsweetened apple sauce with soy sauce. No peanut butter due to allergy. Love them along with my new air fryer
Hey Christine! Thanks so much for sharing the air fryer directions (I know they aren't listed on the package). Thanks for also sharing other pairing suggestions.