I am experiencing first fall season in San Francisco. People say the summer has ended here… but when? The weather is pretty much the same…(windy and sunny) I know that I have to be very careful not to be spoiled with this unbelievable California weather.

Because it is my first year in San Francisco,I still have not figured out agricultural life cycle in California. Are blueberries still available??? How much longer can we enjoy the wonderfully juicy tomatoes? I went to a farmers’ market a few days ago and what a surprise. I found this charming looking squash still around. I had to grab it without hesitation because who knows when they will be out of season.

And what did I make out of this vegetable?

Koreans make pancakes[Jeon] out of everything such as meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables..etc. It is so versatile and widely enjoyed that I dedicated one recipe category only to pancakes[Jeon]

This squash pancake is one of my favorite. It is very easy to make yet tastes so sweet and delicate that sometimes I refuse to dip it in sauce in order to fully enjoy the flavor of the squash. Make it as weekend afternoon snack or enjoy it with a bowl of rice.

*Ingredients (makes about 2 pancakes,7 inch diameter)
Squash: 2
Oil:About 2 Tbsp
Unbleached white flour : 1/2 Cup
Large egg: 1
Water: 2/3 Cup
Salt:1 tsp

In a bowl, combine flour, egg, salt, and water. Whisk well.

Peel the skin off squash and cut into strips about 2 inches by 1/4 inch.

Mix batter and squash.

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan and put in half of the batter mix. Spread well.

When the edge of pancake gets white, flip it over (Flip only once)

Wait until bottom is cooked about 1 minute.

I have a confession to make. The Korean squash that I actually wanted to introduce is Ae-Hobak(Baby Squash). The Ae-Hobak is cylinder shape with solid light green colored skin. I have not been able to find this squash in US so,instead, I want to show you the squash you can substitute with. I was very surprised to find this squash is very similar to Korean squash in taste and texture. Even their blossom and leaves look exactly the same and I wonder if they are from the same family.
In Korea, squash is summer vegetable and used in many summer dishes.

When cooked,it tastes slightly sweet and has very delicate soft texture.
Fresh squash has very shiny outer skin with no scar. When cut,inside meat is very dense and there is no empty pocket around the seeds.

Koreans cook this squash in many different ways. We saute,stir fry,steam,stew..,etc. This vegetable is very popular for pan cake ingredient and it is also used as stuffing for dumpling.