Pan Fried Zucchini "Coins"

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 Pan Fried Zucchini "Coins"


This was how my mother in law would cook her zucchini-- sliced and pan fried with a simple beaten egg coating, and served with a soy sauce mayo dip. When I first tried it almost 20 years ago, I loved the side dish and thought it was a unique Hawaiian twist on cooking zucchini.

It turns out that this is a Korean side dish (Hobak Jeon) that home cooks make. You rarely see this as a side dish in US Korean restaurants. However, the typical Korean dipping sauce for this dish is a mix of vinegar and soy sauce, not the soy sauce mayo combo that my mother in law made.

Whatever the origin of this dish, it's delicious and fairly simple to execute. Make sure you buy small to medium sized zucchinis, as the large zucchinis tend to be bitter sometimes. Same goes with wrinkly old zucchinis-- those tend to be bitter too.

Gather ingredients

Sprinkle slices with salt and allow to rest for 8-10 min

Blot dry with a paper towel

Toss in a zip lock bag with flour to evenly coat

Dip each slice in egg

Pan fry on medium low

Until golden brown

Make dipping sauce


Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium zucchinis
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ t salt
  • 1/3 c flour

Dipping Sauce ingredients:

  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 2 t soy sauce

Procedures:

1. Slice zucchinis into ¼ inch thick slices.

2. Lay zucchini “coins” in a single layer on a 9x13 tray and sprinkle evenly with salt. Allow the zucchini coins to rest for 8-10 minutes. Moisture will start to release from the zucchini. Use a paper towel to blot dry.

3. Toss the zucchini coins in a zip lock bag filled with 1/3 c of flour. Seal bag and shake to evenly coat the zucchini coins with flour.

4. In a bowl, beat 3 eggs. Set aside.

5. Remove each zucchini coin from the bag, and gently shake off excess flour. Dip the zucchini in the beaten eggs so that the egg is coated on both sides. Place flour and egg dipped zucchinis in a preheated lightly greased pan. Pan fry under medium low heat on both sides until a light golden brown. It should take about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. (Make sure the heat is on medium low so you don’t burn the egg batter before the zucchini is cooked. The zucchini should be soft, but still firm to the bite while the outside coating is a light brown.)

6. Serve hot, warm, or cold with dipping sauce. To make the dipping sauce, just mix the mayonnaise with soy sauce until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.