Leftover jeon collecting dust? Turn it into donburi, burgers and pizza

Chuseok is over, and somewhere in the back of the refrigerator sits a stack of jeon — the savory Korean pancakes that disappeared from the plate in seconds while they were still hot off the pan, but now seem to repel everyone who opens the fridge door.

Many people simmer the leftovers into a stew, but the murky look of jeon-laden broth puts plenty of others off. So what is the best way to actually enjoy what is left?

The simplest approach is to treat jeon the way Japanese donburi treats tempura — as a topping over rice. Since jeon is itself a pan-fried dish, the pairing is not as odd as it sounds. Beef jeon works particularly well, blending into the bowl without any jarring clash of flavors.

The heart of a good donburi is well-cooked rice and a sweet-savory tare sauce. Tare can be made simply by combining soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small pot, then adding green onion, onion and ginger once the mixture comes to a boil. For a deeper flavor, a dashi stock made with dried bonito flakes and kelp makes a fine addition.

Ladle some tare into a small saucepan, add the jeon and bring it to a boil. Pour in beaten egg, cover with a lid and let the residual heat set the egg. Slide the whole thing over a bowl of steamed rice, and a surprisingly convincing jeon donburi is ready to serve.

Donggeurangttaeng — the round, minced-meat-and-vegetable jeon — makes for an inventive burger patty. Its shape and composition already closely resemble a burger patty, so it can stand in directly, though the flavor difference is hard to ignore.

A more involved but rewarding option is to chop the donggeurangttaeng again, mix in Worcestershire sauce and bulgogi sauce, then re-form and pan-fry the mixture. The higher the meat content of the original donggeurangttaeng, the better the result.

A recipe that has recently gained traction turns flat jeon into a pizza base — zucchini jeon or tofu jeon work best. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the surface, top with onion, bell pepper and ham, then pile on mozzarella cheese. Five minutes in an air fryer at 170 degrees Celsius is enough to melt the cheese through. It also turns out to be a clever way to get young children who normally refuse jeon to eat it without complaint.