Asia → North Korea → Pyongyang
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Bindaetteok
Pyongyang market pancakes of coarsely ground mung beans mixed with kimchi and pork, pan-fried thick and crisp-edged.
North Korean · medium · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 20 min
~566 cal · 35g protein · 59g carbs · 21g fat · 15g fiber · 4g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bindaetteok, also called nokdujeon, is the mung bean pancake that is the most distinctive market street food of Pyongyang. Skinless mung beans are soaked and coarsely ground, then bound with chopped aged kimchi, pork and bean sprouts and fried into thick, savoury pancakes with crisp edges.
The North Korean style leans heavier on kimchi and pork than the lighter southern version, a working-class dish long served at weddings and washed down with rice wine. It is cut into wedges and eaten hot with a simple soy and vinegar dip.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 2 cups split skinless mung beans, soaked overnight
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cabbage kimchi, drained and chopped
- 8 oz pork belly, thinly sliced
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts,
- 4 , sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup , for frying
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, for the dip
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- to taste salt
Instructions
- 1Drain the soaked mung beans and blend with the water to a slightly grainy, coarse batter, not fully smooth.✎ Chef’s noteKeep the batter a little coarse: fully smooth mung bean batter fries up gummy rather than crisp.
- 2Stir the chopped kimchi, garlic, scallions and a little salt into the batter.
- 3Heat a thin film of oil in a skillet over medium heat and ladle in batter to make thick rounds.
- 4Lay a few slices of pork and a little blanched bean sprout on each pancake, then cook 4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
- 5Mix the soy sauce with the vinegar for a dip. Cut the pancakes into wedges and serve hot.
Pyongyang market food.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Pyongyang. Pyongyang is the home of naengmyeon, chewy buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth with pear and mustard. Northern Korean cooking is milder and less chili-driven than the south, with dumplings, cold dishes, and pine nuts.
🗺️
North Korea. North Korean cuisine shares Korea's fermentation heritage but leans milder and more austere, cold buckwheat noodles (naengmyeon), corn and potato dishes, and hearty stews. Pyongyang's cold noodles are its most famous export.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from North Korea
Pyongyang NaengmyeonChewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, clear beef-and-radish broth, topped with pear, egg, and pickles.
OnbanA Pyongyang bowl of warm rice in chicken broth topped with shredded chicken and a mung-bean pancake.
Injo-gogi-bapSheets of soybean 'meat' stuffed with rice and topped with a spicy sauce, a resourceful North Korean street food.
Browse all North Korea recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan, Blender.
Storing it: Best fresh and hot. Keep batter covered in the fridge for up to a day, and rewarm cooked ones in a dry pan.
Make it a North Korea meal
SujeonggwaDrink
Gangnaengi-tteokDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bindaetteok?
Pyongyang market pancakes of coarsely ground mung beans mixed with kimchi and pork, pan-fried thick and crisp-edged.
Where does Bindaetteok come from?
Bindaetteok is a North Korean dish from Pyongyang, North Korea.
Can Bindaetteok be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bindaetteok recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bindaetteok safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bindaetteok take to make?
About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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