I couldn’t find a new thread for 2025, so I’m posting these here…and since I bought them in 2024, maybe that’s OK.
I used to make green onion/scallion/spring onion “pancakes” in Japan by taking spring roll wrappers, putting the chopped green onions on, brushing sesame oil on them and repeating until I got the desired thickness and then “frying” them in oil. They were good, but a bit cumbersome. I had a TINY kitchen which wasn’t conducive to making them from scratch.
But these are REALLY good and easy to make! They are likely not new to anyone here, but they are to me. I’m fairly certain I’ll buy them again…especially at only $2.49 for a package of 5! A definitive YEA from me!
The photos here were “borrowed” from the ‘net and not my own.
Sorry - I added the post and replies to include date/time order, which pushed the original post (started later) down to the bottom. Let me see if another Mod can move the original post to the top.
I bought the Sweet Cinnamon filled Korean Pancakes a few weeks ago, but didn’t try them until the new year. They were surprisingly good. I love cinnamon, but I find certain TJ products dialing that sugar level to an extreme, and was worried these would be overly sweet. They didn’t make me cringe. I wish the pancake was a bit fluffier, but it had a decent pancake to cinnamon filling ratio. So YEA!
The pancakes is more like a chinese ‘bing’ - but not as oily, at least in this preparation. Not flaky like a scallion pancake, thicker and softer, but not bun like. Easy prep - just pop into the oven to heat up.
I tried again with the breaded calamari rings. Meh. 425F for 20 minutes crisped them up, but they didn’t have much flavor. I think they need to be shallow fried. Will report back.
FWIW: This has been a hot topic for us. They’re OK, but we’ve found the Golden brand ones to have better texture. TJs’ are more like mashed potatoes in the middle.
Definite NAY for the Chiles Rellenos Con Queso. At least my reaction was that these were nowhere near the quality of any I’ve had at restaurants here in SoCal, or anywhere else. Bland sauce and flavorless batter coating. I suppose the chiles and cheese were OK, but the overall experience was disappointing.
Had no idea Trader Joe’s was doing hotteok these days.
They’re most popular on street in the RoK during the winter…filled with sesame, peanuts, cinnamon, and granulated sugar.
Massive NAY to the Pumpkin O’s. They might as well have dusted baked cardboard with fake pumpkin spice and a pinch of salt.
