The Ee-Silberman Family’s Kimchi Latkes combines the backgrounds of the whole family into something delicious. Read more recipes from the Wildwood Family Cookbook here. Bon Appetit!
“We love these because they combine traditional Korean and Jewish foods into something super yummy. It’s like the food version of our kid.” 
The EE-Silberman Family’s Kimchee Latkes
- Total Time: 1 hours 0 minutes
- Yield: 24 latkes 1x
Description
The Ee-Silberman Family’s Kimchi Latkes combines the backgrounds of the whole family into something delicious. Read more recipes…
Ingredients
- 10 Yukon Gold Potatoes (size of a kid’s fist), peeled
- 6 Yellow Fingerling Potatoes, peeled
- 1 Giant Yellow Onion, chopped (use a slightly smaller onion if you don’t like onions)
- 1-2 Garlic Bulbs, peeled and pressed (err on using too much, it’s flu season!)
- 1 Leek, halved and sliced thin or you can substitute 4-5 Scallions or best case scenario: use both!
- 1 Bunch of Garlic Chives, chopped
- 1 Bunch of Onion Chives, chopped
- Parsley, chopped (not the whole bunch but enough to counteract the garlic)
- Cilantro Leaves to decorate (if you’re hungry, skip this step)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup-ish (240 ml) White Rice Flour (Can also do 1/2 c White Rice Flour and 1/2 c Garbanzo Flour for crunchier, heartier latkes)
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) Kimchi, cut into bite size pieces (the stinkier/spicier/fermented the better obvs.)
- Tamari to taste, have the bottle handy (I use San-J Organic Reduced Salt Tamari)
- Coarse sea salt
- Oil for Frying (NOT Coconut!)
- Roasted Sesame Seed Oil if you have it
- White Rice Vinegar
Instructions
FOOD PROCESS
- Yukon Golds, Giant Onion, Garlic and a tbsp of Sea Salt. Set aside.
- Using a Mandoline Slicer, julienne the Fingerling Potatoes. This is for texture. You won’t appreciate the manual labor now but you will when you eat them.
- Choop Leeks, Scallions (if using), Chives (Garlic and Onion) and Parsley.
- Put Fingerling Potato strings and chopped green things into a large mixing bowl.
- Add Potato-Onion-Garlic mixture to the bowl.Add Eggs to the food processor (no need to clean it first) and process til airy. Add this to the bowl. Mix the whole thing together.
- Add Tamari to the mixture. Drizzle it on like a child pouring maple syrup onto pancakes. If you’re not using a Reduced Sodium Tamari, use restraint. Mix again.
- Add the cup of White Rice Flour and the Baking Powder. You want the consistency to be a thick batter. Don’t feel bad if you need to add a lot more White Rice Flour. Just do what you have to do.
- Add the Kimchi. If you add the liquid from the kimchi jar, you will need to add a LOT more White Rice Flour. I don’t recommend this but am with you spiritually.
- Just eye the batter so it looks proportional. It should look like Christmas (a nice balance of green and red) even though you’ll want to make these for Hanukkah.
- Fry with your preferred frying oil (NOT coconut) and add a few dashes of Roasted Sesame Seed Oil for flavor.
- Just fry one by itself to test and then adjust sodium and kimchi levels. DO NOT TASTE THE RAW BATTER, please trust me on this.
- Press Cilantro Leaves into the latkes while frying the first side. Then flip over and fry the cilantro side.
- Serve cilantro side up.Serve with a dipping sauce made of equal amounts of Tamari and White Rice Vinegar.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 latkes
- Calories: 200
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do these latkes use white rice flour instead of all-purpose flour?
The recipe uses about 1 cup of white rice flour (or a 50/50 split with garbanzo flour “for crunchier, heartier latkes”) to keep the batter gluten-free, since the family developed this recipe partly for members with gluten sensitivity. Rice flour also crisps more cleanly at frying temperatures than wheat flour.
Why does the recipe use a mandoline for the fingerling potatoes but a food processor for the Yukon Golds?
The Yukon Golds, giant onion, and garlic go through the food processor to create the main batter base. The fingerling potatoes are julienned separately on a mandoline — specifically for texture contrast, as the recipe notes “you won’t appreciate the manual labor now but you will when you eat them.”
Should I add the liquid from the kimchi jar to the batter?
No — the recipe warns against it: “If you add the liquid from the kimchi jar, you will need to add a LOT more White Rice Flour. I don’t recommend this but am with you spiritually.” Add only the 1 1/2 cups of cut kimchi solids and keep the brine out to maintain batter consistency.
What oil should I use for frying, and what should I avoid?
The recipe says to fry with your preferred frying oil plus a few dashes of roasted sesame seed oil for flavor — but it explicitly says NOT coconut oil, both in the ingredient list and the frying step, without specifying why.
