As you know, being German, I already have a fondness for potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffer) but it is usually served with applesauce, and German crepes (pfannenkuchen) is served with a cinnamon + sugar mix, or fruit. In fact, most of the European and American pancakes I am aware of, or have tasted, are sweet. Where is the savory?
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Pancakes are Global + Old
The first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece, ~600 BCE, and comes from a poet who described warm pancakes in one of his writings. Most of the worlds pancakes are sweet, filled with honey, berries or other sweet items. But savory pancakes are my story for today.
As a result, I started to look where I know savory pancakes are made, Asia. I already follow Maangchi for her take on Korean food, and Marion Grasby (and Mama Noi) for viewpoints on a variety of other Asian food. So, I looked closely at both of their sites for savory pancakes. Then made the recipies while, of course, changing them a bit to match my taste. Here are the results: tasty, savory, veggie-filled pancakes.
Definitions
Pancakes are a form of flat breads, the main difference is pancakes are made with batter while flat breads are made with dough.
Savory Pancake Formula
- Select a flour and a liquid to make a batter
- Select ingredients: protein, herbs, spices + veggies
- Select the sauce + toppings
Other Savory Pancakes
These are pancakes I am saving for another post, and are savory pancakes from other locations. Here is just a sampling of what is out there in the world.
Vietnam Banh Xeo: This is a pancake made from rice flour and coconut milk, made golden with turmeric. It is filled with shrimp, green onion, pork, and bean sprouts. Served with some herbs, lettuce and a garlicky lime dipping sauce.
Malaysia Roti Canai: My interpretation is that these are buttery and flaky wheat pancakes that are served next to a warm, richly-spiced dhal or curry. The idea is that it is to be duncked into the savory food.
India Dosa, Uttapam: The Dosa is one I have had. It is made from a fermented rice batter, and cooked into a large thin crepes that is filled with savory food like spiced potatoes. Uttapam is fermented lentil and rice flour, with veggies mixed right into the batter, then fried crispy. Served with dipping sauces.
Venezuela + Colombia Cachapas: Cachapas are a batter of sweet corn flour and a pinch of sugar, cooked as a pancake and then folded around cheese.
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Savory Korean Veggie Pancake
(Yachaejeon)
With my first batch of this meal I misread the recipe and did not have enough batter. So while it did not hold up well as a pancake, it still tasted savory and good. I decided to try again, and made some minor changes to the recipe, and it was again good tasting, and held together better as I got the batter correct.
Consistently, this pancake tasted very savory with a nice mouthfeel, and the sauce was a perfect addition. My spouse used the sauce as a dip, whereas I dumped a bunch over the pancake and used it as a syrup.
This is a great meal for vegan or vegetarian eaters, and could be made gluten free with simply using a different flour. The main caloric ingredient in this 2-serving dish is the flour batter. I looked it up and for 3/4C AP flour: 71.54g carbohydrates, but also 2.5g fiber and 9.68g protein. Overall a healthy and tasty dish that is meat free and able to fit into a variety of diets.
This will make one large pancake that will fit in a 12” skillet or several small ones, but enough to feed 2 adults. I saw this on many Asian cooking sites and each had their own take on the recipe, but Maangchi’s was by far the easiest to make. I made changes, of course, to suit my style and taste, but overall this is a very basic veggie pancake. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
- First, prepare dipping or pouring sauce for the crispy pancake(s) and set aside
- Mix 1T dark soy sauce
- 2t white vinegar
- 1t Korean Gochugaru pepper flakes
- 1t toasted sesame seeds
- Second, make the batter for the veggie pancakes in a bowl and mix ingredients well
- Add ¾C all purpose flour
- ½t kosher salt + ½t freshly ground pepper
- ¾C water + have an additional 1/4C in reserve in case it is needed
- The batter should be thickish, yet runny enough to easily coat all the veggies
- Third, prepare ~2½ – 3C thinly sliced vegetables to add to the batter bowl
- 4 green onions, cut in half lengthwise, then at 1” intervals, and added to bowl
- Cut a 2” round log from the white part of a leek, then halve lengthwise, then cut those halves into thin matchbook slices. Add ~⅓C of these leeks into the veggie bowl.
- Matchstick ~1/4C carrots (they are for a splash of color in the dish)
- 1 jalapeño, de-seeded + de-membraned and matchstick sliced
- 2C thinly sliced white or green cabbage
- Mix the veggies in the batter bowl, so they are evenly covered in batter
- Fourth, Cooking either one 12” pancake or many smaller ones (your choice)
- Heat the olive oil and skillet for cooking the pancakes
- Add more oil if required, you want these pancakes crunchy on the outside, and the flour mixture cooked thoroughly
- Flip once the heated side is browned enough and crispy.
- Then serve with the sauce
Japanese Savory Pancakes
(Okonomiyaki)
In Japan, savory pancakes (Okonomiyaki) date to the 16th century, and were incorporated into the Tea Ceremony. They were made from flour, water sake, and were char-grilled; with sweet miso spread on it, rolled, and cut nto bite-sized pieces (1). Now they are a popular street food made from a base of flour and shredded cabbage, protein of your choice including egg, and veggies; all covered with squirts and shakes of condiments. This makes sense because okonomi essentially means “to ones liking” (2).
There are two basic styles, Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki where ingredients and layered, plus they sometimes add fried egg and yakisoba noodles as a topping; and Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki where ingredients are mixed into a batter.
- Osaka- SOkonomiyaki Batter
- 1C AP flour
- ¼t kosher salt
- ¼t sugar
- ¼t baking powder
- 5.6 oz Japanese mountain yam, ~2-3” inches (see note)
- ¾C dashi
- 4 large eggs
- ½C tempura scraps (see notes)
- ¼C pickled red ginger
- Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage
- Half pound thinly sliced pork belly or bacon or mushrooms
- Cooking
- 2-4T neutral oil heated in a skillet
- Using a ladle bring portions to the heated oil
- Flip, add toppings
- Toppings
- Quick Okonomiyaki Sauce
- 1½T sugar
- 2T oyster sauce
- 4T ketchup
- 3½T Worcestershire sauce
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Bonito flakes
- Aonori seaweed flakes
- Quick Okonomiyaki Sauce
The Japanese mountain yam makes some allergic people, like me, very itchy, so I wear gloves to handle this tuber. It needs to be grated for this recipe which makes a gummy, slimy mess so grate right into a bowl. Everything from that bowl will go into the container holding the flour. But if you cannot find this yam, consider using two beaten egg whites, and not potatoes or other yams.
Panko was made to emulate Tempura Scraps but they are not the same thing. Panko is made from bread, tempura scraps are made from its batter (water, flour, egg) that has been fried. When I use panko, easier for me to get, I heat my cast iron skillet, turn off the heat and brush with sesame oil, they roast the panko in that to acquire just a bit of the flavor and texture I want.
Chinese Spring Onion Pancake
(Congyoubing)
Probably this should not be counted as a pancake, for this is definitely a dough and not a batter, but what the hay. I eat it for breakfast sometimes and it is savory.
I bought a frozen package from Costco that contained 4 scallion pancakes and gave them a try. I fried them, but found they were too raw and gummy in the center, so I made my own. Much better and surprisingly very flavorful. I made a spicy dip and enjoyed dipping and eating the food. Very filling too as the dough is dense.
- Marion’s Chinese Spring Onion Pancake
- Batter
- 10.5oz AP flour, plus some for kneading
- 170ml boiled water, cooled for 1 minute
- 1t salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- Sesame oil for brushing
- 1C finely chopped scallions
- Neutral vegetable oil for cooking
- Soy & sesame dipping sauce:
- ¼C soy sauce
- 2T white vinegar
- 3T finely chopped spring onions
- ½ clove garlic, finely grated
- 1t sesame oil
Korean Potato Pancake
(Gamjajeon)
German potato pancakes are something I am very familiar with, but here is a Korean take on the same dish. The differences is that German potato pancakes are served, at least in my family’s Bavarian house, with a tart-sweet homemade apple sauce, and the Korean version is more savory. Germans version contains only the grated potatoes and white onion, whereas the Korean version has other veggies. And finally, the German version drains the grated potato liquid so it was dryer to cook, but the Korean version uses the starchy juice in the recipe.
This is a recipe for one serving.
- Dipping Sauce: combine ingredients and set aside
- 2T soy sauce
- 1T freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 thinly chopped green onion
- ¼C thinly sliced shallot
- ½t organic sugar (taste and decide if you want more)
- Potato Pancake Ingredients: combine well and fry
- Into a bowl, grate 1 peeled starchy potato and do not drain the liquid
- Then grate ¼C white onion and do not drain
- Add 1 minced, deSeeded jalapeño pepper
- Add 2 thinly sliced scallions
- Add ¼t kosher salt and ¼t pepper, and mix well
- Then add ¼C potato starch and mix to get a sticky, doughy formation
- I wet my hands with water, to grab a handful of the mix, forming pancakeS in the Skillet
- Fry in a preheated skillet with ¼C avocado oil, cook until crispy on both sides
- Serving
- I prefer to use a spoon, to make sure I get all the goodies from the sauce, and spoon over the pancakes.
Kimchi Pancakes
(Kimchijeon)
I could make my own red kimchi, however I bought some; around my area there are lots of very good Kimchi available that are small batched. If I had salt issues however, I would definitely make my own, for there is no telling how much others use in their process.
- Make sauce and set aside
- ¼C soy sauce
- 1T of the kimchi sauce
- 1t sesame oil
- ½t sugar
- Make the batter
- ½C plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½C potato starch
- ½t baking powder
- 1t sea salt
- 1 egg
- 1T kimchi juice
- ¾C water for adjusting the thickness of the batter
- Combine batter and ingredients
- ¾C finely chopped kimchi
- ½C julienne zucchini
- ½C julienne carrots
- ½C julienne leek
- 1 chopped deseeded jalapeño pepper
- Fry and Serve
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Top with thin julienne scallions
I loved trying these out with my spouse. Those that were problematic was due to my cooking technique and not an issue of flavor. A great way to increase veggie intake.
—Patty
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