Japanese Pancakes
Since my trip to Tokyo last year, I have been obsessed with recreating all the yummy things I ate there. One of my most memorable favorites is the Japanese-style pancake. They basically taste like fluffy cloud pillows! Here is my tried-and-true recipe:
Ingredients: (yields 3 pancakes. *I make this recipe in multiples of 3, so double or triple ingredients as needed)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp. whole milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (I also add a few drops of almond extract as well)
1/4 cup cake flour (*if you do not have cake flour: for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, take out 1 tbsp. and replace with 1 tbsp. of corn starch)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar (either granulated or a super-fine cane sugar)
Instructions:
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Put the egg whites in a small bowl and set aside in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla extract until frothy. Slowly sift in flour and baking powder and whisk until combined. Be careful not to over-mix!
Using a stand mixer, beat the semi-frozen egg whites until they change color from clear to white. Then, gradually add in sugar while continuing to whip the egg whites into a meringue. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes on high speed. (When you lift up the whisk, the egg whites should be white and fluffy in color, and create “stiff peaks”.)
Start preheating the pan on the lowest heat setting. Coat the pan evenly with cooking oil and remove any visible oil with a paper towel.
Take a heaping scoop (about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites) and add into the egg yolk mixture. Gently whisk together without breaking the air bubbles.
6. Next, take the egg yolk mixture and gently fold in to the rest of the beaten egg whites. Be careful not to break any of the air bubbles, as this steps ensures that the pancakes will be soft and fluffy!
7. When the pan is evenly heated, it’s time to cook the pancakes! Each pancake should initially get 2 scoops. (You can use a ladle or large spoon to do this.) After you have made 3 pancakes, you can go around and add another scoop on the pancakes. Add 1 tbsp. of water in 3 empty spaces in the pan, cover with a lid, and cook for about 6-7 minutes.
8. If you have batter left, after 2-3 minutes, you can lift the lid and scoop the remaining batter onto the pancakes. If the water has evaporated, you can add more. Cover with the lid and cook.
9. Once the pancakes are finished cooking for the 6-7 minutes, gently lift a pancake to see if the first side has fully cooked. If you see a golden-brown color, you can gently flip (more like roll) over the pancake with a spatula. Once you have flipped them over, add another 1 tbsp. of water, cover the lid, and cook for another 5 minutes.
10. Once the second side has turned golden-brown, they are ready to be served and eaten! I like to eat them with homemade whipped cream.
Using a stand mixer, whisk together 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla/almond extract, and 2 tbsp. of powdered (granulated works as well) sugar. (Sometimes I actually just skip the sugar.) Whisk until stiff peaks are formed and refrigerate until ready to serve!
