Soft Batter Taiwanese Breakfast Egg Pancakes 軟粉漿蛋餅

Calling it Taiwanese "breakfast" egg pancakes is in fact quite an accurate description. No matter where you go in Taiwan, you can always find some breakfast joints selling egg pancakes. Some places even extend their opening hours till early afternoon for working crowd coming out during lunch time, seeking for a cheap and lighter lunch option.

So basically there are two types of Taiwanese breakfast egg pancakes texture-wise. Usually you'll find thinner and sometimes slightly crunchy on the edges for the wrapping. However, traditionally there's also this thicker and softer type of wrapping, like this recipe here. 

The soft batter wrapping is not as main steam as the thinner type. Partially I suspect that the thinner version is cheaper and easily accessible with factory premade product, and that's what you'll find at most of the little breakfast joints.

Soft batter Taiwanese breakfast egg pancakes 軟粉漿蛋餅 -

Ingredients (about 3 to 4 pancakes)?

Batter: 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch 地瓜粉
• 1/2 cup potato starch 太白粉
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 stalk scallion (green part)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Others:

• Some eggs (1 or 2 per serving)
• Some mixed shredded cheese
• Some canned corn kernels (optional)
• Some olive oil
• Some soy sauce or soy sauce paste (optional)
• Some chili sauce (optional)

How?  

To make the batter, measure 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of tapioca starch, 1/2 cup of potato starch, and 2 1/4 cups of water to a big mixing bowl. Whisk till evenly blended.

Destem and chop the scallion. Add the green part to the batter along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix till evenly blended. The final consistency for this type of "soft" batter will be somewhat similar to thinner pumpkin soup.

Bring out a pan, I used non-stick pan because it'll make the job a lot easier. Drizzle some olive oil and switch to medium heat. Wait till it's a bit warm and make sure the oil spread throughout the surface. Scoop some batter over and swirl the pan to form an even round sheet with a little thickness to it. I used about 3 ladles per sheet.

It'll take about 2 to 3 minutes for each side, and don't try to move around the batter early on. The batter will start to set and since I'm using non-stick pan here, it'll be very easy to "detach" and flip to the other side.

So also 2 to 3 minutes on the other side, or till slightly golden brown color. Once ready, transfer the sheet to a plate. Repeat the process and continue to make more sheet/wrappings. Depending on the size of the pan you're using, my recipe should give you about 3 to 4 medium sized sheets, with some thickness that is.

To finally make the breakfast egg pancakes. Drizzle some oil to the pan to cover the surface again. Still using medium heat. Crack one or two eggs in a bowl first and beat it. Pour the beaten egg to the pan and try to swirl the pan to spread out the egg.

Before the egg sets, top with the sheet we just made. Give it a few gentle presses using a spatula, helping the egg binds with the sheet. Flip and add your preferred fillings to the center but a bit towards one side of the sheet.

I used lots of cheese here. Then try to fold in the sheet to make a log in the end. Maybe use some force here to give the log some pressure in order to hold the shape.

Transfer the log to a cutting board, slice to medium pieces then move to serving plate. Serve with some soy sauce, soy sauce paste, or chili sauce if desired. 

If you happen to have more sheets in the end, you can stick one sheet of parchment paper in between and store the sheets stacked together. Seal tight in a big Ziploc bag and send to the freezer. Just defrost for like 30 minutes or so before cooking the next time.

And if you're really not up for the challenge and make the sheet yourself, you know sometimes you can find the prepade sheets in the frozen food aisle in the supermarket. Just note that it'll most likely be the thin kind, not this special soft batter version. I've never seen the soft batter version sheet being sold as frozen product anywhere.

Also flavor-wise, I focused on oozing cheese this time so mixed shredded cheese is key here. You can play around with the fillings. In Taiwan, some of the most popular fillings you'll see at the breakfast stand are pork floss, tuna, and Chinese basil, cheese or without cheese is optional.

Extended reading:

• Basic scallion pancakes 基本款蔥油餅
• Pan-fried Chinese beef pie 牛肉餡餅

Quick and Easy Banana Pancakes

Making pancakes is one of the best ways to utilize ripe bananas, don't you agree?

Banana pancakes - 

Ingredients (about 6 pieces)?

Dry:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet:

• 1 large or 1.5 regular size ripe banana (about 3/4 cup mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup milk

Others:

• Some avocado oil or unsalted butter
• Some honey or maple syrup
• Some fresh fruits (optional)

How?

Have a big bowl ready and sift in all the ingredients listed under the "dry" section.

Have an even bigger bowl ready, peel and mash the ripe banana there. We will need about 3/4 cup mashed banana in the end. 

Break one egg to a separate bowl and beat it, then pour into the ripe banana bowl. Also pour in 3/4 cup of milk. Whisk the whole thing till evenly blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches. Make sure it's evenly blended before dumping in the second batch. Mix till blended again.

Have a non-stick pan ready. Wipe some avocado oil or add two tablespoons of unsalted butter. Switch to medium heat and wait till warm or the butter melts.

Pour in equal amount of batter every time, and try not to let the batter touch one another. I used a ladle for even measurement. Slowly heat up the batter, it'll start to puff up a little bit and the color will turn golden brown on the bottom.

Then carefully flip the pancakes and continue to sear the other side. You can add more avocado oil or butter if needed. The whole thing will take about 1.5 or 2 minutes for each side.

Repeat till you finish all the batter. This recipe yields about 6 medium sized pancakes for me.

To serve the pancakes, have some fresh fruits on top, here I used banana slices and blueberries. Also drizzle some honey or maple syrup. I personally prefer maple syrup, somehow the aroma works better with avocado oil.

For sure the pancakes will smell and taste better if using butter, but I was opting for a less common option here. 

On a side note, for lactose-intolerant people, you can easily find lactose-free milk for the pancake batter, and just use avocado oil for the cooking part. That way you get to enjoy such brunch/snack meal without much worries.

Simple Crêpes with Maple Syrup and Blueberries

For first timers, I highly recommend using non-stick pan and perhaps wear some type of thin but heat resistant gloves when making crêpes. It'll make sure the batter won't stick onto the pan. Also you'll find it much easier flipping the crêpes with your hands instead of using a spatula.

Simple crêpes with maple syrup and blueberries - 

Ingredients (about 7 to 9 medium large sized crêpes)?

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup drinkable water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Small pinch salt
• Some powdered sugar
• Some maple syrup or honey
• Some fresh berries (optional)

How?

Melt the butter or wait till it softened naturally in room temperature. Aim for melted but not hot butter. 

Once butter reaches desired consistency and temperature, transfer the butter to a big mixing bowl. Break and beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl then add to the butter. Also add 1 1/3 cups of milk, 1 cup of room temperature water, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix till blended.

Don't worry about the consistency of the batter yet. The batter might look lumpy here and there but once adding in the dry ingredients it'll look way better.

So sift in the flour along with small pinch of salt. Whisk till evenly blended. The batter should look quite smooth now and almost as liquidy as heavy cream. You can adjust by adding more milk or flour if needed. 

Bring out a non-stick pan and turn to medium heat. Once the pan turns warm, use a ladle and scoop some batter to the pan. Quickly swirl the pan to even out the batter before the bottom starts to set. You might have to remove the pan from heat while doing it. 

By the way, there's no need to butter the pan since we added melted butter to the batter, and preferably using a non-stick pan here especially for first timers.

It'll only take about 45 seconds or so, flip the crêpe to the other side and cook for another 40 to 45 seconds. You'll know it's time to flip when the crêpe can be picked up without breaking apart. After a first couple tries you'll get braver and start to cook the batter longer, perhaps even till the center starts to turn slightly golden.

I prefer to work with my hands with gloves. It's much easier to pick up the crêpe and flip it compared to using any type of spatula. When the crêpe is ready, simply move it to a big plate and continue with the next one.

Repeat the steps for the remaining batter. Just stack up cooked crêpes on top of one another, they won't stick so don't worry. In fact, the heat will help the crêpes to keep a bit moisture instead of drying up.

To serve the crêpes, I fold each crêpe in half, then in half again to get triangles. But of course you can roll or fold them into other shapes.

I chose to drizzle some maple syrup then dust with powdered sugar, and served with fresh blueberries. It's more like a refreshing way to enjoy the crêpes. 

However before folding, I think spreading nutella all over one side of the crêpe then roll it up sounds super delicious. Especially once you level up with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. 

These are two ideas for sweet crêpes, but I think I'll try something savory next time. If you got any great flavor combo for savory crêpes, don't be shy, just leave a comment and let me know. I'll be much appreciated. 

Hash Browns - Breakfast Fav that Never Disappoints

Mister loves hash browns, actually I do too. Put the hash browns from McDonald's aside, here in Taiwan you can find many local breakfast joints selling hash browns too, and these are goooood, sometimes even way better than the global fast food giant.

Much depends on how you pan-fried the hash browns. It needs to be crispy on all sides and edges, yet still some soft potatoes in the center. On top of the common ketchup, sometimes black pepper and salt mixture provides a different route to enjoy this all time breakfast favorite.

I've already cooked up many dishes for myself, this time around, freshly made hash browns prepared for Mister to enjoy in the morning. He'll just have to figure out the coffee part on his own.

Hash browns - 

Ingredients?

• 3 medium potatoes
• 1/4 medium onion
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Some vegetable oil
• Some ketchup (optional)

How?  

Peel the potatoes and grate to threads. Food processor can be a great help here.

Soak the potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes then drain out the liquid.

Rinse the potato threads under cold or the most room temperature water. Drain and repeat the rinse and drain steps two more rounds.

Transfer the drained potato threads to a cloth and squeeze very hard to further dry the potato threads. Transfer prepared potatoes to a big container.

Peel and finely chop the onion, add that to the big container. Also add 1 egg, 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 2/3 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

Use a fork to gently mix together all the ingredients.

Have a non-stick pan ready and drizzle enough of oil to evenly coat the bottom, plus a bit more than the usual amount. Switch to medium heat and wait till it gets warm.

Spoon some potato mixture and gently flatten it without breaking the threads apart. Repeat till the pan can no longer hold any more hash browns batter. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes, or till the bottom turns golden brown.

Flip and continue to sear for 4 to 5 minutes, or till the bottom turns golden brown again.

Line a plate with paper towel. Transfer seared hash browns over, the paper towel will help absorbing excess oil from the hash browns.

After couple minutes, move the hash browns to serving plate and have some ketchup on the side if preferred. 

If your pan can't hold all the batter at once, just drizzle more oil then start the whole pan-frying process all over again with the remaining batter. It's better to sear the hash browns in two or three batches compared to over-crowding them at once.

Hopefully Mister was happy with freshly made hash browns in the morning. I do recall that he ate like 3 or 4 hash browns, nearly emptied half of my lot in 10 minutes. 

Extended reading:

• Hash browns scrambled eggs
• Shakshuka with feta

Not With, but Together - Hash Browns Scrambled Eggs

Either use a box grater or a food professor to do the shredding for potatoes, this will make life much easier. Well, actually if you're using store-bought or frozen hash browns, that will definitely cut down a good portion of work in the kitchen.

Hash browns scrambled eggs - 

Ingredients?

• 3 medium small potatoes 
• 4 eggs
• 100 grams bacon
• 1 small canned corn
• 1 stalk scallion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (if needed)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch black pepper (plus more for garnish)

Potato seasonings:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

How?

Mix all the ingredients under the "potato seasonings" and set aside for later use.

Peel the potatoes, I actually used three different varieties for this recipe. Since we're going to make a scrambled eggs in the end, the texture of the potatoes don't matter as much compared to making hash browns only. Starchy or not, it's up to you. I think mixed potato types seemed more fun.

Shred the peeled potatoes with food processor. It can be done in seconds. The only drawback is that there're more parts needed to be cleaned with a food processor, as opposed to box grater.

Soak the shredded potatoes in cold water, about 30 minutes. Once done, drain well and transfer potatoes to table cloth to further squeeze out all the remaining liquid.

Prepare a pan and transfer bacon over. Turn to medium high heat to sear the bacon till some fats start to render. Drizzle some more olive oil if ended up without enough rendered fats.

Pick out the bacon and let it cool off on the side. Once ready to handle by hand, slice the bacon into smaller pieces. Transfer to a big bowl.

You can sear chopped bacon in the beginning but that can easily result in dryer tougher texture bacon bits in the end. That's fine too, I prefer searing larger bacon pieces to begin with instead.

Make sure the pan is well-coated with oil. To the pan, add in well-dried shredded potatoes along with the seasoning mix. Stir-fry till the potatoes softened, around 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, destem and chop the scallion, transfer to the bacon bowl. Drain out the liquid from canned corn, pour the corn to the bowl also. Beat in 4 eggs along with 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper. Mix till blended.

Pour the egg mixture to the pan and give it a quick mix till all the ingredients are evenly blended. 

Cover the pan with a lid to help the eggs set. When the eggs seemed cooked through, scramble into chunks and transfer to serving plate.

Sprinkle some more black pepper over before serving.

Even though I'm not really making hash browns here, but I still followed the soaking and draining steps for the shredded potatoes. This only makes a slight different in the final texture, so if it seems too troublesome, simply omit this part all along. 

Most importantly, if you're going to start with shredded potatoes, remember to slowly cook and stir-fry the potatoes till softened early on to avoid rubbery bite in the end.

Extended reading:

• Weekend brunch idea - shakshuka with feta

Edamame and Smoked Salmon Toast

Not exactly related to this recipe, just a little chat here about switching to a more fish-focused diet. If you have been following this blog for quite some time, it's not hard to find that there's only a few beef recipes from the past couple years. The main reason is that I've been trying to eat less red meat, especially beef. 

My main meat sources have been chicken and pork, and now the new goals has been set to serve fish every week, hopefully it'll further reduce my pork intake. Put the scientific data aside, changing to a more fish-oriented diet, I really do feel lighter, less burden so to speak. I also enjoy the possible beauty effect from the fish oil and a boost of calcium from such source. Looking at the elderly people I've known for ages, they have been eating fish all the time and they seemed pretty good with calcium retention, most of them have very good skin condition also. Either way, I'm going to swap out some pork in exchange of fish, let's see how it'll go from here.

Edamame and smoked salmon toast -

Ingredients (4 portions)?

• 2/3 cup edamame
• 100 grams smoked salmon
• 25 grams feta cheese
• 4 slices country bread or sourdough
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence
• Some rainbow peppercorns
• Some olive oil 
• Some extra virgin olive oil

How?

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the edamame for couple minutes. Drain and set the edamame aside to cool off.

Save a few whole edamame and add the remaining edamame to the food processor. Also add 1/4 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon rainbow peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons olive oil to the food processor. Blend till the texture resembles tiny grainy bits.

Brush bread slices with oil olive on one side only. Toast in the oven using high heat, till the toast turned slightly crunchy, about couple minutes. Remove from heat once ready.

Top the toasted bread slices with edamame mixture, then add some smoked salmon slices. Top with crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with some edamame beans that we saved earlier, and freshly grind some rainbow peppercorns over. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil right before serving.

Noticed that I only used 1/8 teaspoon of salt in the edamame mixture, that's because both feta cheese and smoked salmon can be quite salty already, so it's safer to start with less salt in the edamame mixture. If turns out too plain, we can always sprinkle some salt flakes on finished toast in the end.


Extended reading:

• Irresistible garlic bread
• Peas and crispy pancetta crostini

Weekend Brunch Idea - Shakshuka with Feta

A change of scene here, put the eggs Benedict and French toast aside, let's spice up our usual brunch meal with a little Mediterranean flair.

Shakshuka with feta -

Ingredients?

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 can/400 grams diced tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 eggs
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small bundle cilantro 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 grams feta
• Some pita or sourdough (optional)

How?

Cast iron pan should be a more photogenic option, but I only have smaller sized cast iron pan, and it's not as easy to clean compared to skillet. Either way, make sure to use something that can withstand the oven heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190.5 degrees Celsius. 

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Remove the seeds and thinly slice bell pepper. Chop the tomatoes. Finely chop the cilantro and separate the stem and leafy sections.

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and turn to medium heat. Add in onion and bell pepper. Cook till softened, about 10 minutes.

Add in garlic, cilantro stems, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add in chopped tomatoes, canned tomatoes along with its juice. Switch to medium high heat. Add in 3/4 teaspoon of salt along with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. I purposely reduced the amount of salt used because feta can be quite salty, try to avoid over-season the shakshuka, more salt can always be added in the end if needed.

Mix and cook till the sauce thickens a little bit, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings if needed.

Make four wells with the back of the spoon, crack the eggs into each well. Slightly mix the egg white with thickened sauce, so it'll cook faster. Crumble some feta throughout.

Sprinkle tiny amount of salt and black pepper on top of each well. 

Into the oven and bake till the yolks nearly set, about 8 to 10 minutes. If not too sure, it's always a good idea to remove the skillet from the oven sooner and check. Remember that some residual heat will continue to harden the eggs even after being removed from the oven.

Once ready, sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves right before serving. Preferably serve with pita or sourdough on the side, which can be used to dip in the sauce and gooey yolk. Some like the eggs to be fully cooked through, which is fine. In that case, no need to check the doneness as often, just leave the skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes.

At first, I was a little intimidated by the idea of making shakshuka, since I'm not quite familiar with Mediterranean flavors. But after some research, this oven baked egg recipe seems pretty doable. I've got all the basic spices stored in the pantry, and it doesn't require much effort to put together. 

The end result was satisfying too, especially when dipping bread into gooey centered yolk, combined with spices and sourish tomatoes. It's actually a fun brunch idea, one that comes with a small punch of seasonings.


Extended reading:

• Cheesy brioche French toast

We All Need Something Sweet in Life, at Least for Me - Cheesy Brioche French Toast

Sweets can sure, sweets can heal, at least mentally it can make me feel better at the moment. Perhaps I'll crash after that sugar rush, but thank God I've got 30 minutes of paradise to live in.

Cheesy brioche French toast -

Ingredients (for two)?

• 2 thick brioche toast slices
• 2 Cheddar cheese squares
• 1 egg
• 200 ml whole milk
• 30 grams granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Some confectioners' sugar
• Some fresh mint leaves (optional, garnish only)

How?

Slice the brioche toast, make an opening on top but don't cut all the way down. Insert one cheese square on each toast, fold in any parts lingering outside the bread.

Prepare the milky dip. Take a baking dish or any container with some depth, mix in the egg, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and whole milk. 

Whisk and make sure the sugar has been fully dissolved.

Soak the bread, about few minutes on each side. Perhaps with a tong to help flipping the thick toasts.

Take a nonstick pan and add in the butter. Turn to medium heat and wait till the butter melts.

Transfer the bread over and sear till slightly browned. Flip and continue to sear the other side. Also use the kitchen tong to hold the bread, sear remaining sides till slightly colored.

Plate and dust with confectioners' sugar, garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired. Just look prettier with that pop of green.

You can also serve this sweet and savory brioche French toast with some fresh fruits, berries especially. Maybe drizzle some maple syrup to make it even sweeter. 

After all, I really need that brush of sweetness now. Pair with buttery aroma in the kitchen, it can be the best therapy ever.


Other brioche related recipes:

• Brioche shrimp rolls with Thai sweet chili chips
• Foie gras appetizer with fig preserves, balsamic reduction, and brioche toast