It is neither the type of Chinese pancake used for cradling pieces of Beijing Ducks nor is it a fluffy dessert that made from milk and baking soda. Yet it is not no body; it is a member of the dim sum found in some Cantonese restaurants. Occasionally, I also like to have it as a light meal at home cause ultimately it is a kind of starchy staples.
Cooks who love this Chinese pancake should have their own preferred recipe, I believe. Me, is just not an exception.
These pancakes I made are thin, soft but slightly crispy on both sides when hot. They are however less stiff than those served with Beijing Ducks and, are usually eaten alone without any fillings, toppings or sauces. Dried shrimp though is one of my most used ingredients in making this pancake, actually I would also be satisfied if there is only spring onion. Variations for making this pancake could be endless, ranging from adding chopped chives, and/or ham to mixing different amounts of flours. You shall notice that there is an easy ratio for the flours I used. If you prefer higher chewiness, then add more gluntinous flour. Or, reduce the amount of water for a thicker version.
- Batter
- 60g rice flour
- 40g glutinous rice flour (aka sticky rice flour)
- rice flour : glutinous flour = 1.5 : 1
- 60ml egg, beaten (~1 egg)
- 1 tsp oil
- 140ml water
- 7-8 tsp oil for frying
- Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp salt (My dried shrimps carry some saltiness, so adjust the amount of salt if yours is different. Try to make a small piece of pancake at the very beginning and check the taste.)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- Ingredients into Batter
- 1 tbsp dried shrimps, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp spring onions, finely sliced
Yields 6 to 7 pieces 14cm pancakes
Method
Rinse and soak dried shrimps for 5 to 10 minutes or until they start softened. Discard water. Rinse spring onions (about 2 sprigs) and finely slice them.
Sieve the rice flour and glutinous flours, add water, mix well. Add beaten egg, oil, seasonings, chopped dried shrimps and spring onions, mix well again. The batter is a bit runny but that is fine for making into thin pancakes.
Heat a pan over medium heat. When heated, add one tea spoon of oil. Just before the oil starts to smoke lightly, lower heat to medium-low, pour in about 3 table spoons of batter into the pan to form a round shape. Let it set until the downside become golden yellow. Flip to the other side, drizzle into the pan a few more droplets of oil if the first side has taken up most. Again wait till the downside turns golden and dish up.
Add in another tea spoon of oil, and repeat doing the same for the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy.
Actually you may choose to fry into larger pieces of pancake and then cut them into sectors like most dim sum restaurants would do. The pancake on the right is the dim sum I ordered when dinning out. In Chinese it is called 薄罉, literally means a thin slice on a cooking vessel.
So, how about calling it a Chinese Crepe?
- Category: Egg . Rice and Grain .
- 30 comments
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Light, flavourful and delicious!
great recipe!
These look absolutely wonderful, great photo!
*kisses* HH
Looks wonderful!!! BTW… I did try the turnip cake recipe – loved it!!!
nice and savoury … I like this asian version of pancake!
Such lovely delicious pancakes! I can’t wait to try these!
Oh that looks so delicious! Pretty color, too!
Oh my gosh! I need to make these!
I an so picture having a light meal with these, yummy.
Wow! Is this the same pancake where you can wrap your peking duck slices with it?? Looks light and easy to make!! I am saving this…
I love this pancake. going to steal it. had something like that in beijing… LOVE
oooh! my roommate’s sister has been staying with us the past week and she made these chinese pancakes for us the other night. since i’m not chinese, i wasn’t aware that this was a popular dish. nicely done!
I love savoury pancakes. I have just made some for breakfast this morning using spelt flour and chopped beans. Yours look very delicious. I would love to try this with rice and glutinous rice flours. Thanks for sharing.
Aww. I always wanted to know how thse were made. Thanks for sharing!
It really looks great and yummy! Thanks for this recipe of a different version of pancake 🙂
Is this a sort of 腸粉? Love the rice flour based pancakes, delish!
@the lacquer spoon, Am afraid this is not a sort of rice rolls (腸粉). But this pancake and most rice rolls are made from some common ingredients, namely rice flour, spring onions, and dried shrimps. Rice rolls rarely contain glutinous flours but a small portion of wheat flour is usually mixed in them.
@Mhe-Lhanee Benito, Possibly it is my photo too attractive or my writing is relatively boring – of course, I would insist on the former, that you have been distracted from the first few sentences which suggest that this is not the type of Chinese pancake used for cradling pieces of Beijing Ducks. But I am sure no one should blame us if we do so : ).
As evr, they look superb! I can imagine sinking my teeth into a roll….
It’s one of my favourite snack that I ate in childhood. My mum usually added spring onion and dried shrimps too. Sometimes she made sweet ones, similar to the savory ones, just omit the spring onion and dried shrimps and add sugar. Did you try the sweet ones?
Oh! I already know that I will like this pancakes…I love everything can contain glutinous rice 🙂 Looks fabulous!
Christine@Christine’s Recipes, Yes, I love sweet pancakes. My very first memory of them were those made by my mum. I could still remember how delicious they were. But now I have to cook for myself. I miss her.
I love all chinese pancakes. This is one that you don’t see as often, but it doesn’t mean it’s any less yummy!
I have never tried this version of Chinese pancakes before but they sure look and sound delicious!!
I’ve been trying to look for this recipe for ages! Nice to have finally found it. I love your site, and I specially love the simple yet elegant dishes and recipes. Keep up the good work! 🙂
I Love your pancake
But I was actually looking for a Chinese pancake recipe with layered, oily pastry and chopped spring onions for taste
am so very happy to come across your blog with a gluten free pancake!! am used to my mom making this same pancake but with wheat flour. definitely will try this at home soon 🙂 thanks
Your recipe is gluten-free, good for those allergic to it.
We didn’t know about this delicious Chinese “crepes”. They look delicious! Can we also use precooked shrimp instead of dried or is the taste vastly different? We’re asking because we don’t have dried shrimp here in Greece.
Thank you for the lovely insight into the authentic Chinese cuisine!
Panos and Mirella
@Little Cooking Tips
I have yet to try out how different it is. If I do, I’d coarsely chop up the cooked shrimps before adding them into the batter (and marinade them a little before cooking).
Have fun and thanks for writing!
Thanx so much for the tips and for taking the time to reply to us!