Japanese red bean pancakes – DORAYAKI (:

Oh how I adore eating Japanese baked goods…if you don’t believe me you can always ask brother deer or Tyi, and they would ensure you that during the time we were in Japan I would walk into every bakery I could. When I came across this dorayaki recipe I couldn’t resist!

The dorayaki turned out so delicious that I wanted to make more right away because they were gone so fast! I had a little bit of trouble at first because my pan was too hot so they browned too quickly but after a while I got the hang of it and they turned out wonderfully. As a matter of fact, I might make them again right now, I mean…it doesn’t hurt to practice your pancake making skills right? (:

Ingredients (makes 6):

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup flour (preferably cake flour*)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-2 tablespoons water
• 1 can sweetened red bean paste (or about 3/4 cup)

*No cake flour? For 1 cup of cake flour, put 2 tablespoons cornstarch in an empty measuring cup and add all-purpose flour to the top. Sift the mixture 2-3 times to evenly distribute the cornstarch.

Let the fun begin!

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and honey until the mixture gets fluffy.

2. Sift flour and baking powder into the egg mixture and stir to incorporate. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

3. Stir in 1/2 tablespoons of water at a time until the batter resembles a consistency that is slightly thicker than pancake batter. If you add too much water by accident you can always add a bit more flour to help it thicken back up.

4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium-low to medium heat and lightly grease the pan by dipping a paper towel in vegetable oil. The oil should not be visible when the pan is coated.

5. With a ladle, drop the batter from 1 foot above the pan to create 3″ diameter pancakes. When the surface of batter starts to bubble, flip over and cook the other side. (The first side of the pancake will turn out browner than the other)

6. When cooked, transfer them onto a plate making sure to cover them with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.

7. When all the pancakes are done, make sandwiches with them using the red bean paste as a filling making sure to put more on the center part of them so that they will have the doriyaki signature curve.

8. Munch the dorayaki while they’re warm and toasty!