How To Make 1-Egg Japanese Fluffy Pancakes
This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to Yamaha headquarters in Kakegawa City, Japan (about an hour train ride outside of Tokyo). After visiting Yamaha's amazing piano factory, where they make some the finest pianos in the world, my colleagues and I were craving Japanese fluffy pancakes. We managed to find a small cafe on our very last day of the trip - Pullman Cafe - that happened to be one of the very first places to introduce fluffy pancakes to Japan. In the hands of the master chef, those pancakes were unbelievably light and airy, so much so that it felt like you were tasting clouds! Ever since, I've been obsessed with learning how to make fluffy pancakes for myself. The first few recipes I found called for 3 eggs and other ingredients that I don't normally stock, like Cream of Tartar, baking soda, and lemon juice. I lost track of how many cartons of eggs I went through in my pancake experiments! Fortunately, I stumbled across some 1 egg recipes, which made it so much more economical to practice the challenging cooking techniques. I also came across a great secret ingredient for making the egg whites nice and stiff: vinegar! This is a great substitute for baking soda and Cream of Tartar! Give this recipe a try and let me know how you make out!
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 Tbsp whole milk
1/2 Tsp Vanilla (optional)
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tsp vinegar or lemon juice
1.5 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp butter
3 tsp water
Separate egg yolk and white. Add milk and vanilla and whisk together, then add flour and incorporate until yolk batter has a ribbon consistency.
In separate bowl, add vinegar or lemon juice to egg white. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, adding 1/4 of the sugar every 30 seconds.
Add 1/3 of stiff egg whites to yolk batter and mix together. Then add combined batter to egg whites and fold together gently.
Add butter to nonstick pan and warm with medium heat. When butter is melted, brush the pan and use half of the batter to form 2 pancakes. Add 2 tsp water, then cover pan with lid, bowl, or wok. Cook for 3 minutes, then add remaining batter and 1 tsp water. Cover pan and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Flip pancakes, cover, reduce head to medium low, and cook for 2 more minutes.
