Dorayaki 铜锣烧

Ah, Doraemon's favourite food, what not to love about this? Dorayaki originates from Japan. It consists of two round pancake-like patties with a filling in between, traditionally red beans. Nowadays, you can put almost anything that you could imagine from the more commonly used matcha green tea to black sesame seed paste.

Shy to say, I have never made a dorayaki before and this is my first attempt. I have always thought that it is a simple pancake sandwiched with filling. But most Japanese will tell you that it is not a pancake. Dorayaki's texture and taste differs slightly albeit the similarity in cooking method and appearance. To sum it up, here's my finding:

1. Dorayaki uses primarily eggs and minimal liquid. Therefore, it is more fragrant when cooked.
2. Due to the presence of more eggs, it has a denser and harder texture. Therefore, I wouldn't use the word fluffy so much but soft is a more likely description.
3. It has a distinct honey taste as honey was added.

In conclusion, both are equally delicious.

I followed the recipe from a Japanese blogger, Just One Cook Book, just to get as near to making authentic dorayaki as possible. I drastically reduced the sugar as the filling was just as sweet. I also used store-bought red beans which was already sweet. The result did not leave me disappointed. If you have children at home, I'm sure they will enjoy this as well. My fatty boy certainly did!

Dorayaki 铜锣烧

Recipe adapted from Just One Cook Book

Ingredients

4 large eggs
140 g granulated sugar (I reduced to 100 g)
2 tbsp honey
160g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 - 2 tbsp water
1 tsp neutral oil/vegetable oil
Red bean paste (I used store-bought)

Cooking Method

1. Combine the wet ingredients, eggs, sugar and honey and oil, and give it a good whisk.

2. Sift baking powder and flour together and gradually add to the bowl while whisking until lump free. Let batter rest in the fridge for 10 to 15 mins.

3. Stir in water, 1 tbsp at a time, to get the correct consistency. The batter should be thick so that when put on pan it does not run too much.

4. Heat a flat non-stick pan and oil it with a kitchen towel. Once pan is hot, reduce fire to small. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter and pour over the pan. Leave it until bubbles starts to form. Flip to cook the other side. Remove and repeat process until all are done.

5. To assemble, put some red bean paste on the pancake, and put another piece on top. Gently press the sides to fasten it.

Fancy learning how to cook fluffy pancakes?