Dorayaki

Here's a recipe that I've been meaning to try for a long time.  It's dorayaki!  These are mini pancakes filled with sweet bean paste.  They are very popular in Japan and Korea.  Of course, you can buy them already made in Asia, but in Northern California, one must make them from scratch.

This recipe is in two parts.  First, make the bean paste.  Then, make the pancakes.

Sweet Red Bean Paste (from justonecookbook.com)

                You will need:

• one cup of dried azuki beans (I had to go to the natural food store to find them.)
• one cup of sugar
• a pinch of salt
• water

Soak the beans in water overnight.

Rinse the beans. 

Put them in a large saucepan and cover with two inches of water.

Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let it sit for five minutes. 

 

Strain the beans and replace in the saucepan with fresh water. 

This time add just enough water to cover the beans. 

 

 

Bring to a boil again. 

Reduce the heat to a simmer and refill the water every 5 or 10 minutes until the beans are tender. 

 

Now, return the heat to high and add the sugar.  Stir constantly until the beans thicken to a jam-like consistency.  Most of the water will be gone. 

 

 

Pour the beans into an extra pan to cool.  They will continue to thicken. 

 

I mashed them a bit to make them smoother. 

 

 

I recommend covering the pan with a damp towel to keep the surface of the beans from drying while you make the pancakes. 

 
The Pancakes

I tried two recipes.  The first recipe has an a delicate honey flavor but it's really finicky in the pan.  I wasted a lot of batter trying to get the heat perfect and had a lot of trouble flipping them, too.  The second recipe was MUCH easier to cook but doesn't have the honey flavor.  I'm sure with some tinkering, a recipe could be produced that is both honey-licious and easy to cook.  I'll give both recipes and let you decide...  In the end, I needed two batches to use up the bean paste.

Pancake Recipe One (from justonecookbook.com)

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1-2 Tbsp. water

 

Whip together the eggs, sugar and honey until fluffy.  Chill for 15 minutes.  Sift and add the flour and baking powder.  Add the water a teaspoon at a time until you have a mixture slightly thicker than regular pancake batter.

 

 

 

Pancake Recipe Two (from savoryjapan.com) 

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 cup water (I used 1/3 cup only to make my pancakes)

Beat the eggs.  Mix in the sugar and corn syrup.  Add the flour and baking powder.  Add water until the batter is pancake-like.

 

Heat the pan on low.  Wet a paper towel with oil and use this to lightly oil the pan.  Save the paper towel and use it to re-oil the pan between pancakes.

Pour one spoonful of batter into the pan.  This will make a 3-inch pancake.  It may look bigger in the pic, but it's just because I'm using a very small pan.  Flip the pancake when the surface is bubbly.  Cook for a minute on the flip side.

 

 

 

Place the pancakes under a moist towel until you are ready to fill them.  They dry out very quickly otherwise. 

 

Use a knife to spread on the bean paste.  Make sure to keep the pretty sides of the pancakes on the outside where they can be seen.

 

 

Serve with green tea.

 

To store, wrap each pancake in wax paper. 

 

Oops, I made too many!  So, I decorate some for a friendly gift.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!