Have you ever tried Japanese soufflé pancakes– a superstar dessert in Asia countries, not originated but revised recipe in Japan!

As you may already know, Japanese culture has the magic to turn everything, literary every-thing into cuties, no matter what they look like before! Without a doubt, Japan used its magic wand on soufflé which is a baked egg-based dish, originated in France. With the cultural buff, Japanese soufflé pancakes become an adorable angel face that is so soft and fluffy!

Aren’t they cute? They are so delicate that they would melt immediately in your mouth, leaving pleasant and fragrant tastes behind. Combined with some fresh fruits and sweetener, this is the perfect dessert for afternoon delight.

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes:

Savory V.S. Sweet

Did you know that soufflé can be either savory or sweet? The Japanese soufflé is an example of a sweet version. But if you replace the fruits by cheese or bacon/ham/seafood, it becomes a savory soufflé. Do you have a preference – savory or sweet? Do you hate one or another?

This reminds me of some other food debates in China where different food cultures among various provinces can lead into seriously disagreements. For example, Zongzi (粽子), a traditional Chinese rice dish with stuffing and wrapped in bamboo leaves, can have either savory or sweet flavors. In Northern China, people usually prefer sweet Zong with fillings such as red bean paste or preserved jujube. On the other hand, in Southern China, people usually prefer savory Zong with fillings such as marinated meat and salted egg yolk.

To tell you secretly, we both prefer savory Zong but definitely sweet soufflé pancakes! Look how happy Mr He was when I made him Japanese Soufflé Pancakes!

My other popular Japanese Food Recipes:

• Strawberry Mochi

• Japanese Butter Rice

• Tricolor Dango

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp milk (or soymilk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk…)

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract optional

• 4 tbsp cake flour

• 2 tbsp sugar

• very little vegetable oil

• 2 tbsp water

Toppings of your choice:

• whipped cream

• sugar powder

• honey

• fruits

• butter

• maple syrup

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two different DRY and Clean bowls. Water, oil, and fat from egg yolks will prevent egg whites from beating up. So make sure you don’t break the egg yolks as you separate the eggs. It’s ok to have some egg whites in egg yolks’ bowl.

2. Add milk and vanilla extract to the egg yolks. Mix with a whisk.

3. Sift the cake flour into the bowl.  Use the whisk to mix gently until there’s so dry flour. Set aside.

4. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer. In the process of beating the egg whites, gradually add in the sugar in 3 times (one-third of sugar at each time). Beat until stiff peaks form (stand straight up when the mixer is lifted).

5. Preheat a large nonstick frying pan over medium low heat. Fold a kitchen towel twice, use one end of the kitchen towel to dip some vegetable oil, evenly brush a thin layer of oil over the pan. The thin layer of oil should be invisible, otherwise you might have added too much oil, wipe some off with the clean side of the kitchen towel.

6. Mix one-third of the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture.

7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites bowl. Mix gently until the color turns evenly light yellow. Over mixing will break air bubbles. So make sure to do this step gently and quickly.

8. Turn stove to the lowest heat. Use a ladle to place 3 scoops of batter into the frying pan. Make sure they are not too close to each other or to the edge of the pan.

9. Stack one scoop of batter onto each batter that’s already in the pan. If you have more batter left, you can keep piling up the batter on the top of each pancake.

10. Add 1 tbsp of water in empty spaces inside the pan. Cover with a lid. The water can create a steaming environment, so that the center part of the pancakes can be fully cooked. Keep the lid on for 4 minutes.

11. Open the lid, gently flip each pancake. Add 1 more tbsp of water in empty spaces inside the pan. Cover with a lid. Keep the lid on for 3 more minutes.

12. Transfer the pancakes to a serving plate. Add toppings of your choice. Enjoy immediately.

NOTES

• I usually brew a cup of oolong tea after I beat the egg whites (before I mix egg whites and egg yolks up), so that I can enjoy hot tea together with my Soufflé Pancakes. This combination is the best!
• Although I found it’s very easy to whip egg whites with a hand mixter, if in any case your egg whites refuse to form stiff peaks for you, according to an article from Cake Journey, you can try chilling the bowl and the beaters in the freezer form about 30 minutes before you start whipping.
• If you accidentally mix in a small drop of egg yolk into the egg whites, give these eggs up, you can save them for scrambled eggs later. Take out another dry and clean bowl and separate 2 new eggs. It happened to me many times before, I tried to secretly scoop out the egg yolk drop from egg whites, but nope, I wouldn’t be able to fully whip the egg whites no matter how long I tried. 

– What goes well with these dreamy fully pancakes:

• Orange Peel Tea
• Boba tea