Japanese pancakes: Hotto Keiki -Hotcakes

Actually, I wanted to make a lemon cake... And then I saw the link to the mysterious name "Japanese cuisine". Interesting! I started searching and came across these sweet Japanese pancakes! The recipe seemed simple and since we are all fans of pancakes and pancakes, we decided to make them right away.

I then looked up the details of the recipe online and discovered that Japanese pancakes are called Hotto Keiki, pronounced "Hotkeiki" by Europeans and Americans. In fact, Japanese pancakes are very similar to Canadian pancakes and biscuit pancakes. They are juicy, tender and soft, delicious with honey and maple syrup and completely fat-free, unlike our traditional kefir-based pancakes. This is because the chotos are cooked in an almost dry pan - with the thinnest layer of butter.

Also try making Japanese-style pancakes - a great snack for the whole family!

Ingredients:

2 eggs,

2 tablespoons of milk,

2 tablespoons of flour (3 tablespoons of flour per tablespoon),

25 g icing sugar (2 tablespoons, almost no sauce),

0.5 teaspoon of baking powder,

1 teaspoon vanilla on top

a pinch of salt,

0.5 tablespoon of lemon juice,

¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil

At first I thought the dry ingredients were a little small. Only 35 grams of flour? For 2 eggs? But I took a chance and made pancakes with this recipe - the suggested amount was enough. The batter wasn't too dense, but it was fluffy like a sponge cake.

How to bake:

Separate the yolks from the whites. Now sift the flour into the egg yolks, add the baking powder, salt, vanilla and mix again with a fork until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Add the lemon juice to the egg whites and beat on low speed, gradually adding the icing sugar. Beat for 4-5 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and stiff.

Stir in one third of the beaten egg whites.

Stir until smooth, add the remaining beaten egg whites and mix - again in a circular motion, as you would for cookie dough.

Pour a little vegetable oil into a dry, clean, non-stick pan and grease it with kitchen paper. This will absorb the excess oil and only a thin layer will remain in the pan. Heat the pan over a low heat and place a tablespoon of the pasta in it, 3-4 cm apart.

Cover and cook for 1 minute. Then remove the lid and add another tablespoon of batter to each fritter.

Cover again and cook for 2 minutes more. I didn't realise that the lid of a conventional pan was not suitable for a non-stick pan as it was too shallow and once the mixture was added, it could no longer be covered - the lid would pinch the pancakes. So I let them cook more in the middle, which resulted in the pancakes browning a bit, and let's just say they turned very brown :) Then I discovered that I could use a deep pan as a shallow lid. I tried a second batch in a cast iron enamel pan instead of a griddle. The pancakes don't stick and you can cover them.

After frying the pancakes on one side, use a spatula to flip them over to the other side and fry for another 3 minutes. When they are done, place the Japanese pancakes on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with honey, syrup or any kind of jam.