Danbing

Ingredients

Batter

• 120 gplain flour
• 30 gtapioca or sweet potato starch
• 300 mlwater
• ½ tspsalt
• 1 tbspchopped spring onion

Per crepe

• 1or 2 eggs
• chopped spring onion
• oil for the pan

Sauce

• 3 tbspTaiwanese soy paste, jiangyou gao
• or 2 tbsp soy sauce with 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp cornflour
• chilli sauce, to taste

Optional fillings

• sliced ham or bacon
• shredded cheese
• corn
• pork floss
• shredded basil

To serve

• hot, cut across into pieces, with a paper cup of soy milk

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, starch, salt and water into a thin, smooth batter. Make it genuinely thin, closer to single cream than to pancake batter, since a thick batter gives a heavy doughy sheet.
2. Let it rest for fifteen minutes if you have time, which lets the flour hydrate and gives a smoother crepe. Stir it again before each crepe, since the starch settles heavily to the bottom within minutes. Now the pan, which should be moderate rather than fierce.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and wipe it with a little oil. Keep the heat moderate throughout, since danbing should stay pale and soft rather than browning and crisping.
4. Pour in a thin ladle of batter and swirl the pan to coat it evenly. Scatter chopped spring onion over the surface straight away, while the batter is still wet. Cook it for about a minute, until the surface is just set and no longer wet.
5. Crack the egg into the pan and break the yolk, spreading it into a rough circle with the back of a spoon. Putting the crepe onto the wet egg is what bonds the two into a single sheet, and it is the step that makes it danbing.
6. Press it down lightly with a spatula so it adheres across the whole surface. Cook for another minute until the egg is set underneath. Now add any filling along one edge, if you are using one. Flip the whole thing over briefly so the egg side takes a little colour. Roll it while it is still hot and pliable, since a cooled crepe cracks along the fold.
7. Transfer it to a plate or into a paper bag. The proper sauce is Taiwanese soy paste, a thick sweet-salty soy thickened with starch, quite unlike ordinary soy sauce. Squeeze it over in a zigzag and add chilli sauce if you want it. Serve it immediately, since it goes leathery within a few minutes of cooling.

Technique

• The starch in the batter gives the chew that defines it.
• The crepe is laid onto the raw egg so the two bond into one sheet.
• Taiwanese soy paste is thicker and sweeter than ordinary soy sauce.

Substitutions

• A shop-bought danbing sheet, which is what most Taiwanese homes use.
• Soy sauce thickened with sugar and cornflour, in place of soy paste.

Variations

• With cheese and ham, which is the most popular shop order.
• With pork floss and Thai basil.
• With corn and mayonnaise, which is common.

Frequently asked questions

What is Danbing?

Danbing is a breakfast from Taiwan: rolled egg crepe griddled with scallions, breakfast-shop staple with soy-chili sauce.

How long does Danbing take to make?

Danbing takes 15 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 crepes. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Danbing?

Yes, within limits. A shop-bought danbing sheet, which is what most Taiwanese homes use. Soy sauce thickened with sugar and cornflour, in place of soy paste.

What is the most important thing to get right in Danbing?

Let it rest for fifteen minutes if you have time, which lets the flour hydrate and gives a smoother crepe. Stir it again before each crepe, since the starch settles heavily to the bottom within minutes. Now the pan, which should be moderate rather than fierce.