As much as I love eating out, I definitely don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. 99% of the time it’s to do with time and budget constraints, but that doesn’t stop me from obsessing over certain dishes! Whenever I try something I love in a restaurant I always go home inspired, and the obsession usually doesn’t leave until I return again.
If you’re not familiar with these mango pancakes they’re a yum cha staple, and after having it numerous times I figured I should just make them myself. While I’m not sure if I bastardised the recipe, I do know that it’s addictive. After all, it’s not hard for something to be delicious with that much whipped cream (I may have been a bit overzealous with it in this case, though)!
Don’t be fooled, flipping these things is so much harder than it looks. I really give props to those who have mastered it, considering I used two spatulas and still managed to make holes in my crepes…
Mango Pancakes (recipe adapted from Vondelicious)
| Makes about 10: 3 eggs 1 cup milk ⅓ cup water 3 tbs unsalted butter, melted 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup caster sugar a few drops of yellow food colouring |
1. Place the ingredients in a bowl in the order listed. Whisk vigorously until blended (or for 30 seconds by machine). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and whisk for 15 seconds longer. 2. Let the batter sit for an hour or longer so that the starches can absorb. You can make the batter up to a day in advance and refrigerate it, but bring it to room temperature before you cook it. It should be the consistency of buttermilk, but if it’s lumpy you can strain it. 3. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray, or brush lightly with a neutral oil and get it hot but not smoking. Remove from the heat and pour a little batter in (depending on the size of your skillet) and swirl batter evenly around the bottom – try to make this very thin! 4. Return to heat and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the lowest setting. The thin edges will get crispy and curl up, and the top will mostly set but stay shiny. Flip the crepe with a spatula. 5. Cook the second side for about 30 seconds, then remove crepe and place it on a clean dish towel. |
| Assembling the pancake: 300mL thickened cream Icing sugar, to taste 4 small mangoes, or 2 large ones around 10 crepes, from the recipe above |
1. In a large bowl, whisk cream until slightly thickened then add the icing sugar to taste. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Chill while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. 2. Peel and slice mangoes into long, thin pieces. 3. Place one crepe on a plate (with the nice side down!) and place a heaped tablespoon of whipped cream in the centre. Place a couple of mango pieces around the whipped cream, then wrap the crepe around it. I did this by folding opposite sides inwards over the cream, then rolling the pancake into a cylinder shape. 4. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour (the longer the better) before serving. |
You could make these less radioactive yellow and more natural looking by omitting the food colouring, but I personally love it! I think it hides the imperfections and gives the pancakes their iconic look. Anyway, if you’re so inclined you could probably experiment with different fruits. I even used sliced peaches after I ran out of mangoes, and while it wasn’t the same it definitely still tasted good! Anyway, out of curiosity what are your favourite desserts when it comes to yum cha, dim sum or whatever you happen to call it? Do share! I definitely need to plan ahead for the next time I visit…
