Japanese Pancake Recipe

Pancake day is one of the most fun and universally loved UK holidays. When I was in Japan, Japanese people loved to hear about the holiday and always wanted to have a go at joining in with the cooking (or just the eating). If you're not be able to introduce pancake day to Japanese students this year, why not try introducing a Japanese recipe to your pancake day? 

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk (plant milk if you prefer)
3 tablespoons of flour
half a teaspoon of baking powder
half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
half a teaspoon of lemon juice
two tablespoons of sugar

First, separate two eggs. The egg white will be important for that signature fluffiness, so make sure no yolk gets in there. Chill the whites in the fridge for later.

Add two tablespoons of milk to the egg yolks and mix until they're thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, mix a quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder with three tablespoons of plain flour. Now sieve these ingredients into the yolky milk and mix until smooth. Add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

Take the egg white out of the fridge and add half a teaspoon of lemon juice. 

Fill a bowl with two tablespoons of sugar and gently add it to the egg whites whilst whisking. You should add a third of the sugar at first, then more once the sugar is dissolved. Whip the eggs until you get a meringue with stiff peaks. 

Mix a large spoon full of the meringue into the yolk mixture to make it smoother and lighter. Now fold the rest of the meringue in carefully. Be careful not to overmix and to lose the air from the meringue otherwise your pancakes won't jiggle.

Coat your frying pan in a thin layer of oil, then heat it on a low heat. Dollop large blobs of the pancake mix into the pan, trying to keep them as tall as possible. Add two teaspoons of water, then close the lid to steam them.

After four minutes, flip the pancakes over, then cook for another three to five minutes.

Once the pancakes are cooked, carefully plate them and enjoy with your favourite toppings. The classic Japanese toppings would be maple syrup, powdered sugar and strawberries, but as you've made the pancakes, you can go nuts and add whatever you like (I wouldn't recommend lemon and sugar on this kind of pancakes though).