Dan Bing 蛋餅

(Taiwanese Egg Pancake)

September 26:National Pancake Day

Islander’s college roommate from Taiwan, Monica C., would cook foods from her country and graciously share them with her. Sometimes, for Saturday brunch, they would skip the bland cafeteria food and cook together in the dorm kitchen. Dan bing, a type of Taiwanese style savory pancake, was one of the breakfast/brunch foods they would make because it was simple and filling (the proteins in the egg and pork floss and the carbs in the tortilla would provide them with energy to study—or play—for the rest of the day).

The recipe that follows is a mainland version of dan bing using flour tortillas (because as inexperienced cooks, that was all they could find as a substitute ingredient in their Midwest college town). When we visited Monica in Taiwan, we ate real dan bing (the flour pancake was much thinner) at the local cafes and they were much better and authentic than Islander and Monica’s mainland version. But it is still a delicious dish for breakfast/brunch and on National Pancake Day.

Recipe

(From Monica C.)

Ingredients

• Chopped scallions (green parts only)
• 4+ eggs, beaten
• a little oil for frying
• fresh flour tortilla
• salt and pepper to taste
• Rousong (pork floss)

Directions

Chop the onions. Beat the eggs. Heat a little oil in a skillet. Pour beaten eggs in the middle and fry a little but not yet set. Sprinkle green onions on it.

Place a tortilla on top of the egg before it sets. Pour more beaten eggs over it to cover the top. Sprinkle green onions on it and season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the bottom egg is set, flip the entire tortilla over and fry until the egg on the bottom is set. Transfer to a plate. While still hot, carefully roll. Slice and garnish with pork floss and more green onions. Serve with soy sauce.

Notes

•  Search our blog for other sweet pancake recipes.