Pumpkin Pancakes – Learn like a pro- This is a bit of a departure from our previous postings about scholarships and visas, but eating is crucial to your happiness as an expat in Japan. I’ll occasionally be sharing the food I’ve learnt to cook since moving here, along with tips on how to prepare it in a Japanese kitchen, whether it’s my favorite Japanese cuisine or comfort food with a Japanese twist.
Pumpkin Pancakes – Learn like a pro
SHOPPING LIST: FOR 21 15CM (6-INCH) PANCAKES
Make enough pancakes for a week’s supply of breakfast in roughly an hour (21 pancakes x 3 days each week)!
It’s fantastic if you already have this things around the house! For everything that may not be immediately clear, I’ll include the Japanese.
- 200g (1 3/4 cups) of bread flour (強力沉)
- 200g (1 3/4 cups) of pastry flour (閄力粉)
- 50g (5 Tablespoons) of brown sugar (渉温糖)
- 4g (1 teaspoon) of salt
- Two tablespoons (10 g) of baking powder (I buy this in bulk online because I think it’s pricey at supermarket stores).
- 5g (1 teaspoon) of baking soda
- Kabocha – 1/4 (450g approximately pre-preparation; adjust to taste)
- 65 grams (4.5 tablespoons) of butter
- 475 mL (2 cups) of milk
- 140g (1/2 cup) of yogurt
- One teaspoon of vanilla extract, if imported from outside of Japan, or roughly ten drops of the concentrated Japanese kind
COOKING THE PANCAKES
After the griddle or pan has heated up, pour batter over the frying surface. I usually make my pancakes larger in a pan to finish the process faster because, as I’ve already indicated, cooking this many pancakes in a frying pan takes ages.
To create the character pancakes (kirpan) seen in the bottom image, first draw the features on the pancake using a little spoon, then wait for about 30 seconds for them to cook before adding the remaining pancake batter on top of them.
When air bubbles appear in the center and the edge is solid, the pancakes are ready to flip.
PUMPKIN PANCAKES RECIPE
The Japanese kabocha squash, which is commonly translated as “pumpkin,” is far better in the kitchen than the pumpkin found in America (its main drawback is that it’s not suitable for carving into jack-o’-lanterns). It’s delicious on its own or added to a variety of baked items. You can use it to make any American pumpkin delight by replacing the sugar with kabocha and drastically lowering the amount of sugar.
I adore using it in my pancakes, and it’s a fantastic method to ensure that my three-year-old is getting enough vegetables in her diet.
Every weekend, I prepare 21 pancakes from this recipe, freezing the leftovers so that I can quickly and easily reheat them in the toaster oven on weekday mornings before heading to work. If I have three pancakes a day, along with fruit jam, syrup, or chocolate ganache (for a very horrible workday), I’m set to go.
ALSO SEE
Variants
We’ve tried all of these and found them to be satisfactory.
- The version without kabocha: This recipe may also be used for simple pancakes; just omit the kabocha and substitute yogurt and milk.
- Whole wheat: Use whole wheat flour to substitute for up to half of the other flours. All-purpose whole wheat can be used in place of half of each type of flour. Only the pastry flour needs to be replaced if it’s not for baking.
- Reduced Dairy: Use soy milk in place of milk and yogurt, and three tablespoons of olive oil in place of half the butter.
Note:
When preparing kirpan, the air bubbles won’t pop through, so try cooking a regular pancake first to get a feel for the timing. When the edges are just solid enough, you can slide a spatula underneath.
Once pancakes are flipped over, cook for a further minute or so, or until bottoms are golden brown, and serve!
And that’s it! As much as we love this recipe, I hope you will too!
Kindly share your thoughts with me in the comments section, along with any modifications or additional recommendations you may have!
