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Dan hong gao
Dàn hōng gāo (蛋烘糕): Chengdu griddle egg cakes folded round sweet or savoury fillings
ChineseOn Chengdu's back streets, dan hong gao vendors work a row of tiny copper pans, pouring in a sweet egg batter, adding a spoon of filling and folding each cake in half like a soft taco. Breakfast-goers order a few with brown sugar and sesame, and a few with savoury fillings like pickled mustard greens. The mistake is a lid-less pan: the cakes must be covered so the top steams through while the base turns golden. A small 10–12 cm frying pan works at home. Chef's tip: let the batter rest 10 minutes after adding the raising agent so tiny bubbles form; the cakes come out spongy rather than flat.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 4 oz plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 oz brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp neutral oilfor the pan
Sweet filling
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Savoury filling
- 1 ⅜ oz pickled mustard tuber (zhacai)chopped
- 1 spring onionchopped
- 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 eggs and 1 oz brown sugar until frothy, then whisk in ½ cup water, 4 oz plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder until smooth. Rest for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Mix 2 tbsp brown sugar with 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds. In another bowl mix 1 ⅜ oz pickled mustard tuber (zhacai), 1 spring onion and 1 tsp chilli oil.
Step 3: Heat a 10–12 cm frying pan over a medium-low heat and brush with 1 tbsp neutral oil. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and swirl, cover and cook for 1 minute until the top is almost set.
1 minStep 4: Scatter a spoon of filling over half, cover again for 30 seconds until bubbling and set, then fold in half with a spatula; the base should be golden.
1 minStep 5: Repeat with the rest of the batter, alternating sweet and savoury, and eat warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dan hong gao take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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