Dan Hong Gao (Chengdu Egg Pancakes)

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 220ml warm milk or water
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp lard or butter, for the pan
• 60g dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 80g sweet red bean paste
• 100g minced pork
• 60g ya cai, rinsed and chopped
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Before you cook

• Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar until pale and slightly foamy.
• Whisk in the warm milk, then sift in the flour, yeast and salt and beat to a smooth batter.
• Cover the batter and leave it somewhere warm for 90 minutes, until it smells faintly sour and is covered in small bubbles.
• Stir the baking powder through the risen batter and let it settle for 10 minutes.
• Mix the dark brown sugar with the toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl.

Steps

1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a small pan over medium heat.
2. Fry the minced pork for 4 minutes, breaking it up until it browns.
3. Add the ya cai, light soy sauce and ground roasted Sichuan pepper and fry for 3 minutes.
4. Tip the savoury filling into a bowl and set it beside the brown sugar mixture and the red bean paste.
5. Set a small heavy frying pan, about 12cm across, over low heat.
6. Grease the pan with a little lard and wipe out the excess.
7. Pour in enough batter to cover the base to the depth of a coin, about 3 tablespoons.
8. Cover the pan and cook for 90 seconds, until the surface sets, puffs and dries.
9. Check the underside, which should be an even golden brown with a honeycomb of tiny holes.
10. Spoon your chosen filling across one half of the pancake.
11. Fold the pancake over into a half moon and press the edge lightly with a spatula.
12. Cook for another 20 seconds on each side to crisp the outside.
13. Slide it onto a plate and cook the rest the same way, greasing the pan between each one.
14. Eat them hot, straight from the pan, while the sugar inside is still molten.