Crisp Chinese potato pancakes
These Chinese potato pancakes rely on the potato’s own starch to hold together. Grate, season and press the strands into thin rounds with crisp edges.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- Makes 4 pancakes
Your new skill: Using potato starch to bind a flourless pancake
For a little background, read Can a menu word tell you how food was cooked?.
Your ingredients
Get ready: Kitchen scales, chopping board, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and a suitable saucepan or frying pan.
- 400 g potatoes, peeled
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- Fresh or dried chilli to taste, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground Sichuan pepper or cumin, or to taste
- Salt to taste
Let’s make it
-
Keep the starch
Grate or finely julienne the potatoes. Do not rinse the cut strands: their surface starch helps bind each pancake. Divide the potato, spring onion and chilli into four portions.
-
Press a thin layer
Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add one portion of potato and its aromatics. Season lightly, then press flat with a spatula as the strands soften.
-
Brown both sides
Cook until the base is golden, then turn carefully and cook the second side. Allow about 4–5 minutes per pancake, longer if needed, until the potato is tender with no raw crunch. Repeat with remaining oil and mixture. A thin pancake gives you the best crisp-to-soft balance.
What to try next
Try Marbled tea eggs or Golden tofu omelette for your next kitchen project.
Keeping it: Cool leftovers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat within 48 hours, reheating only once until steaming hot throughout.
