Recipes

Dorayaki is a popular Japanese snack made of two sweet pancakes with Anko (sweet red bean paste) in the middle.  It is the favourite snack of the Japanese anime character Doraemon and of course many Japanese people.

As a fan of Doraemon, I had seen him consume numerous dorayaki but I could never find them in my local stores.  I first tasted this wonderful treat when a student of mine brought some back for me when she went on vacation in Japan.  They were soooo amazing. I was hooked but was still unable to find them anywhere in my city.

Some time later another student, knowing my fondness for dorayaki and Doraemon, found some in a local Korean supermarket.  They were imported from Japan but to survive the trip they were frozen in Japan and thawed before being sold.  Although the basic taste was there I had been spoiled by the taste of fresh dorayaki direct from Japan.

I was now determined to taste fresh dorayaki again and I knew the only way that would happen is to make them myself.  I found a few recipes online and after some trial and error I found one that I thought matched the fresh dorayaki I so fondly remembered.  The real test was when I gave them to some of my Japanese students and they told me they were just like back in Japan.  Success!!!

I have since refined the recipe and improved my pancake making techniques.  I now have some of my Japanese students tell me they like my dorayaki better than the ones in Japan.  I even do a cooking club every few months where I teach Japanese students how to make dorayaki.

Anko (sweet red bean paste)

• Fill a small pot about half way with water and bring to a boil.
• Add the beans and boil for 10 minutes.
• Drain the beans and rinse with cold water.
• Fill the pot again about half way with water and bring to a boil.
• Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours adding water to keep it about 3 cm above the beans.
• When the beans are soft and easily crushed they are ready.
• Drain the beans.
• Rinse and clean the pot, put the beans back in and add the sugar.
• On a medium heat stir the beans until it becomes a smooth paste.
• Put into a glass container and let it cool before putting in the fridge.

Makes 4 cups.

Variations:

• The paste will be slightly chunky and Anko sometimes has a smooth texture.  After you add the sugar to the beans you can mash them or puree them with a hand blender until you get the texture you want.
• I sometimes make a chocolate Anko by adding 3-4 tbsps of cocoa powder and an extra 1/4 cup of sugar before I put it in the glass container.

The Pancakes

 Mix

• Whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk and honey in a bowl.
• Mix the flour and baking soda in a second bowl.
• Add half the flour to the first bowl and whisk until combined.  Don't worry it there are some lumps.
• Add half the remaining flour and mix.
• Add the rest of the flour and mix.

Cook

• Heat a frying pan to a low heat.  I use a cast iron frying pan but you can use a non-stick pan.
• Use a brush to spead a small amount of oil in the pan.
• Use a small ladle to pour the pancake batter into the pan until the pancake is about 2- 2.5 inches across.  When you stop pouring the pancake batter will continue to expand until it is about 3 inches across.
• Cook on one side to about 2 minutes and then 1 minute on the second side.
• Remove the pancakes and put them in a covered container to keep them from drying out before you assemble the dorayaki.

Assemble

• Take two pancakes about the same size and put a rounded tablespoon of anko on the bottom side of one of the pancakes.
• Cover the anko with the second pancake, bottom side down.
• Wrap in plastic

Makes 18 - 24 dorayaki.

Variations:

• Try substituting maple syrup for the honey for a "Canadian" dorayaki
• Puree a ripe banana and and add it with 1 tsp of cinnamon before putting in the flour for a banana bread dorayaki.  Goes good with the chocolate anko.