What is Ji Dan Bing
Ji Dan Bing (鸡蛋饼), or Chinese breakfast pancake, is a homestyle dish that simplifies the popular street food Jian Bing (煎饼). You make a runny batter using flour, with a pinch of salt and some water. Then make a crepe-like pancake on a hot pan. Then you crack an egg on the top and lightly beat it, and wait for it to set. Finally, you sprinkle it with green onions and black sesame seeds. You finish it up by brushing it with sweet bean paste (or hoisin sauce), then top it with a piece of lettuce and any other toppings you’d like for breakfast. The pancakes are tender and full of the aroma of egg and green onion, with an extra kick from the sweet umami sauce. It truly contains everything you need for a savory breakfast!
Ingredients for making Ji Dan Bing
Ji dan bing is a perfect dish to make when you’ve run out of toast, because you can simply make a full breakfast using a few of your pantry items. All you need is some all-purpose flour, water, eggs, green onion, salt, sesame seeds and sweet bean sauce.
Sauce for Ji Dan Bing
The best sauce for ji Dan Bing is sweet bean paste, which is usually made with fermented flour and has a savory and sweet taste. It’s a key ingredient for serving Peking duck and Moo Shu Pancakes, so it’s great to have on hand. If you do not have sweet bean paste on hand, you can use hoisin sauce instead. If you like hot sauce and prefer your dish a bit spicy, you can add a small amount of chili garlic sauce or any hot sauce of your choice, along with the sweet bean paste.
Toppings
A lot of times, ji dan bing is simply served as is. But you can boost it with other toppings such as lettuce leaves, chopped vegetables, bacon and hot dogs. I found lettuce leaves to be a great addition to add texture and color. The crispiness goes so well with the eggs and the taste works wonderfully with the sauce. For a more filling vegetarian option, you can add some shredded carrots and / or cucumber sticks. If you like some protein for your breakfast, a slice of crispy bacon or a grilled hot dog is a great option as well.
How to make Ji Dan Bing
Making ji dan bing is super easy once you get the hang of it. Once the pancake is cooked, you can finish the assembly by: I also created this short video to show you how to make ji dan bing. Check it out!
The consistency of the batter is the key
The batter should be runny, but neither too thin or thick. If you follow the recipe below using the gram measurement, the result will be pretty consistent. But if not, you can simply mix the batter by feel. If the batter is too thin, the pancake will be hard to flip when it’s set. You can add more flour to the batter and mix it again. If the batter is too thick, it won’t spread out easily in the pan and your pancake will be thicker and chewy. You can add a bit more water in this case. This is a very forgiving recipe. So relax and have fun making the pancakes!
How to serve ji dan bing
There are many ways to serve ji dan bing. You can simply stack them on a plate, served with the sauce and the toppings on the side. And each family member can add their favorite toppings to assemble and eat it. For a more polished presentation, you can pre-assemble all the ji dan bings and use a toothpick to secure each one so it forms a wrap. In China if you order ji dan bing on the street, it’ll be wrapped in parchment paper and you eat it with your hands. At home, I forgo the parchment paper and simply eat it with my hands. It’s a bit messy but really fun to eat 🙂
Other delicious breakfast recipes
Dou Fu Nao (豆腐脑, Beijing-Style Tofu Pudding with Gravy)Instant Pot Breakfast CongeeChinese Steamed Eggs (鸡蛋羹)You Tiao (Chinese Donuts) 油条5-Ingredient Savory Oatmeal (Chinese-Style)
