Asian Recipes/ Breakfast/ Lunch/ Recipes

Dan Bing Recipe – Taiwanese Egg Pancakes (蛋餅)

12/08/2020
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Bursting with flavour, this Dan Bing Recipe with tuna and egg makes the perfect savoury breakfast crepe or quick snack. A light batter made with cornflour (cornstarch) ensures these Taiwanese egg pancakes are crispy and fluffy, yet light and totally delicious!

Slices of tuna and egg dan bing crepe on a plate, drizzled with soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce.

Why We Love This

Taiwanese Dan Bing are delicious savoury pancakes with the perfect blend of crispy outside + soft and chewy inside. 

The rolled pancakes are super easy to whip up – you can prep and cook them in around 10 minutes with simple and inexpensive ingredients (that you probably already have at home).

Slice and slather with sauce, or eat them by hand straight out of the pan. Just like a quick and easy no-fuss breakfast burrito or tasty snack on the go!

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Related: Pandan Waffles / Miso Scrambled Eggs

A person holding a freshly cooked dan bing crepe, ready to eat.

What is Dan Bing? 

Dan Bing literally translates as “egg” and “cake”. Traditional Taiwanese egg pancakes are the ULTIMATE street food breakfast made plain with the crepe base and topped with just egg and scallions / green onion. In Taiwan, you’ll find them at cafes and breakfast joints sprinkled across the cities, or more often from busy street vendors serving long lines of hungry customers.

They’re designed to be cooked and eaten FAST, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be whipping them up in no time!

For our version, we’ve used extra fillings including tuna and cheese, but feel free to omit these for the more OG version.

Where We Learned This Recipe

We touched down in the Taiwanese Capital City of Taipei right in the middle of Chinese New Year. Which, of course, meant that almost everyone had skipped town to visit their families. The streets appeared empty. Shops and restaurants were closed, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen on the streets. Until we ventured into laneways and alleyways, and stumbled across foodie gold.

One such find was a local stall tucked beneath an apartment building near our home base. Opening at 8.00am, it would disappear behind a nondescript roller shutter around midday.

One morning we spied the assembly line – husband, wife and son working together at a massive grill – churning out piping hot burgers and dan bing to lines of hungry people. Such enticing aromas emanating from that grill… one whiff had us wandering in for a closer look.

Despite not speaking any local language, we managed to communicate: ‘We’ll have what they’re having.” 

Our Dan Bing Discovery

Success! Taiwanese Pork & Egg Breakfast Burger + Dan Bing Pancake + (massive) Chinese Coffee INBOUND. We took a seat inside the tiny restaurant beside other neighbours tucking into their food, no doubt fooling no one by casually reading the local paper. 

Next there was a tap on my shoulder. Mr Husband gestured to his massive coffee kettle offering us a refill. After filling our cup to the brim he gestured repeatedly towards the grill with a rapid-fire stream of words that went straight over our heads. Drawing us over to the grill, he pointed to his signboard (where not a stroke of English could be seen). I knew the same thoughts were whizzing through both our minds. What is he saying? What do we do? Eeeeep.

Whack!

Saved by Mrs Wife, who gave Mr Husband a good slap and yelled out something that could only mean, ‘They don’t understand you!

She held up her sauce bottles and everything became clear.  After nodding our heads enthusiastically, with a deft hand Mrs Wife slathered our Dan Bing with a tangy sauce blend – a mix of soy and sweet chilli. The rest is history!

What You’ll Need

This recipe is super easy – all you need to make your own dan bing are a handful of ingredients that you can easily find at your local supermarket (or ready to go in your pantry!):

  • Cheese – We used tasty cheese, but feel free to experiment with cheddar, parmesan or mozzarella!
  • Spring onions – also known as green onions or scallions
  • Cornflour / cornstarch – this gives your pancakes that subtle crispy crunch
  • Sesame oil – for cooking, this adds an extra delicious flavour zing

The sauce is a simple blend of equal parts sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce, which is so delicious I can’t believe we’ve never thought to mix the two before!

Ingredients laid out for dan bing pancakes.

How to make it at home:

  1. For the sauce: Pop your soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl, then give them a good stir and set aside.
  2. For the pancake batter: Place plain flour, cornstarch/cornflour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water. Whisk until the batter has a nice runny consistency with no lumps.
  3. In a separate small bowl or pouring jug add the tuna, cheese, spring onions, egg and mix well. Pop aside.
  1. Now heat the sesame oil in a small to medium frypan. Pour in a small amount of batter and quickly swirl until it reaches the edges. Cook for 1 minute until the pancake starts to cook.
  2. Next, top with around a ⅓ of the egg and tuna mixture and spread across the top in a thin layer. Avoid the edges if you can.
  3. Continue cooking until the egg just starts to set, then slide the spatula around the edges to loosen the pancake and flip it over. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds before flipping it back.
  1. Now you can fold in two edges to create a yummy rolled pancake!
  2. To serve, transfer your freshly cooked and rolled pancakes to serving plates, slice into 2-3cm strips and drizzle with your blended soy and sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, you can serve them whole and wrapped in a piece of paper.

Wandercook’s Tips

  • The consistency of your homemade crepe batter may vary until you get the hang of it. For the tastiest, crispiest pancake, aim for a super runny batter with no lumps. 
  • When pouring your egg mixture onto the pancake, try avoiding the edges if you can. 

FAQs

How do you make the perfect dan bing batter?

After lots of experimenting, we found the simple blend of plain flour, cornflour (cornstarch) and water in the recipe below makes the perfect batter. It should be light and fluffy with a subtle crispiness, yet soft enough so the pancake doesn’t crack when rolled up. 

What other ingredients can I use in dan bing?

Traditional dan bing ingredients often include tuna, cheese and sliced green onion, but we’ve also seen them packed with sweetcorn, ham or bacon, fermented tofu or even chilli bean paste. You’re only limited by your imagination and your flavour preferences.

Variations & Substitutes

  • If you’re feeling experimental, why not try these dan bing sauce ingredient substitutes – different combos of hoisin, oyster sauce, worcestershire sauce or even ketchup would work perfectly!
  • If you don’t have (or enjoy) sesame oil you can substitute with vegetable oil
A sliced crepe cooked with tuna and egg on a plate, next to a spoon covered in dan bing sauce.

Here’s a few similar recipes to try out next:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating below!

A hand holding up a sliced piece of dan bing egg crepe.

Dan Bing Recipe – Taiwanese Egg Pancakes (蛋餅)

Bursting with flavour, this Dan Bing Recipe with tuna and egg makes the perfect savoury breakfast crepe or quick snack. A light batter made with cornflour (cornstarch) ensures these Taiwanese egg pancakes are crispy and fluffy, yet light and totally delicious!
4.96 from 25 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Servings: 3 pancakes
Calories: 327kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $5

Ingredients

For the sauce

Instructions

For the Sauce:

  • Pop your sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl, then give them a good stir and set aside.
    3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

For the Pancakes Batter:

  • Place all purpose flour, cornstarch and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water. Whisk until the batter has a nice runny consistency with no lumps.
    ½ cup plain flour / all purpose flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour, 1 pinch salt, 3/4 cup water
  • In a separate small bowl or pouring jug add the tuna, cheese, eggs and spring onion and mix well.
    100 g tuna, ½ cup cheese, 3 eggs, 1-2 spring onion / green onion
  • Now heat the sesame oil in a small to medium frying pan. Pour in a small amount of batter and quickly swirl until it reaches the edges. Cook for 1 minute until the pancake starts to set, then top with a third of the egg and tuna mixture. Spread it out across the top in a thin layer, avoiding the edges if you can.
    1-2 tbsp sesame oil
  • Continue cooking until the egg just starts to set, then slide the spatula around the edges to loosen the pancake and flip it over. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds before flipping it back. Now you can fold in two edges to create a yummy rolled pancake!
  • Remove from the pan, then repeat for your remaining pancakes.
  • To serve, transfer your freshly cooked and rolled pancakes to serving plates, slice into 2-3cm strips and drizzle with your blended soy and sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, you can serve them whole and wrapped in a piece of paper. Enjoy!

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

  • Batter Consistency – The consistency of your homemade crepe batter may vary until you get the hang of it. For the tastiest, crispiest pancake, aim for a super runny batter with no lumps.
  • Avoid the Edges – When pouring your egg mixture onto the pancake, try avoiding the edges if you can.
  • Ingredient Ideas – Traditional dan bing ingredients often include tuna, cheese and sliced green onion, but we’ve also seen them packed with sweetcorn, ham or bacon, fermented tofu or even chilli bean paste. You’re only limited by your imagination and your flavour preferences.
  • Sauce Alternatives – Hoisin, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce or even tomato sauce should work a treat.
  • Oil – You can substitute the sesame oil with vegetable oil for a milder flavour to cook with.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Dan Bing Recipe – Taiwanese Egg Pancakes (蛋餅)
Amount per Serving
Calories
327
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
 
5
g
31
%
Cholesterol
 
190
mg
63
%
Sodium
 
939
mg
41
%
Potassium
 
176
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
31
g
10
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
9
g
10
%
Protein
 
19
g
38
%
Vitamin A
 
423
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
125
mg
13
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks

Dan Bing Recipe - Taiwanese Egg Pancakes (蛋餅)

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70 Comments

  • Reply
    Anna
    02/04/2023 at 2:53 pm

    5 stars
    Wow these are great! I used to live in Taiwan and really miss the breakfast shops there. I didn’t have any cornflour so subbed for rice flour and snuck some wholemeal flour in to make them a bit healthier. These danbing held together much better than another recipe I tried.
    I made a sauce of hoisin, soy and coconut aminos. It didn’t really taste like the real danbing sauce but worked well regardless. Will be making these regularly for weekend breakfasts. Thank you!!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      05/04/2023 at 8:12 am

      Ah so awesome Anna. So glad you were able to recreate a little taste from your time in Taiwan. 🙂

  • Reply
    afra
    30/11/2020 at 3:46 am

    5 stars
    Super lovely! This is going to become a regular for me. The first time I made them I stuck to your recipe. Today I made them with a pancake of buckwhat flour, water and egg white. It has the same silky texture. I does lack the crispiness of your pancake however I do prefer the nutty flavour and added nutritional benefits. FABULOUS!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      01/12/2020 at 5:17 pm

      Amazing, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and love how you’ve tweaked it to make it your own. 🙂

  • Reply
    Jason
    30/10/2020 at 2:11 am

    5 stars
    Looks great!
    I used to live in Taiwan and we had Dan Bein pretty much every day.
    Your recipe looks awesome.
    We normally had it with chicken, but some places even had turkey!
    Sooooo delicious! I will have to try the recipe this weekend!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      30/10/2020 at 1:44 pm

      Oh that’s awesome Jason – chicken would be cool to try – what sauces or other ingredients did they have with it? We’ve got some roto chicken in the freezer atm. 😀

  • Reply
    Mruu
    18/01/2020 at 3:14 pm

    How much salt???

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      20/01/2020 at 10:37 am

      Just a pinch! 🙂 This has now been updated in the recipe. You can also choose to omit the salt if you prefer.

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