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!
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!
Related: Pandan Waffles / Miso Scrambled Eggs
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!
How to make it at home:
- For the sauce: Pop your soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl, then give them a good stir and set aside.
- 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.
- In a separate small bowl or pouring jug add the tuna, cheese, spring onions, egg and mix well. Pop aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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
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.
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
Here’s a few similar recipes to try out next:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating below!
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain flour / all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 1 pinch salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 100 g tuna canned
- ½ cup cheese cheddar / tasty, grated
- 3 eggs
- 1-2 spring onion / green onion finely sliced
- 1-2 tbsp sesame oil for cooking
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp soy 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
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.
70 Comments
Josh
09/11/2019 at 4:12 amJust thought I’d pop through and let you know that I first stumbled across this recipe on your site some years ago – I think 3-4 years? – and dan bing has since become a recurring thing in our household. Even my twin children who are extremely picky and stubborn eaters love this for breakfast. Obviously I vary the recipe after so long cooking it, but we often circle back to the original as well. I thought it’s probably about time I swing back and give credit where credit’s due.
Wandercooks
19/11/2019 at 1:59 pmHey Josh, thanks so much for your feedback. It made our day! 😀 So great to hear it’s been such a hit with your family. We’ve been similar, it’s such an easy dish to whip up, we’re always cracking it out as a quick meal either for just us or with our friends. Happy cooking! 🙂
Tisha
19/09/2019 at 2:21 pmThis would definitely make a great breakfast and fantastic start to your day!
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:18 amAgreed! You should try a ham or bacon and cheese version! 😀
Natalie
19/09/2019 at 2:03 pmLooks so delicious and perfect for an easy dinner or lunch ♥
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:18 amThat’s exactly what we make them for. They’re nice and quick and we usually have the tuna and cheese on hand. We also love putting baby spinach in ours!
Veena Azmanov
19/09/2019 at 1:39 pmThanks for this delicious and awesome recipe. My family to love it all.
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:17 amCheers Veena!
Suzy
19/09/2019 at 12:37 pmI love discovering different types of food while traveling and then recreating them at home! These look amazing! My family is going to love them with ham and cheese!
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:17 amSame! 😀 Especially when you have the memories tied to each dish. Makes them even more exciting to eat!
Irina
19/09/2019 at 11:56 amI am a huge fan of crepes/pancakes, and I always look for recipes to discover new flavors and new techniques. These egg pancakes are something new for me. I am gonna make them for sure! Just want to discover a new cuisine:)
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:16 amSo glad to hear Irina, it’s definitely different to the usual crepe or pancake we’re used to making at home too. Now we always make these for a quick lunch or dinner.
Jennie
26/08/2019 at 9:09 pmI was missing Taiwan and pulled up this recipe – I didn’t have the tuna, cheese and sauce ingredients on hand but it was still amazing with a bit of sriracha. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wandercooks
30/08/2019 at 12:16 pmOh glad you were still able to make it!
Ondra
21/01/2019 at 11:09 pmThank you for the recipe! A minor correction though: the Chinese name is 蛋餅, not 蚕餅 (蚕 means “a silkworm”, 蛋 means “an egg”)
Wandercooks
22/01/2019 at 2:10 pmAh thanks Ondra, all updated now – much appreciated! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Steph
19/09/2018 at 6:20 amSo I woke up one morning and decided I could not do another cereal or toast for breakfast, but then I stumbled across this recipe and it was unlike anything I’d ever tried before so I decided I had to make it! It was so delicious, I absolutely loved it and the sauce just really topped it off. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Wandercooks
19/09/2018 at 9:40 amRight! We love how easy these are to whip up as well, it makes it as easy as cooking pancakes once you’ve done it a couple of times. It’s one of the few recipes we cook off by heart! So glad you enjoyed it. Happy cooking ! 🙂
Dahn
11/04/2017 at 4:10 amThis looks so delicious. I would love to go to Taiwan and I know I would love the food. What a great meal for $2 and it sounds like a fun experience.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 10:00 amOh you should definitely go there one day and just spend a whole day discovering all the delicious street food you can eat. We’d go back to Taiwan in a heartbeat!
Chef Mireille
11/04/2017 at 3:30 amI love eating like a local when I travel. I always seek out the street food stalls with the longest lines, especially in Asia. You discover such great little gems that are never in the hotels or the western geared restaurants
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:59 amYessss! 1000x this! Most of the time it pays off with a whole new flavour or ingredient discovery. All it takes is courage and a smile – and even if you can’t speak the language, most people are happy to help. 😀
Steph @ Steph in Thyme
11/04/2017 at 1:30 amYUM! This makes me miss living in the Far East so much! It was nice to live vicariously through you reading this post.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:57 amOh so jealous, where did you live and for how long? Aww glad you enjoyed our post Steph. 🙂
The Food Hunter
11/04/2017 at 12:55 amI’ve never heard of this but it sure looks delicious
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:55 amHaha, pretty sure exact that thought went through our heads when we first found it in Taiwan. 😀 Love discovering new edible adventures!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
10/04/2017 at 7:48 pmWell that sounds like a super fun recipe!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:49 amAlmost as fun as eating it… almost. 😛
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
10/04/2017 at 6:27 pmThose look really good. What is tasty cheese though? Do you just mean any type of cheese we think is tasty?!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:46 amOh haha you’ve just made me realise Michelle! Tasty cheese is a type of cheese available in Australia which is actually the same thing as matured or semi-matured cheddar. But I do think it’s very tasty too hahah. 😀