Ducky Hotcake

 

"I want another ducky pancake!" "A teddy bear pancake!" "Quack! Quack!"

 

Remember the Korean series "Da Chang Jin"? Chang Jin brought water everyday to her mentor, and she doesn't know why her mentor doesn't want the water? She keep on trying different types of water, like spring water, warm water, cold water but that doesn't seem to work? One day, she finally got the idea that her mentor had a sore throat and she figured out what type of water should be given to the mentor. Again its the concern and how she made the mentor feel that actually works. The cooking competition was not just a display of skill, but rather why the judge would like the food.

 

Food are gifts to my children. Novelty works for kids. Listening to their feedback and tweaking and tailoring their preferences really work.

 

After being baffled my children not taking well to eggs, or vomiting out the food. I found that oil that we adults fry our eggs with are not really work for little toddlers. I had the idea that butter makes everything taste better. This myth is debunked by my kids who request no butter taste.

 

Little gourmet food appeal to kids, when it is well presented and tailored to their palate and taste. Just like chefs who need to test the market and respond to the market, we need to be nimble, open to communication.

 

Its the authentic Japanese taste that appeals to kids.

 

I remember breakfast parties in the hostel for housemates where we made French crepes, we came dressed in pajamas. A pajamas party! I honed my cooking skills and love for entertaining at home from the friends I made. No prizes for guessing that the house parties are opportunities for showcasing our unique culture. Imagine I progressed from making instant noodles everyday for myself to hosting house parties. The Japanese demonstrating how to make the Fried Ebi that we eat in Japanese restaurants. French making chocolate mousse, country style apple pie. Singaporean making Fried Kway Tiao with spaghetti. Chinese from Taiwan and China making Jiao Zhi. Wow, the competition can be stiff. I was once sent out of the kitchen because I cannot compete with the Taiwanese and Chinese. No worries, I learnt with other housemates and started to contribute. I cannot forget the friends who taught me stuffed pepper with rice, Kazakhstan style. Each friend brought out the best in me. I progressed to reading recipe, sourcing unique ingredients. Till this day, my husband has no idea why I must spend 2 hours in the kitchen when boiling everything together is acceptable to him. 

 

 Another idea for the next post.

 

Recipe

 

 

Japanese pancake mix. This is the top Japanese brand only available at Isetan.

Add eggs and water/milk.

Each pack comes in 4 packets, which can make  about 6 hotcakes, just nice for 2 kids.

 

Tools

 

Good non-stick pan

Silicon Duck Shaped tool

 

Instructions

 

 

 I love Japanese instructions, I'm sure they have kidsin mind when they made the instructions. This is uniquely Japanese culture. The point of using a mix, is that they have tested the recipe well, and if the instructions are followed exactly, the fluffy hotcake, is achievable.

 

Still not OK and need more help? How about a video from Morinago site, in Japanese if course, but the video really shows how easy it is to make it.

 

 

Love the demo by this sweet Japanese girl, English speaking to have a better idea of what to do.

 

Ying Yue, love video demonstrations, her love for baking comes from youtube. I have requests for baking sessions for what she saw from youtube. Another idea for  the next post.