Pancake King

Watching a chef deftly handle flipping a large, ultra-thin pancake on a heated flat grill helped Pancake King catch my attention at the Taiwan Night Markets. Beyond Chinese pancakes, this permanent stall also sells a mysterious collection of spicy sticks sitting in liquid… but for me it was all about eating something made freshly, right before my eyes. Pancake King’s Chinese pancakes are called jianbing. They’re actually more like crepes, with the heavy, circular grill spread with batter and raked with a wooden paddle to ensure uniform thinness.The chef then cracks an egg onto it, breaking the yolk and spreading it around with a scattering of fresh shallots. After expertly flipping the pancake, the chef squirts it with three mysterious sauces. I’m sure one is hoisin, the second is a Chinese chilli sauce, while the third seemed like a salty soybean sauce. Smoothing this three-sauce blend all over the crepe, much like a pizza chef would cover a pizza with sauce, the ...read more