Ji Dan Bing, or Chinese breakfast pancake, is a thin flour pancake cooked with a slightly scrambled egg, green onion and sesame, brushed with a sweet savory sauce. Top it with lettuce, veggies or bacon so it contains all of your favorite breakfast items in one wrap! It’s easy to put together, super hearty to eat, and beautiful to the eyes. Perfect for Sunday brunch or celebrating Mother’s Day. {Vegetarian Option Available}
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 (pancake).
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 pastewhich 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 Pancakesso 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.
- You will make a thin batter by mixing flour with water.
- Heat up your pan and add the batter to it
- Swirl the pan so the batter forms a round thin crepe
- Once the batter sets, crack an egg on top and use a spoon to gently beat it, so it covers the whole pancake
- Add some green onions and black sesame seeds before the egg sets
- Once the egg is mostly set, flip the pancake to briefly cook the egg through
Once the pancake is cooked, you can finish the assembly by:
- Brushing a thin layer of of the sauce on the smooth side
- Topping with a piece of lettuce
- Adding any other toppings you prefer
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
Ji Dan Bing (Chinese Breakfast Pancake, egg cake)
Ji Dan Bing, or Chinese breakfast pancake, is a thin flour pancake cooked with a slightly scrambled egg, green onion and sesame, brushed with a sweet savory sauce. Top it with lettuce, veggies or bacon so it contains all of your favorite breakfast items in one wrap! It’s easy to put together, super hearty to eat, and beautiful to the eyes. Perfect for Sunday brunch or celebrating Mother’s Day. {Vegetarian Option Available}
Ingredients
Egg pancakes
- 150 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 255 ml (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) water
- 3 green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or melted butter)
- Oil spray for cooking
- 4 eggs
- Toasted black sesame seeds for garnish
- Sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce)
Optional toppings
- Chili garlic sauce for spiciness if preferred (Optional)
- 6 pieces green leaf (or romaine lettuce)
- 6 hot dogs pan fried (or bacon strips)
- Shredded carrots and cucumber
- Sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
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Combine the all-purpose flour and salt in a medium size bowl. Stir a few times to mix well. Slowly pour in the water while mixing, until it forms a smooth, runny batter. Add the peanut oil. Mix until fully incorporated. The batter should be quite runny, but not as runny as a crepe batter.
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Spray (or drizzle) a very small amount of oil onto a medium-sized or small nonstick skillet. Use paper towels to wipe the pan so the oil is very thinly coated.(*Footnote 1) Heat over medium heat until just hot and not smoking hot.
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Add about 1/3 cup of the batter to the pan. Immediately swirl the pan so the batter will spread out evenly into a thin round shaped pancake.(*Footnote 2)
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When the pancake is just set, crack an egg onto the center of it. Use a spoon to break the egg and spread it over the pancake. When the egg is still runny, sprinkle it with green onion and black sesame seeds. Cook over medium-low heat until the egg is mostly set and the bottom of the pancake just turns golden on the edges. Carefully flip the pancake. Cook for 20 to 30 seconds, until the egg is fully cooked. Transfer the pancake to a plate. Keep cooking the rest of the pancakes. Note, you might need to lower the heat while making the rest of the pancakes or remove the pan from the heat occasionally when adding the batter. If the pan gets too hot, the batter will set too quickly and will be difficult to spread out into a thin pancake.
To serve
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Brush the pancake with a thin layer of the sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce). You can add some chili garlic sauce if you prefer.
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The pancakes can be served as is. For a more filling meal, top with other ingredients such as lettuce leaves, hot dogs, bacon, carrots and / or cucumber. Garnish with extra green onion. Roll up and enjoy!
Notes
- Do not use too much oil. Otherwise the batter may not grab the pan and form a round shape.
- If your batter does not swirl easily, add a bit more water to it and mix well.
- The prep and cook times do not include the time you may need to prepare and cook the other toppings you plan to use.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 19.9g, Protein: 6.4g, Fat: 5.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.3g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 238mg, Potassium: 87mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 0.5g, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 2mg
