Vegan Taiwanese Dan Bing

Taiwanese Egg Crepes… or should I say, Taiwanese Egg-less Crepes? Egg-less or not, Dan Bing is the ultimate Taiwanese breakfast item. To me, a proper Dan Bing has a crispy, flaky exterior and a soft, chewy interior. 

Dan Bing is, hands-down, my favorite breakfast item in the entire world. I could eat it every morning until the day I die. Some of my most cherished memories involve having Dan Bing. There’s really something about sitting on a stool in an old, unassuming breakfast stall while the sky is still dimly lit, casually talking to some of your favorite people and enjoying Dan Bing together. When I haven’t seen my older brother for several months (we’re separated by college locations), the first thing we do together is to sit down at our favorite breakfast stall and have some Dan Bing.

For those of you who have never had Dan Bing before, it is a thin, crepe-like savory pancake with eggs and scallions cooked onto it. To me, a proper Dan Bing has a crispy, flaky exterior and a soft, chewy interior. I personally love an extra crispy Dan Bing because of the added textural contrast.

Chickpea “Egg”

Turns out, finely-ground chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour is an amazing egg substitute. Clocking in at 20 grams of protein per cup, chickpea flour is not far from eggs in terms of protein content.

And if you were wondering, the cooked chickpea “egg” will not taste like chickpeas at all! Once cooked, the chickpea “egg” will have a rather neutral taste. The texture is firm – more dense than normal eggs. If you keep the “egg” layer thin, the difference in texture will be less noticeable. Done correctly, I would say you can achieve 85% similarity (to the original) with the vegan version.

Vegan Taiwanese Dan Bing

4 from 15 votes

Recipe by George L. Course: BreakfastCuisine: TaiwaneseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

A vegan version of Taiwanese Dan Bing with chickpea “egg” and scallions rolled in a thin, crepe-like savory pancake.

Ingredients

• Crepe Batter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons tapioca starch (or corn starch)

• 1 pinch fine salt

• 6 tablespoons water

• 1 scallion, finely chopped

• vegetable oil, for frying

• Chickpea “Egg”

• 1/4 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 pinch turmeric

• 1 pinch white pepper

• 1 pinch salt (or black salt, kala namak)

• Dipping Sauce

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (spicy broad bean paste)

Directions

• Make the Crepe Batter. First, combine the all-purpose flour, tapioca starch (or corn starch), and salt. Then, gradually add the water while whisking (to avoid lumps). Whisk until a smooth batter forms. To finish, add the chopped scallions and set aside.
• Make the Chickpea “Egg.” First, slowly add water to the chickpea flour while whisking until a smooth mixture forms. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust the color with turmeric — be careful not to add too much!
• Make the Dan Bing. In a small-medium sized non-stick pan, heat a touch of vegetable oil on high heat. Pour the batter into the pan — adjust the amount according to the size of your pan. The batter should just thinly coat the bottom of the pan. If your pan is too small, you may want to split it into two additions. When the top of the pancake has set (it will appear less transparent), pour the chickpea “egg” mixture on top. It should be spread out naturally to a thin layer (similar thickness to the pancake) like this:
• Roll up the Dan Bing. Unstick the sides of the crepe. When the crepe appears to no longer stick to the pan, start rolling it. I like to use a flipper and a pair of chopsticks to help me flip. This is the most difficult step — be very careful! Once you have the crepe rolled up, keep the pan on high heat and fry it until both sides are crispy and golden brown. Once they are, remove the Dan Bing from the pan and let it cool a bit before slicing.

Notes

• Egg Substitute. If vegetarian, you can use a lightly whisked egg for this recipe as well (1 egg per crepe). If vegan, another great vegan egg substitute is JUST Egg (3 tablespoons per crepe).