Daikon, Scallion and Potato Pancakes

Serves 4 to 6

ALANA PECKHAM is a Vancouver-born and -raised Chinese with French culinary training and extensive experience working in local fine-dining restaurants. She brings French, Chinese and Pacific Northwest sensibilities to all of her dishes.

Daikon cake, steamed or pan-fried, is a popular dim sum item in Cantonese restaurants because of its pudding-like texture and mildly sweet flavour, just as a pan-fried scallion (green onion) pancake is hard to pass up in Mandarin restaurants because of its crisp texture and aromatic flavour. Combining the two and adding yellow potato gives these wholesome, easy-to-make vegetarian pancakes a golden colour and crisp texture like hash browns. Make them fresh and serve them with tea or soy milk as an appetizer, a side dish or a snack.

2 cups daikon, shredded

2 cups yellow potato, shredded and towel dried

6 green onions, white and green parts, shredded

2 tsp salt

1 large egg

4 to 6 Tbsp canola oil

IN A MEDIUM saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a rolling boil on high heat. Add daikon and blanch for 2 minutes, then drain and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze as much liquid from the daikon as you can. Place daikon on a clean tea towel and roll tightly to extract any remaining moisture so that the batter does not become runny. Unroll the tea towel and pat dry.

In a medium bowl, stir together daikon, potatoes, green onions, salt and egg, folding the mixture until well combined.

Heat a frying pan on medium and add 1 Tbsp canola oil. Ladle 4 Tbsp of the batter onto the pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a turner, flip cake over and cook for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Repeat, adding more canola oil to the pan as necessary, with the remaining batter. You should have 15 to 20 pancakes. Serve immediately.

Wrap leftover pancakes in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days.