Learn how to make extra tall pandan souffle pancakes that are incredibly light, soft, and fluffy. It's perfect to go with fresh fruit, butter, syrup of your choice, and some whipped cream.
Use aluminum foil to make the rings. The foil is much sturdier than parchment paper. Cut out 4 strips, about 3 inches (7 cm) tall and about 12 inches (30 cm long). Fold in half so it is about 1 1/2 inches (3.5 cm) tall now and double layer. Form about 3-inch (8 cm) diameter ring. Secure with a stapler (tape didn't work for me as they won't adhere to the paper)
If you have a round ring mold about 3 or 4-inch size, you can use that and brush with some oil. If you do a 4-inch pancake, you'll get about 3 pancakes
Prepare the pancake batter:
Make sure the eggs, milk, and yogurt are at room temperature. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the yolks, milk, oil, and pandan extract until combined. Sift in the cake flour mixture and whisk to combine until you get a thick but flowy batter
Preheat pan:
Preheat a large heavy-bottom non-stick pan that has a lid on the lowest heat. Rub with some oil using a paper towel
You can also use an electric griddle that has a lid or anything that you can use as a lid to cover during baking on the stove. Preheat on the lowest heat setting and rub with some oil using a paper towel
Prepare the meringue:
Make sure the bowl and the whisk from your electric mixer or stand mixer are squeaky clean with no trace of grease or you will have trouble whipping the egg whites. Please make sure the egg whites are at room temperature as well
Whisk the egg whites at medium-low speed (speed 4 on KA) until bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and whisk again until the bubbles are fine, another minute. Add 1/3 of the sugar and continue to whisk for 1 minute, then the next 1/3 of the sugar and whisk another minute. Add the last 1/3 and increase speed to speed 6 continue to whisk until you get a stiff peak with a slight bent on the tip then switch to low speed, speed 2 and beat for about 1 minute and stop beating. When you turn the bowl upside down, the meringue won't drip and the meringue looks shiny, fluffy, and smooth
How to know if the meringue is overbeaten: The meringue is coarse, dull, and grainy. It also clumps on the whisk in a really large chunk. It will be difficult to mix with the pancake batter as they will separate and most likely you'll end up deflating the meringue. I suggest to start over if your meringue is over beaten
Folding meringue into the batter:
Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter. Using a whisk, using a cutting motion and fold over to mix. Repeat this motion several rounds. Continue on with the second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix. For the last 1/3 of the meringue, use a rubber spatula instead to ensure you get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl mixed in as well. Use a cut down in the middle and fold over motion to fold gently but quickly. Make sure you don't see any more white meringue. The mixture should be fluffy and voluminous
You can transfer the batter to a piping bag or just use a spoon to transfer the batter
Baking on the stove:
I recommend cooking 2 or at most 3 at a time, depending on the size of your skillet. Test the pan by dropping a few drops of water. It should be steaming gently. It shouldn't be dancing around and evaporates almost immediately (indicating it's too hot). If it is, lower the heat and wait for a minute or two, then try again
Place the rings on the pan. Pipe the batter into the rings or use a spoon to scoop the batter and fill the rings about 3/4 full. The batter will expand later. Smooth out the top of the batter
Put about 3-4 teaspoons of water on the empty spots on the pan. Close the lid. My stove has 9 heat levels and I use the 2nd lowest heat. You may need to adjust yours. This is the challenge with baking on the stove, I can't tell you the exact temperature. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pancake has risen to the top
Carefully remove the lid and slide your spatula underneath the pancake. It should be dry and nicely golden brown. Carefully and gently flip them over and add 2-3 more drops of water and quickly put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden brown and when you touch the top of the pancake is should be dry to touch and springs back if you gently push on it
Remove pancake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper and continue cooking the next batch. Don't be surprised that the pancake will shrink a bit and that's normal, but they will still be at least 1 1/2-inch tall
If your souffle pancake deflates a lot almost immediately, you probably didn't whip the meringue correctly or deflating most of the air when you fold the meringue into the batter
To serve:
Serve with some fresh fruit, butter, syrup of your choice or dusting of icing sugar if you like. A touch of whipped cream would be nice too
Japanese souffle pancakes are best served right after you make them