Mar 30 2008
Weeaboo Cooking: Making Hotcakes
As you 
already know the Japanese “pancake” is referred to as “Hotto Ke-ki”. While we were at Mistuwa yesterday they had a sale on the “hotcake” mix so we decide to pick up a bag (mainly because we ran out of Bisquick.) I guess to be completely weeaboo you’d have to pick up the Morinaga hotcake syrup but we figured using Eggo syrup wasn’t gonna be much of a difference.
It’s really amusing how the back of the package has these cute instructions. I mean it makes it seem like the one making the pancakes is some 10 year old. The frying pan says “juu~~” and the pancake is saying “puupuu” in one of the instruction panels. The good thing though, if you can’t read Japanese, they prominently affixed an English instruction label for a swift and easy way to make your hotcakes.
You basically cook it the same way you would with regular Bisquick mix. The difference is, when you buy Bisquick you’re buying a box full of powder. The “convenient” part of the Hotcake bag is they already separated the powder (properly measured and all) into 4 separate bags so you can just open one and throw it into a bowl without worrying that you’re putting in too much or too little. Each bag makes approximately 8 pancakes (at least that’s how it worked out for me.)
Cooking is relatively easy but I wouldn’t follow their instructions. The instructions say that you have to wait 3 minutes, then flip then wait another 2 minutes. If you actually did that, your pancake would look like a really well done steak. A good idea is to see if bubbles start forming on top of the pancake after you first pour it onto the pan. That’s a sign that you should flip it, wait about 20-30 seconds and then take it off the pan. This way the pancakes came out a little burned but not so bad that it tasted like charcoal.
The verdict? I liked it, but did it taste any different from Bisquick? No I guess not really. The only up side of this whole thing is like I said - it’s convenient when it comes to measuring and all that jazz. Also many times when I make Bisquick I have to split the recipe in half because American servings are always 2x larger than Japanese servings. But hey if Mitsuwa is having a sale, I’ll be sure to pick it up again next time. 
Tags: ittadakimasu!, weeabooing in new york
16 Responses to “Weeaboo Cooking: Making Hotcakes”
Loading ...
biankita on 
Machi on 
You contributed to my taiyaki cravings during Kanon season… now I feel a strange compulsion to go out and buy some pancake mix!
You use too much heat. Don’t cook it too fast. That’s why you get the charcoal coating. Also need more butter in the pan from the looks of it.
At least it’s not as bad as Hatsumi’s. The Legendary Hotcakes of Eve! Only Hazuki would eat them. Lilith wouldn’t touch them.
Digi> I put it on medium heat per instructions. For pan greasing I usually just do 1 spray of cooking spray…maybe I should go back to using butter huh
Zyl> I had Taiyaki yesterday actually and man was the line for it long! It’s better than the creamyaki though…cream tastes better cold than hot!
I do like the pre-measured bags but I’d do the same at home with ziplocs. Plus, I’d imagine Bisquick is cheaper?
Caitlin> I think Bisquick (at least for me in New York) costs actually about the same for a big box…but yea you are probably getting more in the Bisquick box than in the Hotcake bag.
I do not want to say but there is not much of “medium” setting on gas stoves, we have to measure the flame and do a bit of guess work.
Then there are other factors, such as burner size … I think looking at the picture you are using the smaller one, they usually are good for fast heating and now I am talking about cooking …
*sigh*
Yea I was using the smaller one but mainly for the sake of convenience since it was closer to where I could put my bowl
Yummy! But I prefer waffles to hotcakes.
Flour, baking powder, eggs, butter, milk…
I laugh at your prepackaged batter mix! Actually I learned how to make it from scratch because there was a time when my roommates had the various ingredients and I was too poor to buy stuff myself, so everyone pitched in ingredients and I supplied labor
Medium is completely subjective. It is usually derived from extreme trial and error. High usually is up to the max blast and barbeque the stuff. Low is pathetically slow. Medium is everything else in between.
We have now seen the inner sanctum of Hinano’s kitchen!
~juu puupuu!
表面みるとちょっと焼きすぎかな。
透明のフタのっけて焼くとうまくいくよ。
あと、バニラアイスのっけて食べると美味しい。
Now I have to go to IHOP.
Poor Hinano, even the Japanese guy’s making fun of her cooking… lol
I found the sound effects hilarious too when I was in Japan. I think it really is because they’re sort of for 10 year olds (remember Sakura making them in CCS? lawls), but you know how Japanese people love the food/cooking sounds.
SAKU SAKU
ひでぽん＞Ｔｉｐｓありがとう！ 次の時やってみます。
私いつもシロプとＷｈｉｐＣｒｅａｍたべます＾＾
Digi> Yea trial & error indeed hehe
JohN> pft when I wake up on saturday mornings im too tired to bother doing it from scratch
sabrina> I find that diner pancakes are always juicier but I think they use more butter than me
DS> not much of a kitchen xD
DAn> lmao no he didnt
hes just giving me tips! I think Japanese love sounds on anything really. I mean you should see their facial care commercials “tsuru tsuru de kira kira no hada!” 
Even my company’s slogan is “ururu de sarasara” for the A/C lol
[...] just the dessert bit from her hotcakes post. The okonomiyaki was due to Nabari no Ou. Luckily for me, Abeno could deal with both cravings [...]