Chinese Zucchini Pancakes with Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce Recipe
These zucchini pancakes are a Chinese-style take on familiar vegetable fritters, with a pronounced aroma of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. In China, similar dishes often appear for breakfast or as a snack – soft inside, lightly crisp on the outside, and perfect with a simple dipping sauce.
These pancakes combine the comfort of familiar vegetable fritters with the flavors of Chinese home cooking: soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. They are quick to make, use simple ingredients, and work equally well as breakfast, a light lunch, or a snack to share.
Chef's tips
Make sure to squeeze the zucchini very thoroughly – this is the key to pancakes that are not soggy and fry up nicely. Fry over medium heat so they cook through without burning on the outside. Taste the batter and sauce and adjust the amount of soy sauce and vinegar to your liking.
How to serve
Serve the pancakes stacked on a plate with a small bowl of dipping sauce in the center. Sprinkle with extra chopped chives or spring onion. They also pair well with a simple cucumber salad with rice vinegar or as a side to miso soup or a clear vegetable broth.
Ingredients
- zucchini medium, about 400–450 g in total - 2 pieces
- eggs - 2 pieces
- flour about 3/4 cup - 120 g
- garlic 2 cloves for the batter, 1 clove for the sauce - 3 cloves
- fresh ginger about a 2 cm piece - 10 g
- soy sauce 2 tablespoons for the batter, 2 tablespoons for the sauce - 4 tablespoons
- water for the sauce - 2 tablespoons
- rice vinegar for the sauce, can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- oil for frying - 4 tablespoons
- chives or spring onion - 2 pieces
- pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- Wash the zucchinis and grate them on a coarse grater. If they have a lot of seeds, remove the soft center. Lightly salt the grated vegetable, mix, and set aside for 10 minutes to release some liquid.
- After 10 minutes, squeeze the zucchini in your hands or through a clean cloth to remove excess water. The better you squeeze it, the less soggy the pancakes will be.
- Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. Peel the ginger and grate it on a fine grater. Finely chop the chives or spring onion.
- In a bowl, mix the squeezed zucchini, eggs, flour, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chives, and pepper. The batter should be thick but spoonable. If it is too runny, add a bit more flour.
- In a small bowl, prepare the sauce: mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and 1 clove of garlic pressed through a garlic press or finely chopped.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spoon portions of the batter into the pan, flattening them slightly to form pancakes about 1 cm thick.
- Fry the pancakes for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden and slightly crisp on the edges. If needed, add the remaining oil for the next batches.
- Place the fried pancakes on a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Serve hot or warm with a small bowl of garlic-soy dipping sauce.
Storage
Placuszki przechowuj w lodówce do 2 dni. Podgrzewaj na suchej patelni lub w piekarniku, aby odzyskały chrupkość. Możesz je też zamrozić w pojedynczej warstwie, a potem przełożyć do woreczka i trzymać do 1 miesiąca.
