Vegetable Pancakes with Sesame Dipping Sauce

February 17th, 2024

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School is back, and I’m catching up on work and life. While I love the summer holidays, they were almost 8 weeks long this year (for us anyway), and I had to set aside a lot, including the garden. Just a month ago, it was lush and green from the occasional summer rain we received (image below). Now, it’s a distant memory, with everything dry as can be. The lawn has become a dust bath for the birds.

I know this dry spell will pass; we’ve experienced worse in other years. The dry weather has crept up quickly, and I observe the vegetables wilting under the hot sun each day. Our water tank is down to its last drops, and hand watering doesn’t quite cut it. I hope your gardens are faring okay. Keep in mind that autumn is just around the corner, bringing cooler nights to restore some seasonal balance.

With the kids back in school and the workday routine back in full swing, I’ve been putting in more effort for my at-home lunches. When working from home, it’s all too easy to let time slip by, ending up eating on the run. While there are certainly benefits to working from home, sticking to a routine can be challenging with numerous domestic distractions.

Leftovers are my favourite lunches by far; they can be quickly heated, paired with salad (hopefully also leftover), and enhanced with tasty condiments for a satisfying meal. I also often cook extra rice that can be stir-fried with vegetables, topped with an egg, and ready to eat. However, some days, I open the fridge to find no leftovers.

On such occasions, I make an effort to get creative with the vegetables I have in the fridge and garden. Continue reading for a simple vegetable pancake recipe that involves a bit of effort on one day for a quick and delicious lunch the next (or serve as a dinner side).

More Late Summer Meals on Homegrown Kitchen

• Spiced Zucchini Fritters + Stuffed Zucchini Flower recipe
• Stuffed Kamokamo (or Marrow) with Lentils & Preserved Lemon
• Summer BBQ: Double Beetroot Burgers + a vegetarian burger Beetroot, Blackbean & Sesame Burgers
• Summer Minestrone with Zucchini Linguine

Vegetable Pancakes with Sesame Dipping Sauce

These vegetable-based pancakes differ from fritters as they contain no eggs, instead bound with flour. What I love about these pancakes is that they are loaded with vegetables, and once cooked, they all caramelize beautifully. They are served with a flavour-balanced dipping sauce made from toasted sesame seeds, vinegar (for sourness), soy sauce (for saltiness), sugar (for sweetness), and chili (for spice) to taste. For a complete meal, I like to pair these vegetable pancakes with a fried egg or two. This recipe yields enough pancake mix to last over two days of lunches (or for one meal). Alternatively, it can be served as a vegetable side dish alongside rice and pan-fried tofu or sticky pork.

Servings 2

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated or thinly sliced vegetables, such as;
• grated carrot
• thinly sliced red capsicum
• thinly shredded green cabbage
• grated kūmara or potato
• thinly sliced spring onion or red onion
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup plain flour (can use gluten-free flour)
• 2 tbsp cornflour or tapioca flour
• about ⅓ cup water
• clarified butter (ghee) or coconut oil for cooking
• sesame seeds for sprinkling

Sesame dipping sauce

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• ½ tsp sugar
• chilli flakes or sauce to taste

Instructions

• Prepare the vegetables and place them into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and toss and scrunch the vegetables to soften.
• Add the flour and water and mix with a chopstick or a fork until well combined. If the mixture feels dry add an extra splash of water.
• Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over moderate to high heat. Add a dab (about 1/2 teaspoon) of clarified butter or coconut oil to the pan.
• Scoop heaped tablespoon amounts of the pancake mixture into the pan. Cook 3-4 pancakes at a time, pressing them down with the metal spatula into a thin pancake about 5mm thick.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds over the uncooked surface of the pancakes, then cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
• Repeat with the remaining mixture if cooking all at once, or cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• Serve the pancakes hot with dipping sauce on the side.