Hong Pancake – Thick, Filling, & Gratifying Min Jiang Kueh in the East

If you want to get a slice of min jiang kueh from Hong Pancake, you better wake up early. The first time I was there for brunch, the owner was already cleaning the stall and busy making the fillings. The second time I was there, I managed to get the last min jiang kueh. How lucky!

I am sure many of you are big fans of peanut pancake. They are many different ways we call it – Ban Jian Kueh (Hokkien); Min Chiang Kueh (Mandarin); Dai Gau Min (Cantonese). This is an old-school breakfast food, and a quick relish nibble before your main meal. Usually, it is made by on a large griddle but at Hong’s, the pancakes are made in four small griddles.

“I believe not many pancake stalls in Singapore use the small griddles. Each pancake can only cook for 4 to 6 seconds. You really need to control them well to prevent getting the pancakes burnt,” explained Mr Ow, the owner of Hong’s Pancake.

He was working in the jewelry industry for years before taking over this stall 13 years ago. Watching him fiddle around the four griddles is like watching a musical performance.

He pours the batter into the sizzling griddles upon confirmation of orders. After the batter is being heated up, he swirls the griddles around to allow even heat distribution before adding the fillings. The pancakes are then folded over to create a half-moon, and served. I absolutely salute him for being able to multi-task so efficiently without burning any pancakes.

With the unceasing flow of customers, fresh batches of pancakes are whipped up frequently so you can expect to get them steaming hot!

The pancake was pillowy soft with a nice chewy bite. It’s thick and gratifying. The edges of the pancake had that satisfying brittle crunch. The three most popular flavours are Peanut Pancake ($0.90), Coconut Pancake ($1), and Red Bean Pancake ($0.90).

The pancake is armed with a handsome sprinkle of peanuts and glaze of margarine. The sweet crushed peanuts combine with the fluffy pancake to make for a sinful, satisfying bite.

The shredded sweetened coconut is flavourful and moist, providing a slightly crunchy texture to the chewy pancake.

I am a fan of the red bean pancake. It’s not filled with the usual thick red bean paste which you get from most min jiang kueh stalls. Mr Ow makes the fillings himself and his red bean pancake has an irresistible center of warm red bean sauce flowing through the middle.

Other varieties include corn, cheese chicken floss, chocolate and egg. You can even bring your own filling to add into the pancake. Mr Ow says there are always customers who bring durian paste to add into the pancake!

Head down to the stall early as they close at 11am and are known to sell out way before that. You might want to skip the other dishes you’re considering and binge on these pancakes instead!