Out of all the street snacks you can eat in Thailand, my absolute favorite is "Khanom Tokyo" “Khanom Tokyo” or sweet and savory pancake rolls. The name Khanom Tokyo might mislead anyone into thinking it is a Japanese snack, but in fact, it originated right here in Thailand, and you can’t find it anywhere else but here.
The inception of Khanom Tokyo coincided with the surge in the popularity of Japanese culture in Thailand. Notably, there is a Japanese-Thai department store in Thailand known as the Daimaru department store that opened in 1964 and exposed the Thai population to Japanese culture.
The department store featured a diverse array of Japanese desserts, many of which included a filled pancake reminiscent of a pastry. During that period, there was a Thai vendor at the department store who innovatively crafted a thin pancake filled with cream custard. He named this delightful creation "Khanom Tokyo" and began selling it within the premises of the Daimaru department store.
During that period, Khanom Tokyo gained widespread popularity among Thais, who not only enjoyed the dessert but also adapted it to their own preferences.
Nowadays, Khanom Tokyo offers a ton of filling options, with the savory combination of sausage, minced pork, and quail egg, complemented by a touch of soy sauce, being particularly popular.
Thais also enjoy Khanom Tokyo as a dessert with sweet fillings like pandan custard and cream custard thrown in the mix as well. The possibility is limitless when it comes to Khanom Tokyo fillings.
Authentic Khanom Tokyo is traditionally prepared on a large iconic flat pan. However, for this recipe, you can easily recreate it at home, and the process is much simpler than you might think.
Using a crepe pan or a non-stick fry pan, you can make the pancake. The ingredients for the pancakes are straightforward: all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, soda water, rice cooking oil, and milk. Simply combine all these ingredients thoroughly to create the batter.
For this recipe, we are going to focus on making a savory version of Khanom Tokyo, but feel free to experiment with sweet fillings as well. The process is the same; simply substitute the sausages and minced pork with custard or pandan cream, and you're ready to proceed. Now, let's get cooking!
For more dessert recipes, explore these dishes: Authentic Thai Iced Tea (Cha-Yen), Thai Butter Sweet Corn And Coconut Flesh Recipe, Nutella Chewy Brownies Recipe, Chocolate Toast With Milo Lava Sauce Recipe, and Good Morning Sunshine French Toast Recipe
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- 4 eggs
- 180 g. sugar
- 250 g. all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 110 ml. Soda water
- 25 ml. Rice cooking oil
- 150 ml. Milk
- 1 egg (for Savory filling)
- 200 g. stirred-fry minced pork (for Savory filling)
- 10 pieces sausage (for Savory filling)
- 20 g. Spring onion (for Savory filling)
- Soy sauce to taste (for Savory filling)
- Sriracha sauce to taste (optional) (for Savory filling)
- Ground pepper to taste (optional) (for Savory filling)
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Thai Street-Style Sweet and Savory Pancake Rolls (Khanom Tokyo) Recipe
1 Start by collecting all the necessary ingredients for the pancake batter.
2 Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl, whisking them together until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture becomes smooth.
3 Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a single step. Then, pour the mixture over the beaten eggs. Stir in one direction until well combined.
4 Add rice cooking oil, milk, and soda water to the pancake batter mixture.
5 Sift the pancake batter mixture using a sieve or sifter. Then, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
6 Prepare the savory filling by stir-frying minced pork, eggs, sausage, spring onion, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, and ground pepper.
7 Once the pancake batter is ready, give it one final stir to ensure thorough mixing. Heat the non-stick pan over low heat, then either spray cooking oil, brush with cooking oil, or spread butter over it. Use a ¼ cup to pour the pancake batter into the pan.
8 Spread the batter with the bottom of the spoon, shaping it into a thin oval.
9 When the pancake is 60% cooked, top it with an egg. Wait for a few seconds until the egg is set.
10 Add sausage, minced pork, and spring onion over the pancake (for savory filling). For sweet fillings, substitute these with pandan or custard pastry creams.
11 Drizzle some soy sauce, ground pepper, and sriracha sauce (optional) to taste (for savory fillings only).
12 Roll up Khanom Tokyo as shown here.
13 Serve warm. Enjoy!
Other Thai Recipes You Might Like
Here are some of my favorite Thai that I think you might like. For more Thai cuisine, check out my Thai recipe page.
Thai Street-Style Sweet and Savory Pancake Rolls (Khanom Tokyo) Recipe
Let’s make delicious Thai street-style pancake rolls (Khanom Tokyo), with both sweet and savory flavors, at home with this easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 180 g. sugar
- 250 g. all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 110 ml. Soda water
- 25 ml. Rice cooking oil
- 150 ml. Milk
- 1 egg (for Savory filling)
- 200 g. stirred-fry minced pork (for Savory filling)
- 10 pieces sausage (for Savory filling)
- 20 g. Spring onion (for Savory filling)
- Soy sauce to taste (for Savory filling)
- Sriracha sauce to taste (optional) (for Savory filling)
- Ground pepper to taste (optional) (for Savory filling)
Directions
- Start by collecting all the necessary ingredients for the pancake batter.
- Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl, whisking them together until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture becomes smooth.
- Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a single step. Then, pour the mixture over the beaten eggs. Stir in one direction until well combined.
- Add rice cooking oil, milk, and soda water to the pancake batter mixture.
- Sift the pancake batter mixture using a sieve or sifter. Then, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare the savory filling by stir-frying minced pork, eggs, sausage, spring onion, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, and ground pepper.
- Once the pancake batter is ready, give it one final stir to ensure thorough mixing. Heat the non-stick pan over low heat, then either spray cooking oil, brush with cooking oil, or spread butter over it. Use a ¼ cup to pour the pancake batter into the pan.
- Spread the batter with the bottom of the spoon, shaping it into a thin oval.
- When the pancake is 60% cooked, top it with an egg. Wait for a few seconds until the egg is set.
- Add sausage, minced pork, and spring onion over the pancake (for savory filling). For sweet fillings, substitute these with pandan or custard pastry creams.
- Drizzle some soy sauce, ground pepper, and sriracha sauce (optional) to taste (for savory fillings only).
- Roll up Khanom Tokyo as shown here.
- Serve warm. Enjoy!
