Savory Caramelized Onion Cabbage Pancakes

I grew up with traditional pancakes just like almost everyone else who lives in America, not savory pancakes.  Pancakes were all that was really offered-at  Denny's, IHOP, McDonalds, and almost every other breakfast/brunch eatery place you can think of.  So naturally, pancakes became part of my collection of most cooked foods.  It was only until I grew up and watched numerous TV series of the Food Network that I discovered the art turning sweet into savory- I discovered the world of Savory Pancakes.  For once... something that tastes as good as it sounds.  They soon became one of my most favorite, most satisfying foods to cook.

Traditional pancakes are definitely delicious but there comes a point where enough is enough and the sugar becomes overwhelming.  If and and when the time comes, the savory version is the way to go.  Call it a fresh breath of air.  They're so versatile that they can be tweaked to fit into any kind of meal- breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.      

Some Ideas:
Breakfast: add in sausage, bell peppers, and cheese. Top off with Sour cream and hot sauce.
Lunch: Add your favorite cold cuts, tomato, and onions. Dip into ranch, sour cream, or my dipping sauce.
Dinner: Add Chives, Garlic, Chicken, and your favorite veggies. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Have fun with it!

2-3 servings; 15-25min
Ingredients:

ingredients can be found at IGA

Pancakes
3/4 cup flour ( I used pre-sifted)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white sugar
dash cayenne pepper (for heat)
1 egg for batter; 3 extra for topping (optional)
2/3 cup water
1/2 lb cabbage diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium shredded carrot (a little under 1 cup)
1 small onion caramelized
3 salami deli slices chopped
oil for frying

Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp grated ginger


Directions
1. Caramelize onions. Click HERE to learn how to cook them.
2. Prepare batter- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, salt, white sugar, cayenne pepper, egg, water. stir well but don't over mix. Adjust if necessary to make consistency similar to pancake batter (a little thick).
3.  Add in cabbage, carrot, and onions. Stir to incorporate.
4.  In a separate bowl, prepare dipping sauce. Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Mix to dissolve sugar.
5. Heat a non stick pan on medium high heat.  Add ~1/2 tbsp oil for each pancake.  As soon as oil is hot, spoon in 1/3 cabbage mixture. You don't want to make too big of a pancake because doing so will trap in moisture, preventing pancake from browning.  Make sure you make an inner circle.  Flatten out pancake with spatula using tip (sweep across pancake while tapping down with tip).
6. Add you favorite meat on top of uncooked side. I used salami. it taste great fried.  (tip: if using something else, cook uncooked meats before placing on top)
7. Right after bottom side has browned, crack a raw egg on top of uncooked side and immediately flip with wide spatula.  Cook for another 3-4min or until other side has browned.  Pat down pancake with spatula to release any batter trapped inside.
8. Cut up and serve on top of rice with dipping sauce.
9. Enjoy!