Don’t toss away the beet greens! They may look dead, but there’s an antidote! Then mix them with a basic batter, and voilà! One more dish for your weekday dinner.
After I’d cut the roots for roasting, I didn’t know what to do with the beet greens. They were covered in dirt, withered and dead. Curry Boy told me to throw it, ‘but they are purple.’ That’s my response.
What to Cook with Beet Greens?
To maintain my colourful diet, I really don’t want to waste anything that’s nutritious and still in an edible shape. So, guided by my instinct, I soaked them in water and walked away.
After 2 hours, I took a look at them and was awed! ‘Wow! They look GREAT!’ Its colour was no longer dull but bright, the leaves opened up, the stalks stretched straight, ‘eat me! Eat me! Eat me!’ ‘Oh Yeah!’ I heard you!
If you google ‘beet greens recipe’, you may find many suggested salads or to simply sauté.
Curry Boy and I usually eat rice for dinner, so salad won’t be an option; Sauté beet greens is possible but we’d need around 200 g of them. With only 75 g on hand, I decided to make it into a very easy dish – a savoury pancake.
Savoury Pancake Variations
There are many ways to make a savoury pancake. In our case, to make a Ø24 cm large pancake, we use 40 g flour, 15 g tapioca starch and about 70-80 g water, depending on the batter consistency.
Add Cheese for Umami – Just use beet greens as the pancake’s topping can be fairly bland. I like to incorporate a strong cheese like Emmental to boost the umami.
Add Wholemeal Flour for more Fibre – As you may have know, wholemeal flour provides more fibre than plain white flour, though the pancake tends to be harder, tapioca starch helps soften a bit. If you’re looking for a soft and fluffy texture on the pancake, all-purpose flour would be the best. Or, you can add a little bit of baking powder to help it rise.
More Easy Pancake Recipes and Ideas
- Sweet and Crispy! Butternut Squash Cheesy Pancake
- The Perfect Cheesy Courgette Pancake
- Korean Street Food Bindaetteok Kimchi Pancake
- Crispy Kimchi Pancake in 15 Minute (Kimchi Buchimage)
Ingredients
Serves 2-3
- beet greens from 2 beets (approx. 75 g)
- 30 g grated Emmental cheese
- 20 g wholemeal flour
- 20 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g tapioca starch
- 80 g water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp salted vegetable bouillon powder
- a pinch of white pepper
For the dipping sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
How to Make Easy Beet Greens Cheesy Pancake
- Soak the beet greens in water for 30 minutes to bring its life back. Then wash and rinse as usual.
- Chop the beet greens into 1 cm dice size. Then mix with the remaining ingredients in a bowl until there are no lumps.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a shallow frying pan, pour in the batter and swirl the pan to let the batter spread into a round shape.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the bottom has turned golden. Flip to the other side and do the same. Serve with the dipping sauce.
