I grew up eating potato pancakes and they were one of my favorite childhood snacks. However if you have kidney disease you know that potatoes supply a big dose of potassium and potato rich foods may be off the menu now. Being told to avoid high potassium foods with kidney disease can be discouraging when it comes to consuming traditional foods that were once a favorite part of meals. This is why I started experimenting with how to come up with a similar recipe that was lower in potassium.
I found that the radish was a great lower potassium substitution for the traditional “potato pancake” and provided a similar texture and flavor of the potato pancake that I grew up on. A 1 ½ cup serving of shredded potato contains 688 mg of potassium and a 1 ½ cup serving of shredded radish contains 384 mg of potassium. Using radishes helps to cut this recipe’s potassium content almost in half. Radish pancakes have been around for a while and are traditionally made in Korean and Chinese cuisine.
Radishes are plentiful in farmers markets around me now and I found these beautiful purple daikon radishes this past weekend at my local market. Daikon radishes have a milder and less bitter taste than the traditional little red radishes often found year round in grocery stores. Daikon radishes are larger than the traditional smaller red radishes and can grow up to 20 inches long!
This recipe is fairly simple to make, just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix and you have your pancake batter. The hardest part of this recipe is getting your pan to the right temperature so the pancakes cook through and brown nicely. I found that a medium high heat temperature worked the best. Be sure to press your pancakes out a bit once you put the batter in the pan. This way the radishes will cook through. If you have too thick of a pancake the radishes will be raw in the middle.
I used a nonstick pan and cooking spray to cook up these pancakes, however frying in a little canola oil is another option if you prefer a crispier pancake.
For the sauce you can either serve with a dollop of sour cream or if you want a little more flavor to your sauce follow the directions for the sauce recipe provided below.
So if you find yourself with an abundance of radishes or you are missing your potato pancakes on a low potassium diet then give this recipe a try for a yummy savory pancake!
Radish Scallion Pancakes
Makes: 6 Pancakes
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Total Time: 20 min
Ingredients
Pancake Batter
1 ½ Cups Grated Daikon Radish
½ Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Scallions, Chopped
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, Minced
2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Onion or Shallot
1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, Minced (~3 Cloves)
¼ Cup Cilantro, Chopped
2 Eggs, Beaten
½ Tsp Pepper
½ Tsp Salt
1 Jalapeno, Finely Diced
½ Tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tsp Sesame Seeds
Dipping Sauce
½ Cup Light Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Scallions, Chopped
1 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
1/2 Tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tsp Fresh Garlic, Minced
Notes:
I used a nonstick pan and cooking spray to cook up these pancakes, however frying in a little canola oil is another option if you prefer a crispier pancake.
Make sure to wipe the pan out in between pancakes as the sesame seeds will burn and give your pancakes a burnt flavor.
Directions
In a large bowl combine the shredded radish, flour, green onions, ginger, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, eggs, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Using a nonstick pan coat with cooking spray and on medium high heat. Sprinkle a little sesame seeds down and place 1/4 cup of the pancake batter on top of the seeds. Use a spatula to disperse the batter into a round thin pancake. If you do not thin out the pancake the radish will not cook through. Sprinkle the top of the pancake with a little more sesame seeds.
Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes and then flip the pancake over. Cook for an additional 3 minutes on medium high heat or until golden brown.
Wipe out the pan in-between pancakes as the sesame seeds leftover in the pan will burn.
To make the sauce combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Serve pancakes warm with a dollop of the sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 pancake and 1 ½ Tbsp Sauce
Calories 110, Total Fat 4.8 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g, Sodium 248 mg, Total Carbohydrate 12 g, Dietary Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 4.4 g, Potassium 179 mg, Phosphorous 75 mg, Calcium 59 mg.