Super Easy Potato Pancakes (No Grater Needed!)
An Effortless Potato Pancake Recipe Made Without a Grater
These days, finely grated potato pancakes are not as common because many people find using a grater cumbersome or difficult. But you don’t need a grater! With a small, manual hand blender found at places like Daiso, you can make delicious potato pancakes incredibly easily and quickly. Try this super simple and speedy potato pancake recipe that bypasses the traditional grater!
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes
- 0.5 Tbsp salt
- 100ml water (if using a blender)
- 1 Tbsp potato starch (or about 1/4 cup)
- 3 Tbsp cooking oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Wash the 3 potatoes thoroughly, peel them, and cut them into large chunks for easier blending. If you are using a grater, you can skip this cutting step and proceed directly to grating.
Step 2
Place the chopped potatoes into a blender. If you are using a grater, peel the whole potatoes and grate them directly. When using a grater, there’s no need to cut the potatoes.
Step 3
Add 100ml of water to the blender to help the potatoes blend smoothly. The water level should be about half the height of the potatoes. If you’re using a grater, you don’t need to add any extra water, as the potatoes have enough moisture.
Step 4
Close the blender lid and blend until the potatoes are smooth and finely pureed. If using a grater, continue grating until the whole potato is well processed without large chunks.
Step 5
Pour the smoothly blended potato mixture into a fine-mesh sieve (or colander) placed over a bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes so that the liquid can drain into the bowl. During this time, the starch from the potatoes will settle at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 6
After 10 minutes, you’ll see a cloudy liquid in the bowl with a white sediment at the bottom. Do not discard this liquid! It contains the precious potato starch that will make your pancakes crispy and chewy.
Step 7
Carefully and slowly pour off the potato liquid from the bowl. You will be left with only the white potato starch at the bottom. This starch will be used in your batter.
Step 8
Add the drained potato solids from the sieve into the bowl containing the reserved potato starch.
Step 9
Season with 0.5 Tbsp of salt to taste. You can adjust the amount of salt according to your preference. Gently mix and knead the potatoes and starch together with your hands until well combined. If the mixture seems too wet to form pancakes, you can add an extra tablespoon of commercial potato starch to achieve a better consistency for frying.
Step 10
Heat about 3 Tbsp of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Ladle one portion of the potato mixture onto the hot pan and gently spread it out with the back of a spoon to form a thin, round pancake. If you’re confident with flipping, you can make them larger.
Step 11
Once the potato pancake is golden brown on one side, flip it over and cook the other side until golden brown as well. After both sides are nicely browned, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 more seconds to enhance crispiness.
Step 12
Plate the perfectly cooked potato pancakes and enjoy! They are delicious served warm. While they’re fantastic on their own, dipping them in soy sauce or a seasoned sauce is also a delightful option.
