Japanese hot sandwich maker dessert heaven: Making a jumbo obanyaki the easy way【Recipe】

Who’s got time for sandwiches when there are delicious Japanese sweets to be made?

You could make an argument either way about whether the hot sandwich maker is the most accurately named kitchen appliance or the least. On the one hand, yes, it’ll definitely make sandwiches, but it’ll make a whole lot of other delicious things too.

Case in point: today we’re going to use our hot sandwich maker to make an obanyaki, one of Japan’s favorite desserts.

Usually obanyaki are made with a specialized piece of cooking equipment and come out shaped like hockey pucks. With our sandwich press, though, we’re going to make a jumbo obanyaki, but even with its extra-large size, it’s still super simple, thanks to the recipe we’re following from our friend at YouTube channel Ken Outdoor Cooking.

Ingredients

● Egg (1)
● Milk (50 milliliters [1.7 ounces])
● Pancake mix (80 grams [2.8 ounces])
● Vegetable oil
● Anko (sweet red bean paste)

Step 1: Place the egg and milk into a bowl and mix well.

Step 2: Add the pancake mix and mix until there are no lumps. As a side note, the amount of pancake mix and and milk we used (80 grams and 50 milliliters) were per what was listed on the package for our pancake mix, so you’ll want to double check the brand you’re using and adjust the ratio as necessary.

Step 3: Lightly apply vegetable oil to both sides of the inside of the sandwich maker. Use a paper towel to make sure the oil gets in between any grooves.

Step 4: Pour in the batter your prepared in Step 2. You’ll want to fill the sandwich maker up about 2/3 of the way.

Step 5: Add in the anko. How much to use is up to you and your preference, but remember to leave some room to add in more batter after this.

Step 6: Pour in as much of your remaining batter as you can while still leaving a little leeway underneath the top of the rim. The batter will plump as it cooks, so if you go all the way to the top of the rim you’ll get some spillage.

Step 7: Close up the sandwich press and cook on low heat for three minutes.

Flip the sandwich maker over and check to make sure the outer layer has browned nicely. If it has, cook the other side for three minutes as well.

Once both sides have cooked you’re done!

OK, technically you might have one more step to do. While you could just grab hold of the jumbo obanyaki with both hands and start eating, you might feel more dignified if you slice it in half first. This will also help the inside cool down to an edible temperature, and may also be something you’ll be forced to do if the tantalizing scent of fresh-baked Japanese sweets has attracted any nearby friends or family members who are now begging you for a piece.

▼ Ken Outdoor Cooking’s video demonstration

Depending on where you grew up, obanyaki may be a reassuring comfort food that brings back memories of festival snacks you enjoyed as a child, or it could be a brand-new experience, especially if you’re a newcomer to sweet bean desserts in general.

Either way, though, it’s delicious, and it’s going straight into our hot sandwich maker dessert schedule rotation, right next to this sandwich press choco banana pie.

Related: Ken Outdoor Cooking YouTube channel
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