Elevating Leftovers

Many great dishes probably came from leftovers... or can be made just as well with leftovers. Why do you think fried rice has so many random meats and vegetables in it? Think about bouillabaisse or any French stew where the meat is cooked to submission. I always thought that paella was possibly invented by a poor fisherman who only came back with scraps... who only picks up a small handful of each seafood?

Anyhow, I was starving for breakfast and didn't want to make more tempura with my half eaten yam, eggplant, and leftover batter. I felt inspired by the long history of cooking with leftovers and made it into this pancake with an egg on top.

The tempura batter is awfully similar to pajeon (korean pancake) batter, so all I had to do was dice my vegetables. I did have to cook the yam first and soften it up a bit, but I already had a pot ready - covered in oil from the frying last night. As a result, my pan's cleaner now.

I even left the random bits of broccoli inside. I think they add character.

It was all about making something new instead of a flatter and more compact version of what we ate yesterday, so I cracked an egg on top! Et voila!