Crispy Five-Spice Mushroom Potato Pancakes with black vinegar cucumber yogurt

Crispy Five-Spice Mushroom Potato Pancakes with Black Vinegar Cucumber Yogurt 🍄🥔🌿 These golden potato pancakes are crisp at the edges, tender in the middle and packed with deeply browned mushrooms. A pinch of five-spice brings warmth without making the dish heavy, while the black vinegar cucumber yogurt cuts through everything with cool tang and crunch. Yield: 10-12 small pancakes Time: about 40 minutes Ingredients For the pancakes: - 650 g floury potatoes, peeled - 250 g mushrooms, finely chopped - 3 spring onions, thinly sliced - 1 garlic clove, finely grated - 1 large egg - 3 tbsp potato starch or cornflour - 1 tsp Chinese five-spice - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus a little for drawing moisture from the potatoes - 1/2 tsp black pepper - 1 tbsp sesame seeds - 3-4 tbsp neutral oil, for frying For the black vinegar cucumber yogurt: - 200 g thick Greek-style yogurt - 1/2 cucumber, coarsely grated - 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar - 1 tsp lime juice - 1 tsp honey or maple syrup - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil - 1 tbsp chopped coriander or parsley - 1 tbsp chopped chives or spring onion greens - Pinch of salt To serve: - Extra herbs - Sesame seeds - Lime wedges - Optional chilli crisp or sliced fresh chilli Method 1. Grate and drain the potatoes. Coarsely grate the potatoes into a clean tea towel, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and leave for 5 minutes. Squeeze very firmly until the potatoes feel dry and compact. This is the step that gives the pancakes lacy crisp edges. 2. Brown the mushrooms. Heat a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until their moisture has evaporated and the pieces look browned rather than wet. Cool for a few minutes. 3. Mix the batter. In a bowl, combine the squeezed potato, browned mushrooms, spring onions, garlic, egg, potato starch, five-spice, sea salt, pepper and sesame seeds. The mixture should hold together when pressed. If it feels loose, add 1 extra teaspoon starch. 4. Make the yogurt. Squeeze the grated cucumber lightly, then stir it into the yogurt with black vinegar, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, herbs and a pinch of salt. Taste it: the sauce should be cool, tangy and lightly sweet. 5. Fry the pancakes. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add heaped spoonfuls of mixture and press them into thin patties. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden, crisp and cooked through. Work in batches and add a little more oil as needed. 6. Serve. Spoon the cucumber yogurt onto plates, add the hot pancakes, then finish with herbs, sesame, lime and a little chilli crisp if you like heat. Serving and storage tips These are best hot from the pan, but leftovers keep well for 2 days in the fridge. Re-crisp them in a hot dry pan, oven or air fryer rather than microwaving. Keep the yogurt separate and spoon it on just before serving so the pancake edges stay crisp. Save this one for a crunchy vegetarian dinner that feels more special than the effort it takes. ✨