Pancakes are also called griddle cakes, flapjacks and hot cakes. Pancakes are generally served at breakfast time with butter and maple syrup as accompaniments or as a dessert with any kind of seasonal fruit sauce.

The difference between a crepe and a pancake is that the batter for crepes have to be kept for several hours before you can start cooking whereas in the case of pancakes once the batter is made, you just let it rest for 10 minutes or so and then can start cooking.

The thickness of the pancakes allows additions to be mixed like mashed bananas, cut blueberries or even chocolate chips, infact bacon too!

You have to be real smart when you get your pancake batter ready:

• In case the blueberries and bananas are very sweet cut down on the quantity of sugar added.
• If you are adding bacon, omit the sugar totally.

Another favourite food in the family, all of us siblings and all our children love pancakes, and in fact the older ones have learnt to make pancakes on their own.  I must mention mom here, she is the one who introduced us to different foods and somehow she got it right from the beginning. And now as mothers, we are carrying on her role – we see to it at least on weekends our children get to try out new flavours and combinations that definitely must be pleasing to the palate and not to forget should have good eye-appeal. Once the pancakes are ready, my older sister Gilda loves spreading butter on top and having it hot. She just loves it that way. I too serve pancakes atleast once a week and my family loves it too, specially my son Nikhil.

Shrinidhi, this is for you, at your request here’s the recipe for banana walnut pancakes.

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour- 11/2 cup
• Bananas -2 ripe (1 mashed and 1 sliced)
• Walnuts-1/2 cup chopped
• Milk – 1 1/4 cup
• Water-1/4-1/2 cup (if required)
• Baking powder- 21/2 tsp
• Sugar – 3tbsp (powdered)
• Melted butter- 3 tbsp
• Egg – 1 beaten lightly
• Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp
• Butter for cooking…

Method:

• You can divide the 1 1/2 cup of wheat flour between wheat flour, oats bran, flour and wheat germ if required. Keep to the quantity.
• Combine wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and sugar together.
• Combine mashed banana, beaten egg, milk and melted butter together.
• Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and whisk till smooth.
• Warm the griddle and on a medium flame pour a spoonful of batter.
• Keep covered till bubbles appear on the surface (11/2- 2 minutes) overturn and cook.
• Remove onto a plate and serve with sliced banana, crushed walnuts and maple syrup.

Chefs tips:

• For plain pancakes follow the above recipe – do not add mashed banana, walnuts and cinnamon powder.
• The best maple syrup for pancakes is Lyles syrup.
• You have to get the consistency of the batter right, when you pour a spoonful of batter on the griddle pan it should spread out naturally.
• You can always stew strawberries in a little water and sugar and cook till thick, serve the sauce separately.
• Keep aside a few walnuts powdered for the final garnish.
• Serves 4-5.

Till my next post

Cheers,

Rose