Korean Style Savory Pancakes

Pancakes are a favorite among kids in a lot of homes I bet. In ours plain pancakes are for weekdays while savory ones are for the weekends. I buy the buckwheat pancake mix which I prefer because it has the minimum number of ingredients for a premade mix and works best for the early morning rush. Just a bit of milk and water to make the batter and sits for 5 minutes and it is ready to go. The kids eat it with apple sauce or maple syrup and I eat mine on the run with some idli podi or some Indian pickles. For someone who is fond of sugar occasionally some jam or jelly also works.

Anyway the vegetarian omelet made with chick pea flour (besan) is a big time favorite with the kids and it disappears as soon as it comes off the pan. The best part of making these are using up the last bits of leftover vegetables especially cabbage, broccoli, any greens and carrots. All these vegetables don't require too much cooking and hence work perfectly in the recipe.

So when I came across this recipe for Korean Pancakes by Mark Bittman it seemed like a perfect weekend breakfast item. I skipped the minced chicken which would have been good for a dinner but I did not have any on hand. I left out the soy sauce and rice vinegar as well because we are not used to eating Asian flavors that early in the morning. I also modified the recipe to suit our taste buds.

Step by Step,

Whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs and whisk together with water to make a smooth batter.
Add the shredded vegetables and chili powder and whisk together .
Heat a griddle or pan, add a laddle of batter and spread it into a fairly thin round. Let it cook on one side. Add some oil along the edges.
Flip and cook on the other sides till it is fully cooked.

Korean Style Savory Pancakes
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:20 - 25minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 cup white whole wheat flour or unbleached all purpose flour (see Note:)
3. 2 eggs
4. 1 cup of finely shredded cabbage
5. 1 cup of shredded kale leaves
6. 2 carrots grated
7. 4 green chilies
8. salt to taste
9. 2 tsp of red chili powder
10. 1/2 tsp baking powder
11. 2 tsp grated ginger (optional)
12. Note: you can use any combination of wheat flour or even chapati flour or atta.

Method

1. Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt. Break the eggs into the flour.
2. Whisk together the eggs and about 1 1/2 cups of water to form a smooth batter.
3. Add the shredded vegetables and ginger and whisk together so they are incorporated into the batter.
4. Sprinkle the chili powder and whisk it in. Add more if required so you have a pourable consistency.
5. Heat a griddle or a flat pan, grease it and pour a laddle of batter, spread it thin and let it cook on one side.
6. Add oil on the edges, flip and cook on the other side. Brown spots will appear when it is fully cooked.
7. Note:The thinner the batter is spread the better the pancake is cooked.

Serve with ketchup or any other dipping sauce of choice.

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Mango Parfait - Breakfast or dessert?

A Parfait is a French dessert which is a layer of cream or ice cream and fruit layered with syrup and topped with nuts. In the American avatar parfait is layered with yogurt and fruits and topped with granola. Fruit, yogurt and granola are all individually eaten for breakfast so why not combine all three and enjoy it? It feels like dessert but is actually quite filling and is better than muffins or doughnuts. Of the three granola might be the only ingredient that can be considered unhealthy. Well it can be replaced with cornflakes or crushed nuts or a combination of both.

If serving as a dessert replace the granola with candied nuts. While it is not ice cream it is still enough to satiate any sweet tooth. DD2 and I eat this for dinner or breakfast and it can be modified for any meal.

With the mango season upon us, I don't have to talk about India but even the stores here in the US now carry several different types of mangoes. Few days ago I bought a variety called Apple Mango priced at a princely $1.50 per mango and it was round and smooth and very tempting. It tasted quite good but was stringy and I cut it before it turned fully ripe and perhaps the only reason I was even able to dice it.

Anyway I will stick to the yellow mangoes sold as Champagne or Ataulfo which cultivated in Mexico and they work beautifully. These mangoes are mild and sweet and not stringy making them perfect for parfaits, fruit salads and making jellies or jams.

The parfait is easy to put together and as suits your mood, they can be had for breakfast, dessert, brunch or even dinner. If you do not want to use granola or muesli you can use any crunchy cereal, soaked basil or chia seeds or crunched nuts.

Mango Parfait
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 ripe mangoes - diced
2. 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt or thick home made yogurt
3. 2 tbsp of granola or crushed roasted nuts
4. a drizzle of honey (optional)

Method

1. In a wine stem glass start with the yogurt, add in the diced mangoes.
2. Add a bit more yogurt, drizzle the honey if doing and then top with granola.
3. Mix as you eat.

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