BATTERED TREATS
Pancakes from around the world
BY Nicola Jayasundera
AUSTRALIA
Here’s how you can prepare pikelets. Sift one cup of self-raising flour and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda together into a medium-size bowl. Stir in ¼ cup of icing sugar. Make a well in the centre. Gradually stir in a lightly beaten egg and enough milk for a smooth pouring consistency. Rest it for 15 minutes. Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat. Brush it with butter and drop tablespoons of batter into the pan, leaving room for spreading. Cook it for a minute or two until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook for another minute until it’s golden. Brush the pan with butter between batches. Serve it warm with jam and cream.
CHINA
To make cong you bing, begin by mixing 300g of flour in 170 ml of hot water. When it’s cooled, knead until it forms a smooth dough. Cover it with a wet cloth and rest for 30 minutes. Heat ⅓ cup of vegetable oil and fry five whites of green onions until they turn brown. Discard the onions. Add ¼ cup of flour into a small bowl and stir in the hot oil. Cut the dough into four portions and roll one of them out to make a large rectangle on an oiled surface. Sprinkle salt, brush on the mixture of oil and flour, and top it with chopped green onions. Starting from the long end, fold the dough like a paper fan. When at the end, slightly stretch the dough and roll one end up to the middle and then the other side. Overlay the two ends. Cover and rest it for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough into thick circles. Add around three tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the pancakes until they’re golden-brown on one side, turn them over and then fry the other side. Lightly press the centre of the pancake so it can be evenly fried.
FRANCE
To prepare crepes, you must blend 1¼ cups of milk, three large eggs, two tablespoons of melted butter, 2-3 teaspoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt and about 115g of flour for a few seconds until the batter is smooth. Cover and rest it for 20 minutes. Heat a nonstick frying pan and brush it with butter. Give the batter a small whisk before each crepe. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the hot pan and swirl it to coat the bottom of the pan. Swirl and spread the batter along the edge of the pan first and then fill in the middle. Make sure the batter is as evenly spread as possible. Place the pan back on the heat to let the crepe cook until the edges start to brown and become a little crisp. Flip it over and cook for a few seconds until the crepe has caramelised spots. Serve it warm with toppings of your choice.
GERMANY For pfannkuchen, you will first need to mix four eggs and 375 ml of milk in a mixer. Then slowly add 250g of flour and mix until all the lumps are gone. Add a pinch of salt, 125 ml of water and ½ a teaspoon of baking soda. Heat a nonstick frying pan until it’s medium hot and melt some butter in it. Add a dollop of dough and make sure it spreads out in the pan. Fry and turn the pancake over once the bottom turns golden. Serve it warm with jam, sugar and cinnamon mix, Nutella, peanut butter, ice cream or honey.
GREECE
Here’s how to prepare tiganites. In a large bowl, stir two cups of lukewarm water and a teaspoon of yeast. Add two cups of flour, ½ a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and whisk it to form a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it aside for 15-20 minutes until the batter starts to bubble. Heat a nonstick frying pan and pour about two tablespoons of oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon about two tablespoons of the batter onto the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry until they’re golden, flipping them occasionally. Transfer them onto kitchen paper, and serve warm with a drizzle of honey and chopped walnuts.
UGANDA
To make kabalagala, you must peel and mash six small ripe bananas. Sift 2¼ cups of tapioca flour, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper together. Add the flour at intervals into the mashed banana and mix it well. Dust a surface with flour and knead the dough, which shouldn’t be sticky. Roll out the dough onto a ¼ inch thick sheet. Cut out round discs using a cookie cutter and repeat with trimmings. Deep-fry the pancakes until they’re golden-brown. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
