Eggless "Yeast Raised" Pancakes With Plum-Strawberry Compote

Day2: If there is one ingredient that makes me uneasy,its got to be yeast. I have no idea why. Just that I am always petrified working with it. So don't expect fancy bread posts from me. I am still taking baby steps towards getting comfortable with Yeast recipes. Over the weekend I decided to make pancakes for my family -  Nothing new there but this time though, I made it with yeast. Hee Haw! Base recipe is from here. It is actually waffle batter which works great for pancakes too. Umm, so good.

#2 in my Lust List: Alexander McQueen "Skull" Scarf, in every possible color(Now that is greed and its twin sister Materialism!) (US$ 295, each)

Fashion critics say this scarf will never go out of fashion. So I will definitely get this in at-least 2 different colors even if hubby doesn't get it for me. Skull prints look totally wicked.

Now onto the recipe-
Ingredients(Makes 12-14 Pancakes):

• 1-1/4 Tsp Active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 Cups Warm Water 
• 1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 
• 1 Cup Atta Flour (Flour Milled from Semi-hard Wheat/Durum Wheat)
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed 
• 1/3 Cup Canola Oil 
• 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup 
• 1/4 Cup Skimmed Milk 
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Powder 
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

For Plum-Strawberry Compote:

• 2 Cups Strawberries,roughly chopped 
• 1 Cup Plums, roughly chopped 
• 2 Tbsp Water 
• 4 Tbsp Maple Syrup (or) Honey

Procedure:

• In a non-metal pan, add the warm water(Test the warm on the inside of your wrist. It should feel warm but not burn the skin). Add the yeast and let this mixture sit in a warm spot for 10-15 minutes. 

• Add both the flour and the salt to the yeast mixture.

• Let the mixtures it in a warm spot overnight. I just stick it in the oven. 

• The mixture is frothy and almost doubled in the morning.

• Add the sugar, milk, oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and whisk it well. Mix this wet mixture with the batter.

• Stir the batter so it is lump free. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, make the compote. Chopped the fruits and add it to the processor.

• Pulse it a few times. Do not puree it.

• Transfer to a pan and cook it along with 2 tbsp water and 4 Tbsp maple syrup/honey for about 10-15 minutes.

• Switch off the stove and let it cool down to room temperature.

• Make the pancakes: Pour a ladle-ful of batter into the center of a non-stick pan and let it cook for a minute to a minute-and-a-half. Flip with a spatula and cook the other side likewise.

• Stack the pancakes and serve warm with Plum-Strawberry compote and whipped cream.

As you can see, I am totally digging into my pancakes-

Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#15

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Spiced Apple and Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

When I was young I used to hate a couple of things - waking up on a Sunday morning and Cinnamon. You might wonder what the connection is. Well, there is a connection. Growing up as a staunch vegetarian amongst meat-eating neighbors meant that I have to endure the strong smells of Spiced Biryani and Mutton Kurma wafting from their kitchen and assaulting my nostrils in a very bad way. So besides the cooked meat its the smell of cinnamon stick that will linger the whole day! In many Indian households Sunday is not a part of a Fasting/Religious day and its this day that anything can be eaten.So my Flexitarian neighbors deemed Sunday as the day when they would transform into "meat eating gluttons". The men would rush to the Butcher's shop to get their plump poultry or meat and the ladies will start preparing the spices and such. There was no concept of buying frozen meat..at-least not when I was growing up. To a butcher, Sunday is like what Black Friday is to retailers. To top it, street hawkers would be selling all the nasty-smelling fish you can possibly imagine. It was terrible. And Cinnamon was the most hated spice.Because I always associated it with meat and such. I wouldn't touch a Vegetarian Kurma if I see cinnamon stick floating on it. My mom fearing my tantrums would take care not to add it in any of the foods. Poor mom!
Even after transitioning to a Flexitarian, developing a love for Chicken Biryani and Mutton Kurma, I still continued with my cinnamon-hating stint. Except this time it was being averse to baked goodies that had it. Given a choice between eating boiled cow's testicles or a cinnamon bun I would clearly choose the former. Ironically, I started craving for McDonald's Cinnamon Spiced Baked Apple Pie, Cinnabon's Classic Cinnamon Rolls when I was pregnant. I suppose it wasn't me. It was my boy who was wanting them when he was "In-Utero". He will keep kicking me until I have my share of those with a tall glass of orange juice. LoL. The fact that there were was a McDonald's a stone throw away from my work place at Park Avenue didn't help. Every-time I passed by, I would smell the Cinnamon Apple Pie in the air. What used to be revolting suddenly became pleasing. :-). Now I am at peace with the Cinnamon. Yeah, we have a treaty of sorts, thanks to my little boy. Its not high up there with Cardamom, the much-loved spice but not much hated either.
Anyways, today I will address my son's second favorite -- Soft and Fluffy. Right after little A wakes up he will ask me if he can either have Marshmallow and Charms Cereal or Fluffy pancakes. I prefer the latter cause I can always sneak in a few fruits in the pancake batter and he wouldn't know.While I am much of a Cocoa Pancake or a Banana Berry Pancake  fan, my son prefers(you guessed it) Spiced Pancakes. Well, he knew what he wanted while he was still "In-Utero". While I don't care for the strong aftertaste it leaves on my taste-buds it doesn't bother him. So I happily make this for him.

Ingredients(Makes 10, "3.5" Pancakes"):

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/4 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Apple, peeled and grated
• 1 Egg, whisked
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Allspice powder (Cinnamon Powder may be used instead)
• A pinch of salt

Procedure:

• Add all the dry ingredients(Flour, Baking Powder, All Spice, Sugar and Salt)  in a wide shallow bowl.

• Add the Oil, Apple Sauce, Milk to the dry ingredients and mix.

• Stir in the whisked egg along with the blueberries and grated apple. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

• Pour a ladle-ful of batter on a greased nonstick skillet and cook for 2 minutes on a low-medium flame.

• Flip and cook for a minute or two. Repeat for the remaining batter.

• Pile and serve with warmed maple syrup.

Makes 10, 3.5" Pancakes.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing (Group 3) BM#4 along with me-
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e)
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani
Seven Days of Cakes:  Priya Vasu
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Sriv

Note: If you are a sneaky mom looking to sneak in veggies into a pancake, check this recipe.

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Butternut Squash Pancakes

Look at the vibrant color of these pancakes.Thanks to the Butternut Squash Puree, it jazzes up an ordinary pancake and adds some sweetness too. My fussy kid actually looks forward to eating a few of  these delicious fluffy pancakes in the weekends. Yes, a simple creation that can be extremely rewarding to the taste buds and the moms of fussy kids, if you ask me. For this recipe, I had used the pancake mix but you may very well try making it from scratch by incorporating the puree in any of your classic pancake recipes.
If you are a pancake lover like me,stay put and check my version of  "Banana-Berry Pancakes" Or "Strawberry Topped Cocoa Pancakes" as well.

Ingredients( For ~7, 5" Pancakes):

• 1-1/2 Cups Pancake Mix (I used Krusteaz "Light & Fluffy" Buttermilk Pancake Mix)
• 1-1/4 Cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 Cup Butternut Squash Puree
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• A pinch of Cardamom Powder (Optional)

To Make Butternut Squash Puree(Yields ~1-1/4 Cup Puree):

• 2-1/4 Cups Butternut Squash chunks
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Water

Procedure:

• Pressure cook the Butternut Squash chunks with a Tbsp of water until its fork tender.

• Puree/Mash the cooked chunks while still warm. 

• Mix all the ingredients - Pancake mix, Oil, Squash puree, Cardamom powder and milk - just until they are combined. Its okay for the batter to have lumps.

• Heat a non-stick pan/griddle, grease with little oil and pour a ladle-ful of batter(4-5 Tbsp). Spread the batter until the pancake is about 5" in diameter. If using a non stick pan, swirl slightly.

• Cook the pancakes for about a minute or so on a low-medium flame and turning only once.

• Cook the other side for a minute.Repeat the above 2 steps for the remaining batter and stack the pancakes one above another to keep it warm.

• Serve the warm stacked pancakes stacked with maple syrup.

Makes  7, 5" pancakes.

Enjoy!

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Banana Berry Pancakes

And this is how I make Banana Berry pancakes for myself and my family. If you liked my cocoa pancakes, then I am sure you will like this too. The fine diced strawberries and banana puree in the pancakes takes the flavor up a notch.Certainly a crowd pleaser! Scroll down to grab a wedge of these yummylicious pancakes  before anyone else does.
This along with the Cocoa Pancakes,  Savory Whole Wheat Pancakes,Ball Pancakes, Spongy Rice Pancakes, PigeonPeas Stuffed Ball Pancakes makes its way to the "Pancake Event" held @ Priya's Easy N Tasty recipes.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
• Baking Powder - 1 tsp
• Egg - 1
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Banana - 1, very ripe, pureed
• Strawberry -3, medium, fine diced
• Whole Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 2 tbsp or little less
• Salt - a pinch
• Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

• Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl.
• Whip egg, oil, banana puree, milk, vanilla extract in another bowl.
• Pour the egg mixture over the flour.
• Add the chopped strawberries to the mixture and whisk it just until everything is mixed.
• Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
• Heat a griddle/ non-stick pan and pour a ladle full of batter.
• Cook for 2 minutes on a medium flame and flip and cook for 2 more minutes.(Read Note)
• Repeat the above step, stack the pancakes and serve immediately with Maple Syrup or Honey.

Makes 8 fluffy mid-sized pancakes.
Note:

• From observation - If an even colored pancake is desired(like the one in the picture), add oil only to the sides while cooking.Nonstick pans work best for this.
• Pancakes may not be a perfect round due to the chunky berries in the batter.

A portion for you my dear(s) -

Enjoy!

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Cocoa Pancakes

The Guarantee - Eating this version of pancake(s) will put a smile on your face,a gleam in your eyes, a dance in your walk and a jaunt in your steps. Umm its true, a surefire thing. Scientifically speaking, Cocoa/Cocoa derivatives injects happy hormones in the blood and make people happy albeit temporarily. I have been making these pancakes ever since I came across the recipe in Google at least half a dozen years ago and every time I eat these pancakes, am subjected to all of the above changes. Have a stack of these with Honey or Log Cabin's Original Maple Syrup and fall in love.

 

Ingredients:

• All Purpose flour - 3/4 cup, leveled
• Sugar - 4 tbsp
• Cocoa Powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
• Buttermilk - 1 cup
• Egg - 1, beaten
• Olive Oil - 1/8 cup
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
• Salt - a dash
• Oil for cooking

Procedure:

• In a bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder.
• To it add sugar and mix the dry ingredients.
• In another bowl, add egg, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract and pour into the other bowl.
• Mix it gently with a whisk and let it sit for 15 minutes.
• In a skillet, coated with oil, pour a ladle full of batter and do not disturb or flip until you see holes on the top.
 
• Gently flip and cook for 2-3 minutes per side and stack them up on a serving plate.
 
• Serve warm with choice of honey or maple syrup with some chopped strawberries and walnuts.

Makes 10-12 mid-sized pancakes

Note:

• Go easy with the cocoa powder if you want light-colored pancakes

Enjoy!

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Savory Paniyaram(Rice-Battered Ball Pancakes)

Hmm, what are these spherical things,some of you might wonder.Paniyaram or Ball Pancakes to South Indians are what Aebleskiver is to the Dutch and Norwegians. It comes in various forms - Sweet, Stuffed or Savory. A very basic paniyaram is made with fermented seasoned rice batter and served hot with peanut chutney. For someone who grew up eating this often, a deprivation period of more than a month would result in withdrawal symptoms.This along with Rice Hoppers and Chutney Powder makes its way to the Combo Event @ Foodelicious.

Note: For Step-by-Step to make this recipe, follow a similar recipe here

 Ingredients:

• Rice Batter - 4 cups
• Red Onion - 1, small, finely diced
• Curry Leaves - 1 stalk, finely chopped
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Split Chickpea - 1 tbsp
• Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp or green chillies - 2, chopped
• Oil - 2 tbsp

For the Rice Batter:

• Parboiled Rice - 2 cups
• Black gram - 1/2 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

  Tool:

• Pancake Puff Pan 

Procedure:

• Soak all the ingredients under "Rice Batter" overnight.
• Grind the soaked mixture the following day to a smooth batter in a high performance blender or wet grinder and let it the mixture ferment overnight in a warm place.
• Add salt to the batter and whip it with a little water to a consistency that is not too thick or runny.
• In a skillet, add a tbsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add split chickpea and saute for a minute or two until they turn light brown. 
• Add chopped curry leaves, onions, Green chillies or pepper flakes.
• Saute until onions are browned.
• Add the sauteed mixture to the fermented batter and mix gently.
• Grease the wells of the puff pan and fill them up with the batter.
• Using the wooden stick(that comes with the pan), flip the spheres and let cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

• Serve hot with peanut chutney!

Enjoy!

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Rice Hoppers(Appam)/Spongy Rice Pancakes and some awards

Seriously, this is in my Top5 favorite Breakfast/Brunch choice of all time. Who can resist these soft, spongy Hoppers? No Sireee! Not me for sure. These Hoppers or Spongy Rice Pancakes are quite popular and largely prevalent in South Indian households. I love to have this with sweetened coconut milk and tomato chutney. What about you? If you haven't had this before, you don't know what you are missing. Just head over to a South Indian restaurant for a taste of heaven. The texture is similar to that of Ethiopian Injera. Yum!

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice - 2 cups, soaked for 4 hours
• Cooked Rice - a handful
• Grated Coconut - a handful
• Dry Yeast - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Warm water

For the Coconut Milk:

• Grated coconut from 1 mature coconut
• Warm water or Skimmed Milk - 2 cups
• Sugar - 2 tbsp

Tool:

• Wok, preferably non-stick

Procedure:

• Wash and grind the raw rice, grated coconut and cooked rice to a smooth paste with very less water.
• In a bowl, add 2 tbsp of warm water and add the sugar and yeast.
• Add this yeast mixture to the ground paste and let it ferment overnight.
• Prepare the batter to a pour-able consistency(Batter should be thicker than crepe-batter).
• Pour a ladle-full of batter to the wok and swirl it so that the batter coats the side of the pan and the center is spongy. 
• Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.Repeat the same with the remaining batter.
• Extract "thick" coconut milk by squeezing batches of grated coconut through cheesecloth.
• Extract "thin" coconut milk by letting the squeezed coconut soak in warm water or milk and squeezing them again through the cheesecloth.Sweeten the coconut milk with sugar.
• Serve hot hoppers with spicy tomato chutney or sweet coconut milk.

Enjoy!

Now its time to acknowledge the awards:
AshKuku of http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com  and Cicily of http://ceciliantonio.blogspot.com have shared these wonderful awards with me. I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. You girls rock!

 

This last award, passed to me by Cicily comes with a set of demands:

The rules for accepting this award are 

• Thank the person who gave you the award.
• Copy the award to your blog.
• Place a link to their blog.
• Name 7 things people don't know about you.
• Nominate 7 bloggers.
• Place a link to those bloggers.
• Place a comment letting those bloggers know about the award.

I have been tagged before by Saju of The Novice Kitchen.  To know more about me click here.

The point of giving awards, besides appreciation is to know and be known by other bloggers who share the same passion,right? So I would like to share this award with bloggers who I just have come to  know and have come to like what they post

• PJ of Ginger N Garlic
• Preethi Kashyap of Relishing Recipes
• Ramya of Memory Archieved 
• Mythreyi of My Recipe Corner 
• Fathima of Thattukada 
• Priya Prashanth of Priya Recipes 
• Priya Balachand of Spicy Southern Food

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FromFamilyNFriends: Savory Whole Wheat Pancakes

Who doesn't love pancakes?I remember the good old days when I used to religiously visit a nearby IHOP for a Pancake Fix. Pancakes/Flapjacks/Wheat Dosa are so versatile and can be made either sweet or savory. This is a recipe that was given to me by my cousin V who knows his way around the kitchen. Its so healthy and wholesome and an excellent choice for a weekend brunch or a breakfast.Sending this to the "Healthy Fast Food" event hosted @ Food for 7 stages of life.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat - 2 cups
• Yogurt - 3 tbsp, beaten
• Cracked Pepper - 1 tsp
• Red Onions - 2 , medium, fine diced
• Serrano Pepper(Hot Green Chilli) - 1, diced (optional)
• Carrot - 1, peeled and shredded
• Cilantro - a handful, finely chopped
• Warm Water
• Salt for taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil Spray

Procedure:

• In a bowl, add the whole wheat, salt and pepper. To it add the beaten yogurt, warm water and mix until it reaches the pancake consistency which is slightly runny.Check for taste. Add more salt or pepper if needed.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet and add the onions and serrano pepper(if using). 
• Saute the onions until browned. Add it to the pancake batter and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Grease the pancake griddle with Olive oil spray.
• Pour a ladle-full of batter and spread it around.Just before flipping sprinkle a little shredded carrot and cilantro.
• Brown the pancake on both sides and remove from griddle.
• Serve hot with thick Yogurt or a choice of chutneys.

Makes ~8 pancakes.

Note: To Indianize this recipe, add mustard seeds, chopped curry leaves to the skillet prior to adding onions and the chilli.

Other entries that will be going to the same event:

• Cheesy Baked Potato
• Baked Orange Marmalade N Teriyaki Chicken
• Boston Baked Beans
• Bean Oatmeal Burger

Enjoy!

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PigeonPeas Stuffed Ballpancakes -- Sweet and Shallow-fried

This recipe comes straight from my MIL's kitchen. She loves making foods that scream "tradition" and is quite an expert at making long-forgotten dishes that people either don't care for or care to make or simply don't have the time to make. Most of us are living in the fast lane after-all. Why bother when we have pre-cooked meal choices, snack bars and restaurant in every corner, right? Well that is where some of us err. Nothing beats home cooked and certainly nothing beats meals/snacks made from scratch.Agreed that it can't be done on a daily basis.But now and then we have to take the time to do things "old school".So here it is..a sensational dish that is a thing from the past..Suyam, shallow fried style. For the uninitiated, Suyam is sort of a cross between Kuzhi Paniyaram(Pancake Puff) and Puran Poli(Sweet-Stuffed Flat bread).
Hey, come back first week of February for yet another sweet surprise in the form or Puran Poli, MIL way. The stuffing is unusual.:)

Ingredients:
Filling:

• Split PigeonPeas(Toor Dhal/Tuvar Dhal) - 1 cup
  
• Jaggery(Un-refined sugar or Raw Sugar) - 3/4 cup, smashed
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

Coating/Overlay:

• Maida/All-purpose flour - 1 cup
• Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Baking soda - 1/4 tsp 
• Oil - for greasing
  

Tool:

• Pancake Puff Pan - As seen on TV

Procedure:

• Bring water to a roiling boil in a stock pot. Add the split PigeonPeas and cook it until its tender but retaining shape.Drain.
• In a blender, add the cooked dhal, powdered jaggery,cardamom powder and grated coconut. Grind with very little water and make a fine paste.
• If the mixture gets soggy, move it to a pan and thicken before dividing it into even balls.
• In a bowl, add the ingredients under "Coating" and mix it with water to form a thick batter.Let it sit for 15 minutes.
  
• Heat the Pancake Puff pan and add little oil into the wells. 
• Dip the filling into the thick batter making sure its coated completely.Drop it gently into the wells and cook until its browned evenly.

• Serve hot by itself or drizzle honey on top.

Enjoy!

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