I got up this morning to check my ipad as usual to check my instagram as usual. On there I see all of my favorite bloggers who are from Africa was on it and it made me want to get in on it. Also my pancake post on so you think you can cook group in facebook inspired another lady in the group to make pancakes. Some that chose the healthy option and others took one with all of the fattening goodies on top. It all looks delicious and I am not going to lie. As much as i like all of that whipped cream and all of that other sweet stuff I know it would make me congested. I know it isn’t good for me so I don’t eat it.
I have been asthmatic for a very long time and I also have been treated for high blood pressure in the past and was taking medicine. I knew something has to give and start looking out for me. My husband also has high blood pressure so I have to do healthy and tasty for both of us. Today I made buckwheat pancakes. It starts with a simple batter that is used for both pancakes and waffles.
The most tastiest dish can be what is very healthy for you and not the one that is going to give you a lot of health problems. When you have health problems you have to eat accordingly. I was a trained caregiver before caring for old people in their home until I got so ill and needed surgery. It was that demon that was the ticking time bomb in my body called hyperplasia and it was ready to turn to cancer so I had my surgeries and regained my health allhumduallah and again full time housewife lol. From the time I was a kid my biggest loves was reading. I always loved to cook and if there wasn’t a book available except a cook book I used to read the recipes out of there so I can digest each word in there and used to dream about making these dishes.
I also love photography but I never thought it would take me in to becoming a blogger. Ok I married my love of cooking and photography and their baby is my blog. This blog came out of different people saying, oh Benazir why don’t you open a restaurant. My husband co owns one with one of my bother in laws I tell them and I don’t want the headache.
I also was asked how come I don’t write a cook book. This is the reason why I have this blog. Now back to these nice ladies who’s blogs I follow: 9jiafoodie, nigerianlazychef, sisi jehmimah, dooney’s kitchen, afrolerms, kitchen butterfly, tatache, all nigerian recipies, eating nigerian, nigerian food tv, matseecooks, wivesconnection, and of course Freeds from myburntorange. There are lots of times I would look in your blogs to get some idea what to make for dinner because I am all out of ideas and my husband really enjoys most of the dishes even the ones that is a tough sell but he will try at least for me because he knows I put all of my hard earned work in to it and don’t want to hurt my feelings.
The batter is really straight forward and you can use it for anything.
I am going to write this recipe then you choose whatever flour or whatever you want to do with the pancake make it as plain as I did or as fancy that I see lots of others do too.
I used 1 handful of all purpose unbleached flour,
2 handfuls of buckwheat flour. You can use any type of flour of choice. Wheat and cornmeal works too. I added 1 pinch of baking powder, 1 tiny pinch of salt, 1 tiny pinch of sugar in the raw, turbinado sugar can be used also. I added one egg, 1/2 liter to a liter of milk or buttermilk enough to make a batter. Using a drop of vegetable oil in the batter is optional and not required. I didn’t add but still turned out great. I stirred everything and made sure my batter was lump free. This is the same batter for waffles. I heated up my cast iron tawa which means griddle in urdu language. I got out my cooking spray turned the stove off and sprayed my tawa . For safety reasons do not use cooking spray near a heated source it is very dangerous and I am not bold enough to find out it is called common sense while you are in the kitchen it is called safety. I turned the stove back on again and waited for a few seconds and i was good to go. I used the soup ladle and got some batter out of the bowl and poured it on my tawa. I watched all of the bubbles come up and start to dry. This is the cool part watching. When it was dry on top I flipped it over and let it cook on the other side And repeat till there is no batter left. If you want you can also fold small bits of fruit in to the batter before cooking this is great too and it was in the fancy pancakes I seen today. While I was making pancakes I was telling my husband about Randi Goldstien and my fifteen year old self with my clumsy first attempt at making pancakes. She was a pancake making pro and could make big pancakes and hers never fell apart.”Hey Randi I do remember you. I hope you stop by on my blog one day and remember this and laugh your butt off lol”. The first pancakes I made back then fell apart on me but look at me now I have improved with practice. Also my first attempt was edible. My German parents hated for me to waste food so it went in my belly.
This was the story I told my husband while he was eating breakfast this morning. He very much enjoyed it. We had honey on ours but Jam, agave nectar and real maple syrup can also be used.
Again thanks ladies you rock.
P.S. You can add 3 tbs of unsweetened coco nibs or any type of fruit purée or 1/4 cup of whole blueberries in to the batter and lightly fold before either making pancakes or waffles.
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