Pancakes.
It should be as easy as 1-2-3. That is, if you have a recipe handed down from your mother. I do not have such a recipe. I remember that my own mum’s pancake was always on the edge. It was intermittently good. (My apologies, dear mother, if you are reading this. Happy Mother’s Day!) Perhaps we did not have a measuring cup at that time back in our little house in Cebu, Philippines. So the ingredients were just thrown together.
Since coming to Australia, I used various magazine recipes to find that perfect pancake. Some will require non-pantry items such as buttermilk or cinnamon or cream. But I just wanted a simple recipe. It did not occur to me to just google it. Don’t ask why not.
One day in 2009, Gab came home with the news that his class project was to sell pancakes at school. The kids in his class were paired up. Each pair had to decide what to sell for a fundraiser. Gab decided to sell pancakes. I cringed. I have not found that perfectly simple pancake recipe yet.
“No worries, mum. Mr. Varica gave me his recipe.”
I was stunned! A male teacher has a recipe? Well well well…
It turned out to be the simplest one. As simple as 1-2-3. Exactly what I have been looking for!
Here is Mr. Varica’s No-brainer pancake recipe.
1 cup of self raising flour
4 tablespoons of sugar (I use white)
1 level teaspoon of baking powder
Stir dry ingredients together.
Add 1 cup of milk (add slowly, start with just half the cup of milk)
Add 1 egg (beaten lightly)
Stir together, rather vigorously.
Keep adding small quantities of remaining milk until mixture is creamy and form ribbons as the picture above. If you do not achieve the right texture, the pancake will not be fluffy. You can fix this by adding small quantities of self raising flour.
Heat a pan on low (not too hot).
Add butter or oil just enough to coat the pan thinly. I use a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Use a soup ladle to spoon in pancake mix.
Wait until mix starts to bubble, then flip the pancake. Do not wait for the bubbles to pop before flipping.
When pancake becomes golden brown, then it is ready.
This is where you use your imagination for various toppings. Drizzle with maple syrup and cream. You can also top with ricotta cheese and honey. Or a dollop of ice cream with chocolate fudge will be marvelous. Quite simply, a no-brainer!
Disclaimer: Like I always say, this is just a story. Follow the recipe at your own risk. Remember, practice makes perfect pancakes.
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