Recipe: Apple salad pancakes

Breakfast done right!

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

•  All-purpose flour 2 cups

•  Baking powder 3 tbsp

•  Salt 1 tsp

•  Sugar 1 tsp

•  Egg 1

•  Milk 1 and 1/2 cup

•  Oil 3 tbsp

•  A pinch of baking soda 

For the apple salad:

•   Boneless chicken breasts (halved) 2

•  Freshly ground pepper 1 tsp

•  Salt 1 tsp

•  Mayonnaise 2 tbsp and 1/2 cup

•  Cabbage (boiled and finely chopped) 1/2 cup

•  Apples (cut into 1/4-inch chunks) 1/4cup

•  Slice almonds (with skin) 1/3 cup 

For garnishing:

•  Lettuce leaf 1

•  Olives 1/2 cup

•  Pineapples (canned) 1

•  Cherries 3-4

Method

•  Prepare the pancakes batter by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Continue stirring until the batter becomes thick and lumpy in consistency.

•  Melt three tablespoons of butter in a skillet, spreading it around to grease the base of the pan. For each pancake, spoon two or three tablespoons of the batter onto the skillet, using a spoon to spread it around.

•  Cook each side for about a minute or two, flipping it carefully until it is golden-brown in colour.

•  Once cooked, cut the pancakes in half and set aside.

•  While the pancakes are resting, bring three cups of water to a boil for the chicken to cook in. Season the meat with salt and pepper before placing it in the hot water. Once cooked, retrieve the chicken and allow it to cool down.

•  Cut half-inch bits of the chicken and stir it together with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, apples and almonds in a medium-sized bowl. Mix thoroughly and place the salad in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or so.

•  Spoon half a cup of salad onto each pancake.

•  Garnish the dish with olives, lettuce, pineapples or cherries and serve chilled.

Note: Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container and used for up to three days.

Tips for the perfect pancakes

A breakfast favourite, pancakes are one of the most satisfying morning meal items across the world. Especially when loaded with butter, fruits or simple maple syrup, these light and airy cakes are ideal for adults and children alike. But although they aren’t labour-intensive, there are certain tricks you should follow to ensure your pancakes turn out warm, fluffy and symmetrically round. If your pancakes always turn out wonky and misshapen, these tips can help you sort them out.

Batter better: A premade pancake mix may seem like the easier option but preparing the batter from scratch isn’t rocket science either. Just find yourself a good recipe and follow the directions as given. Before you tweak the recipe, remember that too much liquid will give you thin, runny pancakes and too much flour will make them thick and heavy.

Keep a light hand: Always remember to mix the batter as lightly as you can as over mixing makes the pancakes tough. A few lumps here and there are fine but generally, you should stop mixing once the batter is moist and the ingredients combined completely.

Turn the heat on: Cooking the pancakes at the right temperature is essential for their success. You should begin at medium-heat. The right temperature will also lightly brown the pancake from the bottom and cause the bubbles on top to rise and burst. If the bottom darkens too quickly, turn the heat down.

For good measure: If you wish to make same-sized pancakes, use a measuring cup with a sprout or ladle to pour the batter out. Also, it is advisable to pour the liquid in one spot and allow it to spread itself rather than pouring in a circular motion.

Keep an eye on the pancakes: Keep in mind that flipping your pancakes more than once increases the chances of damaging them. Typically, a pancake is ready to be flipped once its edges have set in and bubbles have started to pop on the surface which takes about two minutes. Flip the cake and cook for another one to two minutes, until the other side is golden as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, August 2^nd, 2015.