Whether it’s crepes in Paris or dosas in India, we can’t get enough of pancakes—that staple we gorge on every Shrove Tuesday and every other day, too. Think about it. This is one dish that’s universally loved in every cuisine and makes the perfect breakfast, light lunch, dinner side dish, even dessert. Bet you’ve never tried these, though. You already know we’re addicted to spices and so, for our Shrove Tuesday pancakes, we’ve ventured east to the beautiful fresh flavours of Thailand to find a unique ingredient: dried organic kaffir lime leaves.
Little did you know, kaffir lime leaves are readily available in most grocery stores and while for most herbs, fresh is always best, kaffir lime leaves have two “must-know” rules of their own. They must either be used when freshly picked (don’t bother freezing) or immediately dried to lock in their extremely aromatic lemon flavour and they must be bright green with no brown or yellow spots.
Time to step out of your boring zone and become a foodie. Packed full of healthy ingredients and free from wheat and dairy, these pancakes can be enjoyed in a variety of delicious ways. Check out these recipes.
CARROT KAFFIR PANCAKES
Makes about 8-12
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 250g Grated carrots (equivalent to 1KG of ungrated carrots)
- 3 tsp Spice Sanctuary Kaffir Lime Leaves, crushed
- 5 tbsp Chickpea flour
- 5 tbsp Quinoa, cooked
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 Eggs
- 50ml water
- 2 red chilis, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- Sea Salt
- 4-5 good twists of Spice Sanctuary Peppermill Pizzazz Spice Blend (or 1 tsp of the blend coarsely ground)
- Coconut oil for frying
- 1/4- 1/2 cup Coconut milk, refrigerated
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the coconut oil, coconut milk and 1 tsp of the kaffir lime leaves in a bowl and mix well. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a frying pan on low-medium heat and melt a little coconut oil.
3. Take a large dessert spoon of the batter and placing in the frying pan, using the back of the spoon to flatten the pancake into a thin round shape.
4. Cook for a minute or so until the underside is golden brown.
5. Use a spatula to carefully flip onto the other side and cook for another minute or so.
6. Repeat until all the batter has been used up.
7. To serve, stack 2-3 pancakes and top with a dollop of coconut milk and a sprinkling of some of the remaining kaffir lime leaves.
NEED MORE CREATIVE SERVING IDEAS?
Breakfast/Brunch:
Instead of coconut milk, top with a poached egg or yoghurt.
Lunch:
Instead of coconut milk, top with hummus and a green salad.
Dinner:
Crush some prawn crackers on top, drizzle some sweet chili sauce and serve with steamed fish and coconut rice blended with kaffir lime leaves.
To learn more about the quality and benefit of spices or for some new recipe ideas, check out Spice Sanctuary.
