I am not saying that the good old American pancake recipes are not delicious. I am just saying that there’s more to pancakes than we are aware of. Pancakes take so many different forms and sizes. They can be fluffy or flat, small or big, sweet or savory. So why confine to just one type of pancakes when you can make a different pancake recipe every day!
For that purpose, I am presenting the best of Africa!
Injera Pancakes
Injera, also known as enjera or taita, is a type of pancake originating in the Horn of Africa (East Africa), i.e. Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Injera is a yeast-risen flatbread with a somewhat spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. Teff is rich in iron, fiber, and calcium, but it is also gluten-free, so these pancakes are ideal for people sensitive to gluten. However, since this flour is quite expensive, there are injera versions made (fully or partially) of wheat, corn, barley, or rice flour.
To make injera pancakes, mix teff flour with water and allow it to ferment for a few days. This short period of fermentation gives injera airy texture and a slightly sour taste. When the batter is ready, pour it onto the baking surface (traditionally it is poured from the outside inwards, in a spiral).
Traditionally, injera pancakes are baked on a big, black plate made of clay called mitad, placed over a fire. However, since this cooking technique is quite complicated, wastes large amounts of fuel, and produces lots of smoke, people often use specialized electrical stoves with metal plates on top, or stoves which use more widely available fuel sources. Many Ethiopians in the States use electric square-shaped pans.
When you are done cooking, you will get big, flat pancakes, very alike French crêpes, but only in appearance, the taste is quite different. Their texture also differs from the pancakes we are used to seeing and that is the reason injera is also called flatbread. The bottom is smooth, whereas the top is porous. This texture makes injera perfect for serving as a base for other foods like meat, stews (known as wat), salads, and sauces, or some more injera (this is called injera fifir and is especially popular during the Ethiopian Orthodox lent, when people avoid eating all animal products).
Injera Pancake Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1 cup water
vegetable oil
pinch of salt
How to prepare:
Place the teff and all-purpose flour, then slowly add the water, stirring constantly to avoid the formation of lumps. Allow this batter to ferment for one to three days, depending on how sour you want the batter to be. If you notice that the batter is not rising properly, add some yeast.
When you are ready to cook, add the salt. Heat a cast iron griddle or a nonstick frying pan and grease with some oil.
Cook until holes show up on the surface. Remove when the surface is dry.
Lahoh Pancakes
Lahoh is very similar to injera. It is a spongy pancake-bread consumed in Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen, but is also very popular in Israel. It is made of plain or self-rising flour (sorghum is most commonly used in Somalia, whereas corn and wheat are used in Yemen), mixed with warm water, with an addition of yeast and salt. Some varieties include eggs or sweeteners. The batter is mixed by hand until smooth and baked on metal round stoves called daawo or on common frying pans.
In Somalia, these pancakes are consumed with ghee butter or honey and served along with a cup of warm tea for breakfast. They are often served for lunch as well, along with soup, curry, or stew.
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1 cup corn flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast
3-4 cups of water
Vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
How to prepare:
Mix the plain flour with the corn flour, then add the yeast and salt.
Slowly add the water, stirring constantly, until the mixture is homogenized. Cover the mixture and let it rest for 1-2 hours until bubbly.
Heat a frying pan and grease it with oil. Pour the batter into the pan and cook until completely dry, soft and light brown in color. Turn the flatbread and as you would a pancake. You can choose the diameter of the bread. Cook until there is not more liquid and the pancake and light brown in color, then flip.
Kenya
In Kenya, pancakes are called Mkate wa Maji and are very alike the English or French variety. They are sweet and consumed instead of bread for breakfast, plain (if sugar is added to the batter) or with sugar on top.
South African Pancake Recipes
Traditional South African pancakes are actually crepes. People in South Africa call them pannekoek. They are cooked on gas stoves and usually consumed on cold, rainy days, topped with cinnamon sugar (melted or crunchy) and lemon juice.
Traditional South African Pancake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cooking oil
½ cup water (additional)
How to prepare:
Mix the dry ingredient in one bowl, and the wet ones in another, then combine them. Cover the mixture and let it rest for about half an hour.
Add the additional water and mix until smooth. Heat a nonstick frying pan greased with oil and pour enough batter to cover the bottom. Cook until bubbles show on the surface, then turn and cook for a minute more.
Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar over the pancakes and east!
Other pancakes in South Africa
There are two more pancake varieties in this country – plaatkoekies, American-style silver dollar flapjacks, and their variation crumpets, made with self-rising flour, milk, eggs, and salt, then fried in butter. The batter produces flat cakes (just a bit raised) which are served for breakfast, warm and topped with golden syrup and a pat of butter.
Uganda
In Uganda, pancakes are traditionally made with the most popular staple food -bananas and served for breakfast, as a side dish for dinner, or as a snack. These flapjacks are called Kabalagala or just Kabs, taste like fried bananas and are gluten-free.
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
3 1/3 cups flour
Oil for frying
Peel the bananas and mash them. Add the flour stirring until the mixture is thick enough (dough-like).
Knead the dough, then roll it to about 1/4 inch thick and cut it into circles using a cup or an appropriate cutter.
Heat oil in a frying pan and place the pancake circles when the oil is hot. Cook for about 4 minutes and turn. Remove when both sides are golden brown.