"Instant" Pancakes (100th Post!)

Woohoo! This marks my 100th post in this blog! Hadi actually wanted to claim the "honor" of cooking for my 100th post and was even willing to cook me lunch - but typically changed his mind and told me to make pancakes instead. Sigh.

Over the course of just over 7 months, I've written about almost everything that I've cooked as well as those that I've eaten. It seems like I've come a long way from my very first posts. My posts were terse without almost any detail, but (hopefully) they're much more fulfilling now :D Back then, I started this as a joke, but it seems as if the joke is on me now ;) I've gotten a lot of comments about this blog, especially - "I didn't know you can cook!" Ahahaha! Thanks for reading up till now anyway!

In order to "celebrate" my 100th post, I've started a new blog here at Blogger. I've been updating here sneakily, but am now giving a public announcement about it in my Friendster blog :D

So how will this affect those of you who are currently reading my blog at Friendster? If you're just reading my blog to keep updated on what we are eating, then it won't affect you at all. I'm updating both simultaneously. Continue on reading, and enjoy! But if you're looking to be a bit more adventurous, and perhaps even cook something...well, the Blogger blog will definitely be better for you. Its better organised, searchable with some funky functions. My favorite would have to be the food slideshow (at the bottom of the page) but I like the chatbox as well! And here, anyone can leave a comment, not just Friendster members. There's space for much more interaction between readers as well as with me, so I hope some of you at least will take advantage of this :D

Anyway, on with the food! I know that's what you're here for, not to listen to Ihsan babble :D

Like the Double Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins from before, this is another recipe from Thanis' blog. This recipe is defnitely for those who like their pancakes thick and fluffy, with minimal effort. What you first make is the "instant" pancake mix, to which you can just add eggs and other ingredients anytime to make a fresh batch of pancakes. So...here we go!

What you need:
Instant Pancake Mix:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar

To make pancakes:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups "Instant Pancake Mix"
2 cups fresh fruit (e.g. blueberries)

What you do:

1. Combine all ingredients for the instant pancake mix in a lidded container and shake to mix. Use within 3 months.
2. To make pancakes: Whisk together egg whites and buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
3. Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.
5. Heat up a frying pan and lightly butter. Wipe off with a paper towel - no butter should be visible.
6. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the pan and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the pan-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
7. Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

I've only made pancakes once before this (or rather, posted about it only once. I seem to recall having pancakes almost every day for breakfast last year :P) To tell you the truth, I actually like my pancakes flat and salty - not thick and sweet like most people. I probably prefer crepes to true pancakes, but to those of you who like your pancakes fluffy and sweet, Thanis has a great post on the "Art of Pancakes".

But anyway, back to this set of pancakes - unfortunately, I didn't have buttermilk on hand with me. :/ *Some* sites said that you can make buttermilk from milk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice. It is just curdled milk, after all. But apart from tiny flakes, the milk was pretty much still the same. So I had to use that instead.

Perhaps because of this, the pancakes were... well, could've been better, I would say. Yes, they were thick and yes, they were fluffy, but Hadi said it was a "weird" kind of fluffy. Too much like a cake than a pancake ;) (I don't like thick pancakes anyway, so I have no say in this) Also, it wasn't sweet enough for him. It was a tad too salty in fact, so I might add more sugar next time. Also, for some reason, the whole thing was a bit too egg-y tasting. But that could've been because of my milk-buttermilk switcheroo. :P

And I couldn't get quite so pretty pictures, since the lighting was quite bad at the time. :( But I'm sure you'll be able to see just how thick the pancakes are. :D Oh well, I have two more servings of this, I'm sure my next ones will be much better ;)

Quote of the day: In a big family, the first child is sort of the first pancake. if its not perfect, that's okay, there are a lot more coming along.

I am the first child! D: