It's not Pancake Day yet (or Shrove Tuesday if you prefer) but I had an unexpected gift from my mom. It's apparently called a tava which is used in Indian cooking. To me it is just a very shallow frying pan with a wonky handle and a thin base. I don't 'do' Indian cooking, it is far too complicated for me! If the urge for a balti and naan arises I just go to the take-away where they know what's what. It wasn't going to go straight to the back of the cupboard though. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was 'Pancakes!!' and I had the urge to make them straight away so we ended up having them that night for dinner. I only have a teeny tiny frying pan, it is fine for American pancakes but traditional ones have to be thin and BIG! and the tava fits the bill. Last year I made them in my wok which wasn't entirely successful due to it being so deep. The recipe I use is based on Delia's. I have tried hers a few times with the melted butter in and have found it was far better without, makes them a little too greasy. The mixture never goes lumpy for me during mixing which is a huge bonus.Pancakes
175g plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
300ml milk
100ml water
- Sift flour and salt into a large bowl
- Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs
- Gradually add the milk and water, whisking after each addition until mixture is smooth. If the worst happens pass it through a sieve.
- Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Wipe the pan round with a kitchen paper with a little oil or melted butter then heat up the pan well before making the first pancake.
- 60ml makes 1 10" pancake.
