Friday mornings always call for a fancy breakfast at my place. Well, to be honest, it is either something absolutely fancy or absolutely simple, like beaten rice (poha) in some form or the other. My son is an ardent fan of continental breakfast and enjoys his fill to fullest. I try to replicate breakfast recipes from around the world and indulge him whenever possible. The Dutch Baby, a recipe by Chef John that I had posted recently was my son’s discovery on YouTube and I made that at home with great success. Today’s recipe is also by the same chef and something that was really enjoyed by everyone at home although I ended up with too much batter. I would recommend you to halve the recipe if you intend to serve these mancakes to a smaller audience. However, if you do end up with some extra batter you can always refrigerate it for later and perhaps make savoury waffles out of them!
‘Mancakes’ is actually the name of a brand of health food, however, Chef John has made it pretty fancy and catchy by making his own version. If you are a fan of bacon and savoury pancakes this recipe should definitely be tried !! Hope you enjoy it!
Mancakes are savoury pancakes with a touch of sweetness & a hint of spice made all the more delicious with bits of bacon fried crisp! These make for the perfect weekend breakfast! Drizzle some spiced up maple or date syrup and you are good to go!
- 8-10 bacon rashers * see note for substitute
- 1/4 cup chopped spring onion greens plus extra to garnish
- 1- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder adjust to taste
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs beaten lightly
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1-1/3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons warm maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
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Chop the bacon rashers into small bits. Heat a skillet and fry these bits till crisp and the fat begins to separate. Remove a fourth of these bits and set aside. This will be used as garnish. In a small bowl or sauce boat, mix the maple syrup or honey & chilli powder well. This will be used to drizzle on top of the pancakes.
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To the remaining bacon bits add the chopped spring onion greens and fry on a medium heat for half a minute, then drain the fat and keep the bacon & greens aside. Return the fat to the skillet. Turn off the heat.
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In a bowl add the all purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, pepper powder and chilli powder and mix everything well. Beat the eggs in another bowl, add the milk & melted butter to it and whisk everything well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and use a whisk until everything is mixed well and lump free.
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Add the grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese, bacon & spring onion greens mixture to this and mix again. Check the taste and adjust the salt & sugar if required. Keep the batter aside to rest for at least 10-12 minutes so that the cornmeal soaks up the liquid. This is a must. Do not skip this step or else your pancakes will taste gritty.
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After the batter has rested, stir it once more. If it feels too thick, loosen up the batter by adding 2 tablespoons of water at a time till you are able to scoop it out and pour it.
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Heat the skillet again. If you are not comfortable to fry the pancakes in the bacon fat, you can drain it off, wipe the skillet clean and use butter, ghee (clarified buttre) or oil instead. A combination of butter & oil works best
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If using a cast iron skillet ensure that it is not overheated. When the fat/butter has melted and is medium hot, pour about 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the skillet, about 2-3 pancakes at a time with enough space to spread a little and help you flip them. Do not overcrowd the pan.
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Fry the pancakes on a medium-low heat till golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side. Drizzle a little oil if necessary to aid easy flipping.
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Remove on a plate. Stack up 2-3 pancakes on top of each other. Drizzle with the prepared spicy maple syrup mixture. Garnish with the reserved bacon bits and the spring onion greens. Serve hot!
Instead of bacon you can use chicken/turkey/beef salami/ham or sausages
Have you tried these recipes?
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- Apple Pancakes with Date Syrup Butter
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- Dutch Baby
what is cornmeal?
Cornmeal is a ground from dried maize (corn). This is similar to wheat rava (semolina) but slightly finer in texture.