Our obsession with maize continues this week with another sweet treat that features maize meal and pairs it together with peanut butter. If you use crunchy peanut butter you also get more of a textural experience when chewing through these fluffy clouds of deliciousness.
I grew up eating peanut butter with everything but more importantly I grew up eating real peanut butter. You know the kind that is fire roasted and then ground by hand on a traditional mortar and pestle. The kind that was made from peanuts you yourself and your cousins grew and harvested in grandma's backyard. The kind where the oil sits on top of the puree and you have to mix it with a spoon every time you use it, layered with smoky and nutty flavours and each batch tasting slightly different because of the harvest variations, grandma's mood when cooking it and how long it had been standing for in your locker in boarding school. Damn I really miss that kind of peanut butter.
We would enjoy it cooked into rice, samp, pumpkin puree, with recooked dried meat, with pumpkin leaves or just on a slice of toast with butter AND jam. Such a great ingredient with such versatility and of course we used to add it to our maize meal porridge. That is the inspiration behind these pancakes. They are reminiscent of that maize and peanut butter crust at the bottom of the pot after you are done cooking. The one you have to scrape out with a spoon after having battled your siblings for the honour.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 large eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup maize meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Equipment
Stove, non-stick pan, large bowl, whisk, wooden spoon
Method
1. Combine eggs, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
Get plenty air in there and make sure the sugar is well incorporated into the mix.
2. Add all the dry ingredients to the batter and fold in with a wooden spoon until just combined. You don't want to overwork the batter at this point otherwise the pancakes will turn out a bit tougher than you would like.
3. Rest the batter in the fridge. After 15 minutes, switch the stove on to a medium heat and take the batter out of the fridge. The consistency will be too thick to pour out and cook, so gradually pour in the water and mix it in well until it's a nice thick but pour-able consistency.
4. Pour the cooking oil into your pan and spread it around with a kitchen paper towel until the pan is evenly coated. Wipe away any excess oil and allow the pan to warm up to cooking temperature.
5. Once the pan is warm enough pour about 1/3 cup batter into the middle and allow the pancake to cook for about 1- 2 minutes or until little pits start forming on the surface. Flip over the pancake and cook for another 30 - 45 seconds or until cooked through.
6. Cook the remaining batter and enjoy with any condiment of your choice. This batch was enjoyed with crunchy peanut butter caramel sauce.
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