Coconut and tapioca flour pancakes
I developed this gluten and dairy free pancake after experimenting with a pancake recipe that was based on tapioca flour from Rodah Lester’s African cookbook which can be purchased from www.lulu.com . I’ve also added coconut flour, which can be purchased on the internet and in good health stores, reduced the sugar and replaced the milk with 60% content organic coconut cream.
Why do I mention the 60%, I hear you ask? Labelling is confusing, and pure coconut extract (ie. 100% coconut cream) is labelled as Coconut Cream, as are other products, as I’m using here, which have far less pure coconut cream in them. If you cook regularly with coconut milks and creams, it’s worth getting your head around such things, as otherwise recipes may turn out runnier or thicker than intended.
These are thin, light pancakes with beautiful texture and a golden crunch along their edges, and go well with both fruit and savoury fillings. This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. Try them out:
Coconut and tapioca flour pancakes
Makes about 9 pancakes
Ingredients
4 eggs
400ml organic coconut cream (60% content) plus 100ml water (ie. 500ml/2 cups total)
2 tbsp organic coconut oil
1 tsp sugar
large pinch salt
1 1/3 cups tapioca starch
2/3 cup organic coconut flour
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
Method
Mix water into coconut cream, then mix in coconut oil until it is well incorporated.
Combine well with eggs, then add sugar and salt.
Sieve flours and baking powder together then add to wet ingredients and blend with stick blender until smooth.
Heat frypan to a medium heat and add about ½ tbsp coconut oil then a ladle of mixture and swirl pan to distribute mix across pan.
Cook until brown spots form on underside (about 2 mintues), then flip and cook other side to similar state (about 1 1/2 minutes).
Pile cooked pancakes on a plate under a tea towel to keep warm.
Serve with sliced tropical fruits, some yoghurt or sour cream and if desired a drizzle of honey and lime or passionfruit. Alternatively, use pancakes for savoury fillings, or serve as a bread with curries.
Tip: as your are preparing pancakes, place a square of nonstick baking paper between each pancake so they don’t get stuck to each other. This is particularly handy if you don’t finish them all and want to keep them in the fridge to reheat the next day.
© Clare Richards 2009
