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Friday, September 14, 2012

Pikelets


So the oven died (and yes I'm still trying to accept and overcome the fact I won't be able to use a real oven for a very long time). And today was one of those days I really needed to cook. Seriously, I was in need for a good workout; blood and sweat. 

It's been too long since I last spent some decent time cooking. Busy busy busy. If only we could have more hours in a day. If only...

There is a need to confess. I have this obsession of seeing 'nothing' turn into 'something', like putting together ingredients, such as flour, eggs and sugar, and seeing it turn into something else right in front of my eyes. It amazes me every time I cook, how individual things can be put together and turn into one great thing. 


So after much thinking, I thought of Pikelets, you know, the little pancakes. They're just so versatile. You can have them savoury or sweet, but most importantly, it doesn't require an oven. Thumbs up!




This is a very simple recipe which can be done all in one bowl (which means less things to wash up). One thing I learnt today from making Pikelets is that you must let the batter rest for around 15 minutes before using. This is so the batter can thicken up a little, (there must be some chemistry thingy behind it), which will make it easier to work with. Another is, use a piping bag. The consistency of the batter will make it difficult to pour, messy to scoop with a spoon, but fuss free to pipe. Using a macaron piping technique, pipe away in the cooking pan, and away you go.

And of course, never over mix your batter or else it will activate the gluten in the flour. To avoid over mixing, just sift the flour to remove any lumps. 

Here's the recipe:

Plain Pikelets

Makes 18- 20 

Ingredients 
1 cup Self Rising Flour 
3/4 cup Full Cream Milk
1 Egg 
1/4 tsp Caster Sugar 
1/2 tsp Salt 

Cooking oil, to grease the fry pan
Piping bag, optional

Method
1. In a measuring cup, mix together the milk, sugar, salt and egg. Place aside. 
2. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, then using a balloon whisk gradually work in the milk mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. 
3. Grease the non stick fry pan and place over the stove on a low temperature. Using a piping bag (filled with the batter) or two spoons, pipe/ scoop dollops of the batter into the fry pan. (I used a piping bag, and piped macaron sized pikelets.)
4. When air pockets show up on top of the pikelets, flip them over to cook the other side. Once the other side is golden brown remove the pikelets from the pan and place on a separate plate. (If you are unsure whether the pikelets have cooked right through, use a tooth pick to pierce the pikelet. If it comes out clean then you're good to go, if not, then let it cook a little while longer. I find that by touch, the pikelet become a little resistant to touch, when cooked, when you press down on top of them)
5. Repeat step 3 and 4 until all the batter is used up. You may need to grease the pan every now and then. 

I used these pikelets savoury this time. In a separate bowl I combined together some canned tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, gherkins, salt, spring onions, sesame seeds until almost paste like before dividing it, and placing it on top of the pikelet. This is a good finger food option, fuss free and really easy to put together. 

Okie dokes my faithful readers. Do try this recipe out and let me know how you went by posting a comment down below. If you have any questions, post below also and I'll try my best to help out. 

Enjoy!



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