I love Blueberry Pancakes!!

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Ric has a country kitchen, and it serves the best blueberry pancakes!

In the streets of Juffeir in Bahrain

there is a little diner/pub called Ric’s Country Kitchen. When I was living there, I used to wait for Fridays to break off work and kick start the weekend with their to-die-for breakfast (or brunch). The place would be buzzing with people, and at times you really had to wait in line. But all worth the wait!

The menu is a straightforward, diner style breakfast, but with all the additions and sides to make your appetite take control. Of course, there was all types of egg preparations, hash browns, sausages, bacons strips, beans, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, the best ever French toast and the works. I am telling you, if you live in Bahrain or visiting, this is one place you have got to try! Having left Bahrain, and not yet found another version of Ric’s Country Kitchen here in Dubai, I would occasionally invite friends and family over for a Ric’s Breakfast at home. I would make the many varieties and we would devour them over breakfast/brunch. Try and do that for your family occasionally, you will all love it.

With that said, my most favourite Ric’s offering is their Blueberry Pancakes! They were light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth, succulent, puffy pancakes that are just perfect. Pancakes are delicious as they are, but add a little blueberries and they transform into something extraordinary. They are seriously good! Also cooking the blueberries with the pancake batter means they heat up and start to burst, offering mushy, juicy berries in every bite, where their natural sugar is concentrated and just marvelous!

In my attempt to eat healthy, I have to come up with healthier ways to prepare food. That means eating wholesome meals and nutritious food using natural, real ingredients. So I completely take out any processed foods and make things from scratch. That means taking out any high fructose and corn syrups. Pancake Syrups are mainly maple flavoured high fructose corn syrups, which are honestly terrible for your health. Using the real organic 100% pure maple syrup is much better for you. Raw honey is also very good for your health and both have actual nutrients that your body will love. The blueberries here add a hint of natural fruit sweetness, which to me is more than enough. I do not savour overly sweet food anymore!

On the same note, just because I want to eat healthy, doesn’t mean I want to miss out on the goodness of my favourite foods. So I have worked out this blueberry pancakes recipe that is healthier, without compromising on the flavour or experience. Blueberries fall under the category of super foods. They are very good for you. They are antioxidants, packed with vitamins and are fruits that help prevent cancer. How is that for a healthy start? The pancakes in this recipe are relatively light, and if you do not go for maple or any other sugar syrup, they are low on sugar too. Another trick to reduce the calories and fat intake, is to have a well seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle, which is virtually a healthy non-stick option, that you can preheat and cook the pancakes on without greasing or adding butter. I find that these cast iron skillets produce wonderfully textured pancakes with excellent even browning. I also find that these non-greasy pancakes are much better than their counterpart greasy ones. So don’t hold yourself back, and treat yourself to these wonderful pancakes 🙂

Ingredients

  • 1 cup organic flour (you can go for the diabetic flour if you are diabetic)
  • 1 tbsp raw sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp DS Himalayan Salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence (recipe on this link)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 packet fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt together. make a well in the centre of this mixture and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine beaten egg, oil, vanilla and milk. Mix till well incorporated. Add egg mixture to the well in the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over stir, the mixture should be a little lumpy. fold a handful of blueberries, reserving some for garnish. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.

Preheat your skillet, and drop 1 ladel of batter at a time or 1 tbsp for mini pancakes. Cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is lightly browned about 2 minutes, then flip and cook till the bottom is lightly browned about 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and place on a wire rack to prevent steam from dampening and becoming soggy. Repeat till all batter is finished. (if you are not worried about the fat content, then you can place a small knob of butter on top of each cake for flavour).

Stack on serving plate, and drizzle with a little bit of honey or 100% pure maple syrup. Occasionally, you can sprinkle with a little icing sugar (don’t go overboard).

For plain pancakes, omit the blueberries, and cook as above. You can serve plain pancakes with fresh berries, and they are just as good.

 

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