Arguably you can’t go too wrong with the classics on Shrove Tuesday. Golden, lacy-edged pancakes doused in sugar and lemon are, of course, simple and delicious.
Come 4 March, most of us will be whisking together 100g plain flour with two eggs, 300ml whole milk, a decent pinch of salt and a tablespoon of vegetable oil, then resting the batter for half an hour before popping ladlefuls into a hot buttery pan.
But sometimes, you just want to mix things up. Maybe you fancy a change. Maybe you don’t want to have to deal with the drama of the flip going wrong and dinner ending up stuck to the floor. Maybe you don’t want to just eat a tonne of pure batter and sugar for supper (no judgement).
So, whether you’re looking for a savoury pancake option that’ll actually fill you up, or you want (whisper it) an American-style pancake you can just chuck in the air fryer, we have the recipes for you.
Sweet: Blueberry pancakes done in the air fryer
“These pancakes are super thick and fluffy and so easy to make. They’re bursting with sweet, juicy blueberries, and they’re absolutely delicious,” says Eloise Head, author of Fitwaffle’s Easy Airfryer.
Makes: 6
Special equipment:
Six 10cm silicone moulds
Ingredients:
80g (5tbsp) full-fat (5%) Greek yoghurt
150ml semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
1 medium egg
15g salted butter, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
120g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Good pinch of salt
100g fresh blueberries
Cooking oil spray
To serve (optional):
Fresh berries
Whipped cream
Maple syrup, for drizzling
Method:
1. In a large bowl, using a balloon whisk, mix together the Greek yogurt and milk until combined, then add the egg, melted butter and maple syrup and whisk until smooth.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and fold in until smooth and lump-free, then fold in the blueberries. Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the air fryer to 160C (320F).
4. Spray the silicone moulds with oil making sure the base and edges are coated so the pancakes don’t stick.
5. Scoop half a cup of batter into each mould and smooth it out evenly.
6. Air fry for eight to 10 minutes, then carefully flip them over out of their moulds and cook for another three to four minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Serve straight away with your favourite toppings, if using. I love to use berries, whipped cream and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Recipe from ‘Fitwaffle’s Easy Airfryer’ by Eloise Head (Ebury Press, £22).
Savoury: Vegetable pancakes with a chilli crisp egg
“This vegetable pancake has its origin in Korea (where they’re known as yachaejeon) and is the perfect dish to use up odds and ends of any vegetables you have lying around,” says Eleanor Wilkinson, author of One Pot, One Portion.
“Cabbage, spring onions, carrots and courgettes work really well and provide a nice balance of moisture and crunch, but peppers, potatoes, mushrooms or leafy greens are good alternatives. Depending on the vegetables you use, you may need more or less water to make the light batter so adjust as necessary.”
Makes: 1
Ingredients:
200g vegetables (eg 50g carrot, 50g spring onion, 50g cabbage, 50g courgette), sliced into matchstick-size pieces
60g plain flour
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Big pinch of salt
At least 60g water
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp chilli oil
1 egg
To serve:
Sriracha, sweet chilli sauce or soy sauce and rice wine vinegar mix
Method:
1. Add the vegetables to a bowl along with the flour, sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt and the water. Stir this all together until well combined. You are looking for every piece of vegetable to be lightly coated in batter, so if any are looking a bit dry you can add some more water. This will depend on the vegetables you use and how much moisture they have.
2. Grab a large frying pan and add the sesame oil. Let this heat gently over a medium heat, then add in the vegetable mixture. Press it down into a flat layer in the pan and let it cook for five minutes on one side. After five minutes, it should be golden brown and crisp on the bottom, so take a spatula and quickly but confidently flip the pancake over. Cook for another five minutes on the other side until it’s also golden and crisp.
3. Once cooked, tip or flip the pancake onto a plate and put the frying pan back on the heat. The pancake will crisp slightly as it cools.
4. Meanwhile, add the chilli oil to the pan and crack the egg on top.
5. Fry for a few minutes until cooked to your liking, then place on top of the pancake.
6. You can finish this with sriracha or sweet chilli sauce, or make a dipping sauce with equal parts of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.
Recipe from ‘One Pot, One Portion’ by Eleanor Wilkinson (Ebury Press, £22).
