Peanut Pancakes

When I was just a little girl...

My dad used to bring me along on his weekend shopping expeditions at the Tanglin Halt wet markets. I really enjoyed our little trips. Even back then, I just loved the markets. I'd look at all the fruit and veg and con my dad to buy me anything which caught my eye.

I was always amazed by the traditional Indian spice ladies, who would scoop out curry powder from these giant, vibrant mounds of fresh powders.

And at the end of it all, my dad would bring us to the nearby hawker centre (not in Tanglin Halt but the other one a short walk away... Margaret Drive?) where he'd have a quick tea while he'd chat with the stall holders and I would have my single GIANT sugee cookie which would be about the same size of the plastic saucer it was served in.

Those weekend mornings were magical times for me.


And one of the magical moments was when my dad decided that we could have... kuih kacang (peanut pancakes). I think it would depend on the length of the line and how much we wanted kuih kacang that morning - this particular hawker made the best kuih kacang and EVERYONE knew it. We'd place our order and wait for our kuih to be cooked because there was never precooked pancakes to be had.

I didn't mind waiting because I loved watching the pancakes being made.  They were made in a huge skillet (similar to a paella pan) and despite (what to little me at the time) its size, the hawker was always so swift and would always manage to loosen the pancake in two semi-circular swipes without breaking the pancakes.

And the taste. Oh my. Fluffy pancake, with moist peanut crumbs and bits of more coarse sugary powder where the mixture had not sunk into the batter. And the thin, crispy edges. It was one of my favourite breakfast foods. There was never enough crumbly peanut powder for me, I'd always steal the bits of crumbs in the packet... or worse... eat ONLY the peanut filling and the thin layer of pancake off the top, just like how kids lick frosting off cupcakes and leave mucky, saliva coated cake for everyone else. 

Ahh. Memories. 

I was so happy to find a Facebook post with the recipe today and before I knew what was happening, I was stirring up some batter. The results were pretty decent for my first time making it... and the husband seems to love it.

I have modified the recipe a little and reordered the steps. I might have to tweak the recipe a bit more. I don't like that I have to weigh out the ingredients so the next time I make it, I'll try to investigate the equivalent amounts in ml and/or cups.

Original recipe here. 

Peanut Pancake

Ingredients:

Batter premix:
50g warm water (NOT hot because it will kill the yeast!)
1/2 teaspoon of instant dry yeast

Batter:

100g milk, room temperature

50g warm water

1 egg, room temperatur

30g caster sugar

1/2 tsp oil (I used rice bran oil - you want to use one with little or no flavour)

Pinch of salt
130g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp water

Filling:
200g peanuts
50g caster sugar
10g butter (optional but I didn't use it)

Tools:
Frying pan with a high, straight wall. So not a wok but a regular frying pan. Make sure the surface of the pan's wall is smooth as some pans will have little bolts/knobs sticking out from where the handle is attached to the pan. 

Method:

1. Pour warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle yeast over it and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. Add milk, warm water, egg, sugar, salt and oil to the yeast water mixture. Mix well.
3. Add the flour, in three batches, to the batter. Mix well and ensure you have a smooth batter. 
4. Cover the bowl with a lid or food wrap. Let the batter proof for about 90 to 120 minutes or until the mixture doubles in size.
5. Roast the peanuts over low heat in a pan. 
6. Grind the peanuts in a food processor so that you get a coarse meal. The original recipe suggests using a flat blade for this.
7. Add the sugar to the food processor and continue processing till you get a dense, slightly clumpy meal. The original recipe suggests swapping over to a sharp, cross blade for this. 
8.  Optional, as per the original recipe: If you prefer a smoother and creamier paste, you can add about 10g butter to it.
9. Once your batter has proofed, add the baking soda with 1 teaspoon of water and mix well. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes.
10. Heat up the pan on medium-low heat and apply a light coat of oil/butter.
11. When the pan is hot, pour the batter and swirl it around the pan, coating the walls of the pan with a thin layer of batter. Let the remain batter settle in the base of the pan. See picture in notes.
12. Allow the pancake to cook through, the surface will resemble a crumpet.
13. Spread the peanut powder/paste on half of the pancake. 
14. Carefully lift the edges of the pancake off the pan. 
15. Cover the peanut-covered half of the pancake by folding the other half over it so that you have a semi-circle pancake. You can do this in the pan or, if it's easier, lift  it out of the pan first.
16. Cut into slices, and stuff your face!

Extra notes: 

• I cooked the pancake on low-medium heat. 
• If you've not had this pancake before, it's basically meant to be a thick, soft body with thin, crispy edges. To achieve this, you need to load up the bottom of the pan with batter and then spread it/swirl it around so that a thin layer coats the walls of the pan. You need to find a balance - you want the best to be thick and fluffy but if you put too much batter, it'll take too long to cook and the thin edges will burn.

• I might have been a bit impatient with the crust and pulled it off before it crisped properly.
• I noticed my pancake batter didn't seem to rise much after 90 minutes. I cooked it anyway and it seemed to turn out fine. I'll have to keep trying and see whether it might be an issue with the yeast I bought or my impatience!
• The original recipe uses a Happycall pan - a famous brand of lidded pan. I just used a normal, high walled pan. Just make sure that there aren't bolts for the handles sticking through the wall of the pan- you want your pancake edges to be smooth!
• I omitted vanilla essence because I remember the peanut pancakes being quite plain.
• Rather than mixed nuts, I stuck to just peanuts... just like they would at the hawker centre.  
• I doubled the quantity for the peanut filling - I found the single serve wasn't enough for me! 

Bonus Video! In Mandarin, it features the peanut pan cake seller from Tanglin Halt. Ahhh the memories...