7 November 2005 14:46

* Home
o > Enjoyment
+ > Food & Drink
# > Recipes

Celebrity square meals: George Alagiah's pancakes with coconut filling
Published: 26 November 2005

My mother used to serve these pancakes as a treat for breakfast or for
afternoon "tiffin". The first time I had them was as a child in Sri
Lanka. I've had to experiment with quantities, as all I got when I
checked with my aunts was a vague, "just put enough so it tastes nice".

for the pancakes

100g plain flour
a tiny pinch of salt
2 large eggs
200ml milk
75ml water
butter to grease the pan

for the filling

100g desiccated coconut
Half cup hot water (not boiling)
4 tablespoons date syrup
60g roasted cashew nuts or Fairtrade brazil nuts

To make the pancake batter, mix the flour and salt. Break the eggs into
it and start whisking. Pour the milk and water (mixed) little by
little. Keep mixing until you have a nice smooth consistency. Leave to
one side.

Put the coconut into a small bowl. Add the water little by little until
it's all absorbed. Add the date syrup to the coconut mix. Crush the
nuts in a mortar and add to the coconut. Mix all the ingredients. Leave
to one side.

Now cook the pancakes. I use a non-stick frying pan. Pour 2 tablespoons
of the pancake mix into the pan and tilt it around till it has spread
across the bottom of the pan. Wait until it has begun to turn golden
and then - here's the tricky bit - flip it over. Once both sides are
cooked, keep warm in the oven. Repeat until you have about six
pancakes.

Put the filling in the middle of the pancakes and roll them over.

>From 'A Fair Feast' (Simon & Schuster, £9.99), the proceeds of which
go to Oxfam and Fairtrade Foundation

My mother used to serve these pancakes as a treat for breakfast or for
afternoon "tiffin". The first time I had them was as a child in Sri
Lanka. I've had to experiment with quantities, as all I got when I
checked with my aunts was a vague, "just put enough so it tastes nice".

for the pancakes

100g plain flour
a tiny pinch of salt
2 large eggs
200ml milk
75ml water
butter to grease the pan

for the filling

100g desiccated coconut
Half cup hot water (not boiling)
4 tablespoons date syrup
60g roasted cashew nuts or Fairtrade brazil nuts

To make the pancake batter, mix the flour and salt. Break the eggs into
it and start whisking. Pour the milk and water (mixed) little by
little. Keep mixing until you have a nice smooth consistency. Leave to
one side.

Put the coconut into a small bowl. Add the water little by little until
it's all absorbed. Add the date syrup to the coconut mix. Crush the
nuts in a mortar and add to the coconut. Mix all the ingredients. Leave
to one side.

Now cook the pancakes. I use a non-stick frying pan. Pour 2 tablespoons
of the pancake mix into the pan and tilt it around till it has spread
across the bottom of the pan. Wait until it has begun to turn golden
and then - here's the tricky bit - flip it over. Once both sides are
cooked, keep warm in the oven. Repeat until you have about six
pancakes.

Put the filling in the middle of the pancakes and roll them over.

>From 'A Fair Feast' (Simon & Schuster, £9.99), the proceeds of which
go to Oxfam and Fairtrade Foundation

FYI I used to think that "chicken tail bun" is a translation of the
Chinese term that is translated directly from "cocktail". It usually
means a "mix" of something. However I found out in this case it really
means "a chicken's tail", because the coconut bun used to be diamond
shaped - pointy at both ends, like the tail part of a chicken when it's
cooked.