Blini, Fluffy Buckwheat And Plain Flour Pancakes

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Blini, Fluffy Buckwheat And Plain Flour Pancakes

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

These addictive soft and spongy pancakes are associated with Russian cuisine. 

They are often served topped with savoury items like smoked salmon, caviar, salmon roe and sour cream. More humble ingredients like chopped eggs and melted butter go on them too.

I like blini that have buckwheat flour added into its batter. The batter also has to be yeast risen. I appreciate how the yeast helps to develop the mix of buckwheat and plain flours into pancakes with a flavour that is certainly not like the all-purpose flour, eggs and milk pancakes that many of us are accustomed to.

How do these blini taste? A 100% buckwheat flour pancake will have a clearly earthy and almost metallic taste. The mixture of buckwheat and all-purpose flour that I use in a rough 1:3 ratio gives the blini a pleasant slight earthiness and the blini are light and spongy. Take a look at the depth of the blini in my cover photograph. No amount of quick acting baking power or bicarbonate of soda can replicate the taste and texture of the work yeast does to the batter.

Whilst reading up on blini, I found it interesting that whilst most of the world outside Russia (and possibly in parts of the Balkans) refer to blini almost definitively as small raised pancakes, children who grew up eating their grandmother's blini will say blini are in fact similar to crepes, those wide and thin pancakes.

They would say the recipe that I am providing are not actually for blini but for Oladushki/Oladyi, small thick pancakes. I am not Russian and I am certain my grandmother never even heard of the word blini, so I won't know right from wrong here. All I know is blini are a treat to eat and highly addictive! 

Serve them as starters, as a light brunch, for tea, any time is a good time!

BLINI FLUFFY BUCKWHEAT PLAIN FLOUR PANCAKES

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	10 minutes
Inactive:	30 + 10 minutes for batter to rise and develop flavour
Level:	Easy
Makes:	20 circles of  2" (5cm) blini
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Keeps well refrigerated up to 2 days.

Just the ingredients For the batter 1/8 cup (0.70oz)(20g) buckwheat flour 1/4 +1/8 cup (1.76oz)(50g) all-purpose/plain flour 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon butter 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons (100ml) milk 3 Tablespoons (50ml) light sour cream 1 egg yolk 1 egg white For the topping (a combination of any of the following) Light sour cream or creme fraiche Salmon roe Caviar Ikura (Shoyu) Japanese salmon roe marinated in soy sauce & sake/mirin Ebiko, Japanese prawn roe Tobikko, Japanese flying fish roe Lump fish roe Hard boiled eggs, chopped up Melted butter

Ingredients

For the batter

Dry ingredients

1/8 cup (0.70oz)(20g) buckwheat flour

You could increase the ratio of buckwheat to plain flour to your liking. Locally, you are likely to find buckwheat flour in the Health Food aisle of better stocked supermarkets.

1/4 +1/8 cup (1.76oz)(50g) all-purpose/plain flour

1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten

Vital wheat gluten is derived from the endosperm of the wheat berry and is often added to a bread dough mix to help bake a loaf with more volume. I add it to give the blini extra lightness. 
Vital wheat gluten can be purchased at better stocked supermarkets. I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten. This does come in a 1 lb 6 oz (623g). It is a large bag so keep sealed and refrigerated. I use it often in my wholemeal loaves. Take a look at my recipe for Moroccan Inspired Wholemeal Round Loaves. It bakes beautiful, light wholemeal loaves with the addition of vital wheat gluten. 

For the same reason, I add vital wheat gluten into my Braided Stollen With Three Logs Of Marzipan. It is a sweet loaf studded with fruits and threaded with marzipan. Delicious.

This recipe will work without the vital wheat gluten. The blini will taste the same but you might not get the same depth and softness.

3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

I use SAF-instant.

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

1 Tablespoon butter

1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons (100ml) milk

3 Tablespoons (50ml) light sour cream

1 egg yolk

1 egg white

Others

1 Tablespoon butter for buttering the skillet for frying

For the toppings

Light sour cream or creme fraiche

Salmon roe

Caviar

Ikura (Shoyu) Japanese salmon roe marinated in soy sauce & sake/mirin

Ebiko, Japanese prawn roe

Tobikko, Japanese flying fish roe

Lump fish roe

Hard boiled eggs, chopped up

Melted butter

Method

Mix the flours, vital wheat gluten, yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside the dry ingredients.

Melt the butter. Add the milk, sour cream and stir to mix. Add the egg yolk and mix well. With a whisk, gradually add into the dry ingredients, making sure there are no lumps and the batter is smooth. 

Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes or until tiny bubbles appears on the surface of the mixture and it looks slightly frothy.

Once it reaches that stage, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Transfer 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the batter and mix in gently. Next, work in the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites by using a wide spatula or spoon to gently fold in the egg whites. Work with a light hand so that you keep as much air bubbles in the egg whites as possible.

Let the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare your skillet.

When you are ready to fry, heat the skillet on medium heat.  Butter the skillet and dollop 1 Tablespoon (use less/more depending on the size of blini you want) into the heated skillet. Leave 1" (2.5cm) around each blini to allow room to flip the pancakes.

Once the circumference of the blini have dried up a little and tiny bubbles appear on the surface (takes about 90 seconds), flip the blini over. 

It should take another 1 minute for the blini to cook through. 

Transfer to cool before embellishing with your choice of toppings.

Tips

• Prepare batter ahead

The batter can be made ahead the day before. This means you will end up with blini that are slightly sour as the yeast has been given more time to develop the batter. Some people prefer this taste and will deliberately set aside time for the batter to develop to achieve this flavour. Note that you only add the whipped egg whites 10 minutes before you are ready to fry.

• Batter can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, quintupled, sextupled. 

At my recent New Year Eve's party, I sextupled the recipe to cater to over 20 people and made 20 X 6 = 120 blini. Using a long double burner griddle (you can use 2 skillets), I fried the blini an hour before party time. You could fry them up to 2 days before. They cook really fast so you are actually bent over a stove for a shorter period than you expect.

I topped 2 trays of blini with my choice of toppings and served them to the first guests. Thereafter, I had these guests help me replenish the blini which was great as it gave me time to prepare the rest of dinner.

• Other ways to serve

Making it informal or serving to a smaller group

If you want to make it less formal or if you are having a small group over, lay out the blini and toppings and have guests help themselves. That is how I set it up in my cover photograph. It might be less formal eating but it still manages to make a dramatic and indulgent presentation.

Top it with unconventional toppings

One of my favourite combinations is an easy mix of avocado and light sour cream as a base that I top with crisp bacon. Yummy.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 
I am going to work on a series of Easter breads. Through the years, I have seen many delicious looking Easter breads and I have always wanted to try my hand at baking them. So this year, I am going to do just that as we move towards Easter. 

To start my Easter bake off, I am going to post my recipe for a lovely loaf of Hot Cross Buns. I don't particularly care for traditionally Hot Cross Buns which I find rather bland and predictable, so look out for my next post where I show you how it can be baked to taste more interesting.

Zaalouk, Moroccan Grilled Eggplants And Tomatoes

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Zaalouk, Moroccan Grilled Eggplants And Tomatoes

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Zaalouk has become a staple whenever I serve a spread of meze (little bites). The way to enjoy it is to dip a piece of bread torn off from a freshly baked loaf into the Zaalouk.

It tastes tangy (from the tomatoes) and slightly smoky as the eggplants (aubergines) are grilled until the skins are well charred. The softened eggplant is then scraped off its blackened skin and simmered with tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander and a mix of cumin, allspice and paprika. 

If you have not had this before, you can imagine with the combination of herbs and spices, it will and it does taste wonderfully different from conventional dips. You should know that Zaalouk is often referred to as a 'cooked salad' and not a dip. Actually, you just need to know it is delicious.

In the blog post preceding this one, I introduced the idea of serving a selection of 'small bites' before your main course as a sensible way of entertaining during year-end parties when you are more likely to cater to a larger group. 

Putting out a plate or two of small bites also serves as a means to buy you time to finish preparing the rest of your courses and to just free yourself somewhat from the kitchen. Read more on that in my introductory post, Meze, A Selection Of Wonderful Little Bites.

This post then marks the start of my series on meze, little bites, finger foods, appetisers, hors d'oeuvres... whatever you like to call them. 

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

ZAALOUK, MOROCCAN GRILLED EGGPLANTS AND TOMATOES

Prep:	5 minutes
Cook:	30 to 40 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Makes:	3 cups
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for some light sauteing and a little more oil, 1 to 2 Tablespoons to drizzle over the Zaalouk before serving.

1/3 cup onion, diced small

610g (1.3 lbs) eggplant/aubergine

I use the long slender purple coloured ones so that I don't have to worry about bitterness or any extra large seeds.

411g 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes

Most other recipes for Zaalouk will call for fresh tomatoes. Unfortunately, good fresh tomatoes are hard to come by locally. Unless you have access to premium tomatoes, buy premium canned tomatoes instead and you will get better results from those canned ones than the often 'flavourless' fresh ones. 

4 garlic, minced

3 Tablespoon Italian parsley, cut finely

3 Tablespoon coriander, cut finely

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder

Start with 1/4 teaspoon and adjust according to your preference.

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon allspice powder (or you can substitute with cinnamon powder)

Start with 1/4 teaspoon and adjust according to your preference.

Allspice is also referred to as Jamaican Pepper and I have seen it labelled as Pimento Berries. The berries look like dried juniper berries and are slightly larger than a black pepper seed (without the wrinkles). It taste like a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Conventional Zaalouk recipes do not ask for allspice powder but I like the extra flavour that it adds to my Zaalouk.

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Cut off the stalks from the eggplants.

Grill the eggplants until the insides are soft and the skins are charred all round.

Cool and peel back the blackened skins and use a spoon to scrape off all the bits of flesh from under the skins. Those slightly charred bits stuck there have the smokey flavour that you want. Cut the inner flesh into small chunks. Set aside.

Do use both coriander, the one on the left with the more delicate leaves and the Italian parsley, the one on the right. They do not taste quite the same and there is a nice balance of flavours when you use both coriander and Italian parsley. Cut finely and set aside.

Add the 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a deep saucepan or pot. Saute the diced onions lightly to soften. Now add everything else in. Yes, everything. Easy isn't it? Stir occasionally and break up the tomatoes and eggplants against the sides of the pot with a wooden spoon. Simmer on medium for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the Zaalouk should look like the one I cooked pictured below. Taste to adjust the seasoning and to check that all the vegetables and herbs have softened. If it needs more cooking time, simmer for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Cool before serving.

To serve, pour into a serving dish with a 1" (2.5 cm) depth. Create a little well with the back of a spoon. Pour the reserved 1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil into the well. Garnish if you like with coriander or parsley leaves.

Serve with bread or be naughty and bring out the tortilla chips.

Tips

• This is one of those dishes that taste just as well on the first day, the second day and even into the third day. So certainly consider making this in advance to lighten your cooking load.
• To encourage you to use canned tomatoes (but they do have to be of a premium quality), I had cooked two separate lots of Zaalouk, one with fresh tomatoes and the other with canned tomatoes. That top photograph of Zaalouk was cooked using canned tomatoes. It has a lovely fresh look to it and it taste as lovely as it looks. The Zaalouk that is featured in the photograph of meze was cooked with the best fresh tomatoes I could find locally (sadly they often fall short on flavour), the colour is not as vibrant and I much prefer the taste made with canned tomatoes. You compare and decide for yourself.
• When I am not serving Zaalouk as part of a meze, I usually serve it with tortilla chips and don't bother about the flat bread or pita. Tortilla chips and salsa has become a rather predictable pairing, try replacing it with Zaalouk  instead.
• Leftover Zaalouk tastes very, very good toss with spaghetti.
• Any other leftover Zaalouk can be used as a sauce to simmer away with any leftover beef kefta (they are meatballs - take a look at the picture of meze above), a recipe that I will be posting fairly soon.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 

Flashed Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers. I call them 'flashed fried' because the peppers are literally fried over super high heat for one to two minutes! How quick and simple is that? And, they are good!

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Small Bites. It kicks off my start on possible appetisers that you could serve at your year-end parties.

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf.

Vadai, Gluten Free Savoury Lentil Snack

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Vadai, Gluten Free Savoury Lentil Snack

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

This is my version of the Indian savoury snack Vadai, known by at least three other names, Vada, Vade and Wada. It's my version as amongst other changes, I have neither the skill or patience to shape it into its typical doughnut shape. That has never deterred me from serving them with coconut chutney and mint chutney or a side of fresh whole green chillies. 

Apart from its shape, what makes my vadais different? Other recipes use a water base batter. I use prawn/shrimp stock. This gives the vadai a different taste layer, enhancing its flavour and making them less 'beany' tasting.

For me, the best way to serve this is as pre-dinner nibbles. The presentation and wholesome taste of these vadais will impress your guests enough that they know a delightful meal will soon follow. The danger will be that they eat too many of them and fill up before that!

You can prepare your main course unhurried as these will keep your guests occupied and full enough till you are ready to stroll out with it. Moreover, you will have time in between to mingle and powder your nose. I love these kinds of recipes!
VADAI, GLUTEN FREE SAVOURY SNACK       

Prep:	30 minutes
Cook:	15 minutes
Inactive:	6 hours up to overnight to soak lentils/urud dal
Level:	Intermediate
Serves:	6 to 8 as pre-dinner nibbles
Oil Temperature:	340F (170C)
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Prawn stock can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Batter can be frozen up 6 weeks.

Ingredients

For prawn stock 

If you do not want to make a prawn stock, read up on the alternatives found under ingredients list for batter.

15 medium sized (11 and 1/2 oz) (328 g) prawns with shells and heads

1 Tablespoon oil

4 garlic smashed

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

For batter

1 cup and 2 Tablespoons (9 oz)  (250 g) urud dal also known as black gram/lentils. Sometimes labelled as 'white gram/lentils'.

These can be purchased from Indian grocers. The lentils you want to buy are actually off white in colour. The black husks have been removed revealing the inner off white colour of the lentils. You will also find on the grocer's shelves, black gram lentils with husks still attached so they are black in colour. Remember to buy the off whites ones. 

Soak the lentils at least 6 hours. I tend to soak them overnight.

3/4 cup prawn stock OR any of the following alternatives:

• 3/4 cup of water and 1/2 of a prawn stock cube/1 teaspoon prawn granules

Prawn stock cubes/granules can be purchased from Filipino grocers. 

• 3/4 cup of bottled clam juice 

Bottled clam juice can be found at better stocked supermarkets.

• 3/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of clam/seafood granules

Korean grocers carry clam/seafood granules on their store shelves. 

• 3/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of dashi granules

Dashi granules are like the bouillon cube of Japanese cuisine. Made from a base of bonito (fish) and I am sure other flavour enhancers. Found in most supermarkets and at Japanese grocery shops.

Almost 1 cup (4 and 1/2 oz) (130 g) finely diced purple onions

Use purple onions and not yellow as purple onions are more often than not the onion of choice to be used in Indian cooking.

1/3 cup (1 oz) (28 g) loosely packed finely cut coriander/parsley

2 long sprigs curry leaves, about 2  and 1/2 Tablespoons finely cut

2 large green chillies, remove seeds and finely diced

1 Tablespoon rice flour

This helps give the fritters a crispy edge.

3/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon dashi granules OR 1/2 teaspoon prawn/clam/seafood graules granules OR 1/3 of a prawn stock cube (pulverise this with a knife before using)

I prefer using dashi granules as it does add the umami flavour that I am after into the vadai. 

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

This helps soften the lentils.

pinch of asafoetida

Refer to photograph attached under 'Directions' below to find out what it looks like.

Asafoetida is the resin derived from the herbaceous ferula family. You can buy this greyish brownish coloured powdered spice at your Indian grocer. I use this for its anti-flatulence properties. It is an ingredient used as far as I am aware, primarily in Indian cooking. Its use has not transcended borders as much as other spices associated with Indian cooking. Perhaps because it smells dangerously sulphuric. The smell might just shock you enough to send you reeling back a few steps. I keep the plastic container where it comes stored in when I buy it, in a plastic bag and then in a glass jar. That is how pungent it smells.

Add too much of it in your food and it overwhelms the dish. I am very conservative with the amount I add. I cannot accurately tell you the flavour it imparts as it is a totally different spice. All I know is if I add it to my lentil/bean dishes, my tummy feels a whole lot better. If I really have to describe the taste it imparts, I would say it is a mix of onion, fennel and garlic. 

Omit if you cannot bring yourself to buy or use it.

I do use it in my recipe for Coconut Chutney.

For frying

Enough neutral tasting oil (for instance, not olive oil but sunflower, safflower or rice bran) to come up to about 2" (5 cm) deep in your frying pot.

To serve

One, a combination or all of the following:

• Fresh green chillies
• Coconut Chutney
• Mint Chutney
• Tomato Salsa or Sauce not ketchup please. Not authentic at all but neither is my recipe. I open a bottle of Prego Marinara Sauce.  I used to make a rather nice Tomato Chutney but I have not made it in years so the recipe is quite fuzzy in my head. I have to do a bit of recipe work to replicate the taste before I can recreate the chutney and post that. In the meantime, Prego will do for me.

Directions

For Prawn Stock

Wash prawns. Remove shells and heads. Set aside. Save the prawn meat for another use as we will not need it.

In a pot, lightly brown garlic in oil. Add prawn shells and heads and fry until it turns orange and smells fragrant. I fry them at least 5 to 8 minutes on medium-high heat until it looks as if it is coming close to being burnt. Frying it thus enhances the flavour of the prawns. Watch the garlic though.

Add water and salt. Boil down until you have 1 cup of stock even though the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of stock. Always better to have some extra.

Use a potato masher to mash up prawn shells and heads in the pot. Drain and set stock aside.

For Batter

Drain and rinse the urud dal well. Drain well so that you can add as much prawn stock as possible.

Grind urud dal with prawn stock until you have a smooth and thick batter similar to hummus. Thin down further with more stock if required. I doubt you will need to. The batter has to be thick.

Remove urud dal from mixer into a large bowl and mix in all other ingredients.

Asafoetida is in the glass dish at the bottom right.
On its right, in the same dish are dashi granules.

The batter has a thick but somewhat loose consistency.

Place the batter into a heavy duty plastic freezer bag. At this point you can freeze the batter as is.

If you are frying them straight away, heat 2" (5 cm) of oil in your frying pot to 340F (170C).

Snip off 3/8" (1 cm) off the corner of the freezer bag. Pipe a circle and a half of batter (6' to 8" long) (15 to 20 cm long ) directly into the hot oil. There is really no right shape. Some end up looking like wriggles. It is fine.

These vadais are served with green chillies. The way to eat
them is to take a bite of vadai and then a bite of chilli. The
savouriness of the vadai and the sweetness of the onions
within goes well with the fresh tasting crisp green chillies.
Be careful though as some chillies can be spicy hot!
I usually stick to eating the bottom half of the
chilli and then give up. It gets way too spicy for me
from that point up.

Turn them after they start to colour on one side. They usually cook in about 2 to 5 minutes.  Do not overcrowd your pot or the temperature will drop and the vadai will be oily and soggy.

Drain before serving with your choice of whole fresh green chillies, mint chutney, coconut chutney or Prego Marinara Sauce. They are all good!

Tips

• Freeze them to use as a quick snack

I recommend making a double batch of these and freezing them in a few plastic freezer bags. They are so convenient. They thaw and fry up quickly. You can serve them as snacks when you have unexpected guests. It doesn't matter if you have no chutney to serve with it. Green chillies and bottled tomato salsa or sauce will suffice. If you have neither, than just serve with a cup of tea.

• Serve them for tea with a cup of Chai/Masala Tea or a refreshing pineappleade.

These are just right to serve for tea with a cuppa. I have a recipe for Chai Tea also known as Masala Tea. The recipe is filed under Ham With Honey Butter Tea Sandwiches. 

If you want something nondairy to go with vadais then try my pineappleade. It can be served hot or cold. Either way, it is always refreshing. The recipe is also filed under Ham With Honey Butter Tea Sandwiches. Just look at the pictures. I need a pineappleade now and maybe just one vadai. Someone make them for me!

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                           

The recipe for Coconut Chutney! Don't limit yourself to serving this chutney with just vadais. They are good with pakoras and tortilla chips straight out from a bag!