I started my day with delicious Strawberry Pancakes

Like I said in my previous post, you will be seeing a lot more strawberry recipes this season. For starters, why not start the day with some delicious strawberry pancakes. I found this recipe on Chefinyou and instantly wanted to try them out.I do agree with DK's recipe of strawberry pancake: Normal pancakes with some strawberry syrup drizzled on top! Naaah, not my thing at all! When I say Strawberry Pancake, I imagine biting into some berries inside my pancakes, not just outside and certainly not like a syrup alone! Wow! This really tempted me try the pancakes.
Chef Christian Faure, M.O.F (Master Craftsman of France), was recently in Mumbai and I happen to stumble upon a very handy tip for strawberries: he says that if strawberries are placed in the sun for 10 minutes; the warmth helps out to bring the flavour of the fruit. I haven't tried it though but would love to hear from you if you noticed any change :)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 egg whites
2tbs honey
1 cup milk
2cups strawberries
1/2tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbs butter
maple syrup/honey, powdered sugar & some strawberries to serve


Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and keep it aside.
Take the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix well. Slice thin slices of strawberries.
Mix both the wet and the dry ingredients together slowly. Add the sliced strawberries and stir very gently.
Grease the skillet lightly, and drop about 1/4 cup of the mixture. Spread it lightly.You will see bubbles popping on the surface and will also see the edges done. It's time for you to flip the pancakes with the help of a spatula and cook the other side as well.

Serve your hot pancakes with maple or honey or strawberry syrup, powdered sugar and some sliced or whole strawberries. I got about 4 pancakes.

My tastebuds: It definitely made my day and added a sweet fragrance to my morning.


This is my submission to Blog Bites 9:The Holiday Buffet, hosted by One Hot Stove.

Passion Fruit & Couscous Trifle

Passion fruit juice has always been one of my favorite. I like the flavour and the sweet fragrance of the fruit. I recently visited my mother-in law and got to taste  her freshly grown passion fruit. Strangely, not many people know about the fruit as it is rarely found in any super markets in India; at least I've never seen anyone selling it here. I've always tasted them fresh from the garden. I came back home excited with a basket-full of passion fruit and an urge to try something totally different.
Passion fruit is rich in vitamins A and C and  a good source of potassium and iron. The seeds are high in fibre.I used to throw away the seeds,  thinking that they may be bitter, without even tasting them. Only recently, I discovered that the seeds are not bitter and also have a nice crunchy taste.
If using the pulp and seeds simply cut in half and spoon out the flesh. To extract the juice, scrape the pulp and seeds against a sieve with a wooden spoon (if you want to omit the seeds). A lot of fruit are needed for a little juice, but a little juice goes a long way.A syrup made by boiling down the diluted juice with a little sugar further intensifies the flavor and makes a wonderful fruit salad dressing or cocktail ingredient.
I was inspired to try this recipe in one of the websites, taste.com and liked the entire blend of flavours. I have made some changes in comparison to the original and the result turned out to be tasty and visually appealing.

125ml mango juice
1 tbs caster sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds removed
100gms couscous
4 large passion fruit, pulped
2 bananas, peeled and chopped
1 cup sweet cream
Extra cinnamon for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat mango juice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until simmering. Add couscous, cover and set aside. Stir with a fork to separate the grains.
Divide the couscous into 4 portions. Using 200ml glasses, place a layer of passion fruit and banana in the base of each glass followed by couscous then a layer of sweet cream. Repeat the layers finishing with a layer of sweet cream.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and allow it to set for 4-5 hours or overnight. Serve cold. Serves 4.

My tastebuds: Passion Fruit & Couscous trifle is a pleasant surprise. Every bite transforms you to a world of flavours.

This is my submission to this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by A Food Lover's Journey.