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Aruban pan bati

Sweet cornmeal pancakes

Pan bati: sweet cornmeal griddle pancakes

Aruban families put a stack of pan bati on the table with almost every bowl of soup or stew, from sopi di pisca to kabritu stoba: thick, slightly sweet pancakes of cornmeal and flour, cooked on a dry griddle and torn to mop up the broth. They are soft, a little grainy and golden at the edges. The mistake is cooking them too fast, so they burn outside and stay raw in the middle. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the cornmeal softens and the pancakes come out tender.
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
6
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Ingredients

Serves6
  • 5 ½ oz fine cornmeal
  • 4 oz plain flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ¼ cups milk
  • 1 oz buttermelted, plus a little for the pan

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Mix 5 ½ oz fine cornmeal, 4 oz plain flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt in a bowl.

  2. Step 2: Whisk 1 egg, 1 ¼ cups milk and most of ⅞ oz butter, then stir into the dry ingredients to make a thick, pourable batter. Rest for 10 minutes.

    10 min
  3. Step 3: Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over a medium-low heat and brush with a little of the remaining ¼ oz butter.

  4. Step 4: Pour in about 80 ml batter per pancake and cook for 3 minutes until bubbles form and the underside is golden, then flip and cook 2–3 minutes more until springy in the middle.

    18 min
  5. Step 5: Keep warm under a cloth and serve with soup or stew.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
230 kcal
Protein
6 g
Carbs
38 g
Fat
6 g
Fibre
2 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does aruban pan bati take?
About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of plain flour?
Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
What can I use instead of sugar?
Caster sugar, same amount.

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