Malawax (Somali cardamom crepes)
Malawax: thin, lightly sweet cardamom crepes for breakfast with honey and spiced tea
Fragrant with cardamom and just sweet enough, malawax are the thin, soft pancakes Somali families make on weekend mornings and for guests, stacked high and eaten with honey, sugar or a smear of ghee beside a pot of shaah. They are thinner than canjeero and contain egg and milk, so they cook in a minute and stay tender rather than spongy. Children roll them up and eat them in their hands; adults tend to tear them and dip them in tea. The batter should be as thin as single cream, and the classic mistake is a pan that is not hot enough, which gives pale, rubbery crepes that stick. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the flour hydrates; the first crepe is always a tester, so adjust the heat after it.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oilplus a little for the pan
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk the 7 oz plain flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Make a well, add the 2 eggs and whisk in the 1 ¾ cups milk and ½ cup water gradually to a smooth, thin batter. Stir in half the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and rest for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Heat a 24 cm non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and wipe it with a little of the remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil on kitchen paper. A drop of batter should set at once.
Step 3: Pour in about 60 ml batter and swirl so it covers the base thinly. Cook for 45–60 seconds until the edges lift and the underside has golden spots, then flip and cook for 20 seconds more.
2 minStep 4: Fold into quarters and stack on a plate under a clean cloth. Repeat with the rest, oiling the pan every couple of crepes.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malawax (Somali cardamom crepes) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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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