Buckwheat

BUCKWHEAT FIG AND TAHINI PANCAKES | Buckwheat, a protein-rich seed, is a perfect substitute for those on gluten-free diets 

After much thought, I finally put my chocolate tahini I purchased from the Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem to good use. To spoil your loved ones with a luscious breakfast treat, try making these buckwheat pancakes with fresh figs and finish off with a generous drizzle of chocolate tahini and/or maple syrup (without guilt, I did both!). For that extra ‘crunch’, add some crushed pecans or pistachio.  Further embellish with some dried rose petals and voila, there you have it – a dainty and picturesque breakfast enough to tantalise your senses!

For those who are unfamiliar with buckwheat, let me do a quick introduction. First, buckwheat is neither a grain nor wheat. To distinguish it from grains, it is sometimes called a pseudo cereal. The edible portion is a seed from a plant related to greens like rhubarb and sorrel. Second, buckwheat is high in nutrients. It is rich in many trace minerals, including manganese, magnesium and copper. It is also a good source of the B vitamins: B6, pantothenic acid, niacin, folate, thiamin and choline. Moreover, all versions of buckwheat contain resistant fiber. Resistant fiber is a compound shown to lower blood sugar after meals, help weight loss, reduce food cravings and improve diabetes.

Now onto the buckwheat flour. Grind the whole buckwheat kernel and you get buckwheat flour (and yes, you can make it at home yourself in a high-speed blender). Commonly used in pancakes, buckwheat flour is a high fiber, high protein alternative to white flour so feel free to sub-away in your muffins, cookies and breads. Not to mention, I personally prefer the taste of buckwheat pancakes over their regular, white flour, counterparts.

Buckwheat pancakes with figs and chocolate tahini

PREP TIME: 15 min | ACTIVE TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: 30 min | YIELDS: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 2 cups of milk or milk substitute (almond milk, oat milk, etc)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (to grease the pan)
• 2 figs, quartered
• 2 tablespoons of runny chocolate tahini (or can use plain tahini)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• handful of pecans or pistachios, to garnish
• handful of dried rose petals, to garnish

METHOD:

1. Beat egg together with the flour and milk of your choosing in a large mixing bowl.
2. Prepare a hot griddle or non-stick pan by melting coconut oil on it or spraying it with a cooking spray to prevent pancakes from sticking.
3. Scoop the pancake batter with a ladle onto the hot griddle. When you see bubbles form on the top of the pancake, it is time to flip it.
4. After flipping the pancake, let it cook for another minute or two, then stack it onto a plate. *NB: you can cover the pancakes with a tea towel to keep them warm as you continue to cook the rest of the batter.
5. Adorn the pancakes. Cut the figs into quarters and layer on top of the pancake stack. Finish by drizzling the chocolate tahini and maple syrup on top. 
6. Last but not least, loosely scatter the pecans and dried rose petals.  Serve whilst warm.