Pancake Tuesday

... buckwheat crepes with a spicy, high-protein, kimchi *cream*

Best pancakes I’ve ever taste? Warm, cheesy buckwheat crepes with a spicy kimchi cream…

Pancakes are so darn delicious, it’s rather puzzling why we don’t tuck into them every Tuesday.

I never get my fill on Pancake Tuesday, partly because I always forget it’s coming. A bit like Mother’s Day, and Visa deadlines. But I’m on it today!

What the heck is buckwheat?

Buckwheat, despite its misleading name, is not even wheat and contains no gluten. If you've ever had Japanese soba noodles, you'll already be familiar with buckwheat's nutty, distinctive (almost smoky) flavour.

Whole, we add it to granola recipes and bake it in the oven. Milled into a flour, we love buckwheat served up as banana bread, French galettes (large thin pancakes like today’s recipe) or Russian blinis (small thick pancakes).

And kimchi?

Yep. Kimchi is a sour and fiery cabbage dish with an absurdly delicious tang. It lasts for weeks in the fridge, making it really easy to reach for something healthy to eat. All credit goes to the lactic acid produced by Lactobacillus bacteria, preserving or enchanting everything it touches. If you were to view your microbiome as a garden, this kimchi would be your fertiliser.

Our health is not a simple picture of genes and environment. There’s a third element that we now know of – let’s just call them nifty dudes. Nature, nurture and nifty dudes.

At any one time, our gut can contain 2kg of nifty dudes says Dr Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology. This bacteria metropolis is our microbiota, and each strain has its very own biological function within our body and our microbiome. Mind blowing, eh?

So where can we find these nifty dudes? Liv fermented foods like this week’s kimchi.

Here’s a step-by-step photo recipe on how to make your own beginner’s kimchi. So easy, and considerably cheaper. But you can buy really good live kimchi in Ireland now. Take a peek in SuperValu Food Academy sections for a variety of kimchis (no kidding!) Or your local health food store will stock it.

I’m happy to schedule a live cook-along (massage-along?!?) on making your own kimchi later this month, if you fancy? Let’s throw a spin in, for the more seasoned reader (mango kimchi? pineapple kimchi?)

Go forth, and make merry!

Lots of love and pancakes,

Susan Jane

x

// Cheesy Buckwheat Pancakes//

I like to make a double batch of this pancake batter, and store it in the fridge all week to service hangry teenagers. They are warm, pillowy in the centre, and softly crisp on the outside - guaranteed to mend moods and marriages.