Corn and Pepper Pancakes
Table set with festive dishware, small shaped vases and assorted glass bottles dotted with fresh flowers and herbs, a collection of brightly colored napkins, neatly tied together the evening’s meal.
There were Pulled Pork and green chilies Tostados, homemade Pico de Gallo and Guacamole, refried beans topped with cheese, a bowl of sour cream, fresh Black Bean Salad, Mexican style rice, and warmed flour tortillas for stuffing with spiced grilled chicken, green and red peppers, onions. Small plates of fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges with a red container of Sriracha served as added toppings.
Hours before, small plastic containers were set aside in a nearby cabinet readied for the older folks to later take home, enjoying the meal again whenever they pleased the following day.
The little fiesta had been fun.
A visit to the second refrigerator in the garage after guests had departed required an overview glance for some extra storage space.
And there they sat. Alone. Tragedy.
Right up front on the clear plastic center shelf with the white rimmed border, one and half dozen pale creamy whitish yellow kernels of corn on the cob husked from their outer greens earlier that day, loosely wrapped in a dampened bright white cloth sack towel, completely forgotten in the day’s preparation.
Every summer sweet corn lover knows why the local farm sells day old picked corn at half price. Corn loses its pure sweetness quickly. Even more quickly once husked.
Long overdue for a cocktail in the busy day of entertaining Margaritas were definitely in order even as the temperature cooled down from it’s daily blister. A dark black sky filled with summer stars matched the silence except one definitive click on of the grill gently flaming to capture the flavors of the forgotten sweet corns summer sugars just in time.
Carefully covered by aluminum foil on a long white platter, one and a half dozen cooked creamy whitish yellow cobs of corn slightly tinged with blackened grill marks made their way back, front and center onto the clear plastic center shelf with the white rimmed border in the garage refrigerator until the next day.
Mission accomplished, a second Margarita was definitely in order, as was imagining a simple but tasty use with the grilled kernels. Corn and Pepper Pancakes. Tomorrow.
A bit finer than all purpose flour and requiring no baking soda, Korean pancake flour provides a certain versatility of light denseness combined with a crispy textured finish when mixed with eggs for today’s Corn and Pepper Pancakes. Using ice cold water is helpful using this type flour mix and your goal is adding just enough liquid to provide a silky smooth batter.
Corn and Pepper Pancakes may also be prepared mild or as spicy, adding in a few shakes of Tabasco to the beaten eggs or combining together various spices.
The pancakes may served with dip, seasoned sour cream, or eaten plain hot off the griddle.
The key points, always cook your corn on the cob on the same day it is husked.
If you forget to prepare them for your fiesta, have a Margarita, turn on the grill and give them a cook.
On the other hand, if you specifically prepare Corn and Pepper Pancakes they’ll make a great addition to any fiesta style party and you will likely remember to serve them to your guests.
Corn and Pepper Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, beaten
- few shakes Tabasco sauce
- 2 cups Korean pancake flour
- 1 1/4 cups or a bit more ice water for thinning batter
- 1/2- 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper powder
- coarse kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups grilled corn on the cob kernels
- one pinch of sugar
- 2 jalapenos, seeded, chopped fine
- 1 red pepper, seeded, pith removed, chopped
- 8 scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise,
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- canola oil for frying pancakes
Instructions
- Shake Tabasco sauce into the beaten eggs, mix well, then pour into a large size mixing bowl, stir in the Korean Pancake flour. A little at a time stir in one cup of the ice water, continuing to stir carefully removing any lumps then continue adding in a little ice water at a time until the batter is smooth, just slightly thinner than a breakfast pancake batter. Sprinkle the batter with the Korean red pepper powder, a few good pinches each of salt and pepper, stir.
- Sprinkle a good pinch of sugar and a few pinches of kosher salt onto the grilled corn kernels, then stir in to the batter along with the jalapenos, red peppers, and scallions
- Heat a large nonstick pancake or saute pan on medium high heat, pour in oil to coat the bottom of the pan swirl around to cover, reduce heat to medium low
- Using a small size ladle, pour batter into pan leaving at least an inch of room between each pancake, fry until golden colored on one side, around two minutes before flipping over and cooking another few minutes, until golden on the other side and cooked through
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