Photo by:

Matt Russell & Matt Wardle

Extracted from Lugma, by Noor Murad (Quadrille $37.50). Photography by Matt Russell & Matt Wardle

I wouldn’t say I had a particularly English upbringing, but there were two things my mum held on to fiercely when it came to her children celebrating cultural holidays. Of the utmost importance was Christmas, of course, but Pancake Day came a close second. I’m not really sure why this day mattered so much, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s to do with eating pancakes for dinner, lovingly doused in lemon and sugar. Yeasted pancakes mixed with saffron and cardamom (called chebab) are typical of Gulf countries, but I must confess I much prefer these lacy thin crêpes. So here’s an ode to Mum’s pancakes, with a bit of a twist.

Ingredients

110g (3 ¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
⅛ tsp Surya Salt or fine sea salt
Seeds from 15 Baraka Cardamom pods, finally crushed using a mortar and pestle
2 large eggs
280ml (9 ¾ fl oz) whole milk
20g (¾ fl oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus and extra 30g (1oz) for frying
25g (1oz) pistachios, toasted
1 ½ tsp Madhur Jaggery or caster (granulated) sugar
1 ½ tsp finely grated lime zest (the limes are used for the syrup)

FOR THE HONEY LIME SYRUP

100g (3 ½ oz) runny honey
30g (1oz) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5 tbsp lime juice (from about 3 limes)
1 tsp orange blossom water

Methods

Sift the flour into a medium bowl, then whisk with the salt and two-thirds of the crushed cardamom. Make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs, then pour in the milk. Whisk for a couple of minutes until smooth and lump-free, then whisk in the melted butter to incorporate. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, roughly crush the pistachios using a pestle and mortar. Add the sugar, lime zest and remaining cardamom and crush just to combine. Set aside.
Heat a 24cm (9½in) crêpe pan or similar non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Add a small dot of butter, swirling to spread it around the pan, then add about 3 tablespoons of the batter (two-thirds of a ladle) to the centre of the pan and swirl to fill the dimensions of the pan. Cook for about 1–1½ minutes, until nicely browned in places, then flip over and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer to a large tray or plate, and gently fold in half and then in half again to form a triangle. Continue this way with all the batter (give the batter a little mix), adding a dot of butter to the pan each time, to make 8 pancakes in total.
To make the syrup, add the honey to a large, lidded sauté pan and place it over a medium heat. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula, or until bubbling and a deep amber caramel. Carefully add the butter cubes, stirring to melt. Pour in the lime juice and 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 3 minutes more, or until the sauce is nice and glossy.
Stir in the orange blossom water, then slide in the pancakes (don’t worry if they’re overlapping or not fully submerged), top with the lid and cook for 2 minutes, just to heat through.
Transfer the pancakes to a large platter, pouring over any syrup left in the pan. Sprinkle with the pistachio mixture and serve warm.

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Noor's Cardamom Pancakes with Honey Lime Syrup

Recipe by: Noor Murad, chef & author of Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East

Serves: 4

Extracted from Lugma, by Noor Murad (Quadrille $37.50). Photography by Matt Russell & Matt Wardle

Ingredients

110g (3 ¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
⅛ tsp Surya Salt or fine sea salt
Seeds from 15 Baraka Cardamom pods, finally crushed using a mortar and pestle
2 large eggs
280ml (9 ¾ fl oz) whole milk
20g (¾ fl oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus and extra 30g (1oz) for frying
25g (1oz) pistachios, toasted
1 ½ tsp Madhur Jaggery or caster (granulated) sugar
1 ½ tsp finely grated lime zest (the limes are used for the syrup)

FOR THE HONEY LIME SYRUP

100g (3 ½ oz) runny honey
30g (1oz) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5 tbsp lime juice (from about 3 limes)
1 tsp orange blossom water

Methods

Sift the flour into a medium bowl, then whisk with the salt and two-thirds of the crushed cardamom. Make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs, then pour in the milk. Whisk for a couple of minutes until smooth and lump-free, then whisk in the melted butter to incorporate. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, roughly crush the pistachios using a pestle and mortar. Add the sugar, lime zest and remaining cardamom and crush just to combine. Set aside.
Heat a 24cm (9½in) crêpe pan or similar non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Add a small dot of butter, swirling to spread it around the pan, then add about 3 tablespoons of the batter (two-thirds of a ladle) to the centre of the pan and swirl to fill the dimensions of the pan. Cook for about 1–1½ minutes, until nicely browned in places, then flip over and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer to a large tray or plate, and gently fold in half and then in half again to form a triangle. Continue this way with all the batter (give the batter a little mix), adding a dot of butter to the pan each time, to make 8 pancakes in total.
To make the syrup, add the honey to a large, lidded sauté pan and place it over a medium heat. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula, or until bubbling and a deep amber caramel. Carefully add the butter cubes, stirring to melt. Pour in the lime juice and 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 3 minutes more, or until the sauce is nice and glossy.
Stir in the orange blossom water, then slide in the pancakes (don’t worry if they’re overlapping or not fully submerged), top with the lid and cook for 2 minutes, just to heat through.
Transfer the pancakes to a large platter, pouring over any syrup left in the pan. Sprinkle with the pistachio mixture and serve warm.