You'll Like These Pancakes, Oladi

In typical Jewish fashion, my mother complained that I don't talk about her enough in therapy.

So this post is going to be one of MANY posts about her and her impact in my life (I promise, mom).

My mother is so incredible and beautiful. Her genius truly knows no bounds--and now that she stopped looking over my shoulder, I can write about this recipe.

~~~

My first experience of American-style pancakes was IHOP when I was 12, but don't get me wrong-- I've been eating pancakes since before then. I didn't realize it though.

Being from a first generation immigrant family, I always idealized American breakfast. Just the constant commercials were so tantalizing: A thick stack of pancakes with a perfect square of butter softly melting under this luscious thick coat of maple syrup. The perfectly sunny side up eggs and extra crispy non-greasy bacon on this pristine white plate. The camera slowly pans around it all, and you hear a Barry White-like voice come through the speakers--"Only 7.99".

I always thought of how lucky those people are. I'd look at my plate of food and wonder why this pancake isn't so pristine and uniform. Why I had sour cream and berry jam instead of that perfect sweet and savory bite. I'd try to stack them myself, make a perfect butter square and drizzle that syrup while going "Oh yeah...only 7.99" in my best Barry White voice.

But nothing would beat that trip to IHOP where I could finally get that meal and load it with all the sauces on the side. Yes, ALL of them. That might be where my indecisiveness originated from, but who's to tell?

Now though, I realize how lucky I also was to grow up to my cheese breakfasts, syrniki, shakshukas, and of course oladiki.

Oladiki are like tiny crispy bready pancakes. They truly encapsulate the meaning of fluffy and crispy. Whenever bananas would overripen in our house, my mom wouldn't make banana bread like an influencer during COVID (and why was it banana bread that was so popular anyway? Was this the inconspicuous toilet paper crisis all over again?). She'd make us oladiki. She'd always make half of them with bananas and the other half without, and everyone would fight for the banana ones because they really were the best.

They had just the right sweetness and mushiness. It tasted like those caramelized bananas that you'd get flambeed in fancy restaurants, and while you definitely don't flambe these pancakes, you can still chase it down with a shot of rum. We don't judge that in our house...well, except maybe the choice of liquor (we're a strong tequila and whisky family).

Anyway, my mom really is a genius and unbelievably talented. She's the one I got this culinary skill from, and she always keeps amazing me with her recipes and her patience in passing it down to me. So here is me sharing the secrets of my teacher (and definitely not writing this under any duress).

Mom's Banana Oladi

(A non-banana bread recipe)

Ingredients

Serving Size: 4 People

• 3 1/2 c All Purpose Flour

• 2 c + 2 tbsp Kefir, Slightly Warmed or Room Temperature

• 1 Egg, Room Temperature

• 1 tbsp Sugar

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 1/2 tsp Vanilla

• 3 Bananas (or add more)

• 1 tbs Powdered Sugar

• Neutral Oil, For Frying

Steps

1. In a bowl, whisk together the kefir, egg, salt, vanilla and sugar.

2. Sift the flour in batches over the wet mixture and mix it each time. So, maybe 1/2 c sifted and then stir. Repeat the process until all the flour is mixed in and the dough is a bit thicker than pancake batter, almost like a very wet bread dough.

3. Sift in an extra tablespoon of flour mixed with the baking soda, and stir again.

4. On medium heat, heat up a skillet with enough oil to come up an inch from the bottom of the pan (I think around 1/2 c, but eyeball it).

5. Slice your bananas on an angle about 1 inch thick (for maximum banana surface area).

6. Depending on the size you want, grab an appropriate spoon and remember they do get a little bigger. We use a tablespoon so: with a tablespoon (you might need a second to help cause it sticks, I sometimes put cooking spray on the spoons for that reason), place 1 scoop of dough into the pan. Add a slice of banana in the center of your 'pancake'. Repeat the process until you fill the pan with your banana oladiki.

7. Cook until golden brown (around 3 minutes) on the bottom. Flip your oladiki. Cover with a lid. You'll see they look nice and puffy.

8. Cook for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with paper towel. My mom usually lines a large aluminum foil tray with paper towels cause she makes a lot.

9. Place on a serving tray and gently sift some powdered sugar over all the oladiki until lightly coated.

10. Serve with anything--jam and sour cream, butter and maple syrup, Nutella, etc.

Substitution Suggestions

Same measurements apply.

Vegan: Substitute butter for plant-based margarine. Substitute kefir with 1 3/4 c of vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream (make sure it has probiotics) and 6 tbsp of any vegan milk. Use 1/4 c of apple sauce instead of egg or use 3 tbs of JustEgg.

Vegetarian: This is vegetarian.

Gluten-Free: Use almond flour (might need less), one-to-one ratio of buckwheat flour and almond flour, cassava flour (use a little less and eyeball it--remember the texture should be a little doughy).

Dairy-Free: Substitute butter for plant-based margarine. Substitute kefir with 1 3/4 c of vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream (make sure it has probiotics) and 6 tbsp of any vegan milk.

Kosher: This is kosher.

Halal: This dish is halal.

No Flour: Use a gluten-free substitute

No Egg: Use applesauce

No Kefir: Use buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream (use the same ratios as the vegan kefir substitute)

No Sugar: Use honey or maple syrup

No Bananas: Can leave it out or add blueberries, chocolate chips, or any other fruit you'd like.