From breakfast and brunch to dinner and dessert, crepes can be customized for any meal of the day, all by simply swapping them from sweet to savoury. Start with a simple batter then experiment with your favourite ingredient pairing in the toppings to ultimately create your very own special crepes.

My mum makes the best ever pancakes which she does on a “tawa” she does not need anything fancy like non-stick skillet. When mum makes pancake batter, she makes so much batter it always looks like she intends to feed an army – oh yes I am not kidding. All the grandchildren take their seat at the kitchen breakfast table while the tawa is heating up – and the pancake production starts. They fly off the shelf or rather tawa, the speed that are gone is quite scary. But hey that’s what grandmothers/mothers  do – and mama is no different the pleasure in feeding us is far more important. When the house is full of children mum forgets her aches and pain – happiness takes over, the best remedy.   

My version of mum’s pancakes with a twist an ultimate luxury pancake by adding one of the favoured ingredient…. you’ve guessed it the famous saffron.

Egg free crepes are much lighter than crepes with made with eggs, so you need to use a gentle touch when flipping. I am not too confident using a “tawa” like mum so for me the best utensil I  use is a non-stick skillet and a very thin spatula. Wait until the edges appear almost crisp before flipping. As for taste… I can guarantee you they are great and you will want more, I like to add vanilla seeds making these pancakes divine. These pancakes are so flavoursome they don’t need further toppings but, by all means should you wish to add toppings a dollop of fresh cream is never too much for a treat……

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 Tablespoon white sugar (depending on how sweet your taste buds are)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• Butter to grease the pan or cooking spray
• ½ vanilla pod seeds
• 2 Tbs desiccated coconut (optional) I choose to add coconut in my crepes because it’s one of my favourites ingredients and also my mum always add coconut to her crepes giving the crepes a tropical twist.
• Few strands of Saffron (optional) for a finishing touch.

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar together.
2. Now add the milk, water, vegetable oil and whisk into a smooth batter.
3. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
4. When ready to prepare…
5. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat generously with melted butter of cooking spray.
6. Using a ladle pour a full spoonful of the batter into the pan. Immediately start to swirl the pan over the heat to spread the batter into a large circle.
7. When the edges of the crepe appear dry and lightly browned, flip the crepe and cook other side until lightly browned.
8. Repeat with remaining batter. To keep warm you can put the cooked crepes in the oven set at 200 degrees – placing parchment paper between stacked crepes. This does not happen in my household as these pancakes are eaten as soon as they are taken off the pan. 

To serve, fold crepes and top with coconut and few stands of saffron soaked in warm syrup.