Several months ago, we used up the last of our Ube Mochi Pancake Mix from Trader Joe’s. My husband, who was a fan of all things mochi, was so disappointed to hear that Trader Joe’s stopped carrying it (at least for now). None of the other pancakes I’ve made for our weekend “special breakfasts” did anything for him since then.
So this post is dedicated to my husband, lover of ube and mochi. And since I’ve been making all things ube non- stop, I’ve decided to go with a different Filipino flavor, though not quite as popular- pandan.
I sourced some fresh pandan leaves from our local Vietnamese store, in the produce section where it was labeled as “la dua”. I ground it up with some water in my blender and squeezed out all the extract through a cheesecloth. After a few days in the fridge, the water naturally separates from the “juice” and I discarded the water on top.
I have to admit that the pandan flavor from fresh leaves were not quite as strong as those in the bottle, so I added half a teaspoon more of artificial flavoring to the batter, which added a bit more brightness in color to my pancakes than I liked. Prior to adding the artificial flavoring, it was a beautiful mossy green, akin to matcha. Oh well, I guess I couldn’t have it all.
The syrup that I made specifically for this is similar to a Hawaiian Haupia, but I used coconut sugar instead of refined sugar to add a more coconut-ty flavor to it. After making the syrup, I ended up having too much for my pancakes, so I used it to make a classic Filipino dessert, Buko Pandan (lit. Coconut Pandan).
My husband and kids have been following Trent the Traveler on Youtube and he often makes a face when he eats something delicious. It tickled the kids so much, it’s become a household stunt to imitate his expressions when our taste buds are tantalized. To say that it’s Trent-in-food-heaven expression- worthy is the least of it.
Feel free to swap out the pandan extract called for in this recipe for ube extract if you want to stay true to the Ube Mochi Pancakes from Trader Joe’s! Either way, use coconut syrup all the way!
Pandan Mochi Pancakes with Coconut Syrup
Pancakes
Serves 6
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total:10 mins
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup mochiko flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 1/2 teaspoons pandan extract* (either homemade, artificial or a combination- I ended up using 1 1/2 tsp homemade plus 1/2 tsp artificial)
Instructions:
Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.
Combine all wet ingredients thoroughly in a separate bowl.
Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Heat waffle iron or non-stick pan and pour batter to desired diameter size.
Flip when bubbles form on the top.
Remove from the pan once brown on both sides.
Serve immediately with syrup and butter (optional).
Coconut Syrup
Makes 2.5 cups (about 12 servings)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total:15 mins
Ingredients:
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup coconut sugar
½ tsp salt
Instructions:
In a saucepan on medium heat, tip can of coconut milk and slowly pour out the milk. Stop shy of the clear liquid pouring out into the pan. Discard.
Add coconut sugar and mix until sugar is fully dissolved.
Add cornstarch and salt and whisk completely.
(I personally had to use an immersion blender to get the cornstarch to fully incorporate).
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Syrup thickens more as it cools.
NOTE: To make your own pandan extract, use 10 clean pandan (la dua) leaves, cut up in pieces to ½ cup of water in your blender (or food processor). Remove from your blender and squeeze out the extract using a cheesecloth into a container with a tight lid. Leave in the fridge for a couple of days to separate extract from the water. Tip the container in the sink to discard the water that floats to the top. Recipes inspired by: Keeping It Relle and the Food Charlatan
Hey It's Jen Lou 