Banana pancakes (GF) (EF) (SF) (NF) (V)

Ramadan mubarak!  I have adverse reactions to eggs and nuts as well as gluten.  So finding such an easy recipe that meets those requirements and happens to taste nice is like striking gold!  It's still subtley sweet even without any sugar which matters to me as I'm prediabetic.  I used butter but if you want the recipe to be vegan, just use coconut oil or other suitable oil for shallow frying.  The banana I used was ripe (though hardly had any brown spots) and about 5-6 inches long to give an idea of proportions- it just shouldn't be a green or under ripe banana.  Extra ingredients can be added to this such as chocolate chips, raisins or maple syrup but I had these plain and consider that to be unnecessary.  This recipe makes roughly 6 scotch size pancakes

Gluten Free

Egg Free

Sugar Free

Nut Free

Vegetarian

2/3 cup besan (gram flour)

1 banana

A little butter for frying

Water

- In a blender, mix the gram flour, banana and enough water to make it into a batter that's the consistency of slightly runny custard (Optional: at this point you can add cinnamon or maple syrup to the batter)

- In a non stick pan on a medium heat, dab a little butter in different parts of the pan, then pour ladles/spoons of batter, I use roughly one third of a teaspoon of butter/ghee per pancake (Optional: at this point you can add currants, raisins, chocolate chips, or other flavours of your choice)

- When the bottom of the pancake is cooked, it stops being runny and doesn't stick so at that point flip it over and cook the other side for a minute

- Repeat the second and third steps until you run out of batter and serve plain for breakfast (maybe even consider it for sehri) with a cup of tea, or alternatively it can be served with maple syrup or nutella

Mango lassi (and blueberry) lollies (GF) (NF) (EF) (V)

Long time no post. Actually my health problems have made it more difficult for me to cook anything so I have to rely more on others to cook and try out new gluten free recipes for me- then I'm reluctant to post about them cos it feels inauthentic to post about something I didn't make myself. This recipe was so easy though, that I did make it myself.

This recipe made about 6 iced lollies and the mangoes have to be those amazing Pakistani mangoes in season as I haven't tasted anything else that quite measures up. It tastes good without the blueberries but with them, they add a nice contrast to the sweetness.  If you don't have stevia, you can use 2 teaspoons of muscavado or icing sugar in this recipe (instead of one teaspoon stated below).  Made these for Eid as the weather has been hot recently and it turned out really well.  I'm sure it's possible to make these look prettier by layering the white yogurt mixture and the turmeric coloured yellow mixture to give it a marbled effect- but I didn't have the energy to do that. (post edited in 2023 to add improvements to original recipe).

 

Gluten Free 

Nut Free 

Egg Free 

Vegetarian 

1 ripe Pakistani mango, peeled and chopped into small pieces 

20 blueberries (optional)

6-7 dessert spoons plain greek or natural yogurt (not set) 

1 level teaspoon muscavado or icing sugar 

100ml double cream 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of saffron 

4 drops stevia 

- Add turmeric and saffron to the cream, then heat in a pan or microwave and then set aside to cool 

- In a blender, pour in the saffron cream, add stevia and half of the mango and blend

- Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and add the saffron cream mixture 

- Pour the mixture into lolly moulds, ensuring that there's enough mango and blueberries in each one and enough yogurt mixture to fill them, then add the tops and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight 

- Once the lollies are frozen and ready to serve, you may have to run the lolly mould under a hot tap so that it's easier to remove the lolly from the mould and then it's ready to serve

Fish cakes (GF) (NF) (EF) (DF)

Fish Cakes
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Egg Free

1 large baking potato
1 small tin tuna in oil
A knob of butter or cream cheese (optional ingredient if not on a dairy free diet)
2 level teaspoons ground arrowroot
4 tbsp sunflower oil
Half a teaspoon garam masala (optional)
Half a teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper

- Boil the potato for 10 mins or until soft enough to mash, then drain the water and remove the potato skin

- Mash the potato, then add all the ingredients to it except for the oil and mix well

- Scoop out about a handful of the potato mixture, then use your hands to shape it into a fish cake, then repeat the process until all of the mixture is shaped into fish cakes

- Heat half the oil in the frying pan, then place about 5 or 6 fish cakes in the oil, frying them on medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until each side turns golden brown

- Serve with chips and ketchup