Oat Pancakes
Overview
These are blended oat and banana pancakes, tagged in the source as a Nigerian oat pancake, and they belong to contemporary Nigerian home cooking rather than to any older tradition. Oats are not an African grain and arrived through import, but they have become a common breakfast staple in Nigerian urban households, usually as a porridge. What this recipe does is turn that pantry staple into pancakes with almost no effort: everything goes into a blender, and the batter is ready. Overripe banana provides the sweetness and much of the binding, which is why the sugar quantity is modest for the volume of oats. It is a practical way to use fruit that has gone too soft to eat. Nigeria has its own long standing pancake traditions that this is not. Masa is fermented rice cakes from the north, cooked in a dimpled pan. Ghanaian tatale is made from overripe plantain. Ojojo is grated water yam. Those are inherited dishes with regional identities. This is a modern breakfast, honestly framed as such, and it is included because it is Nigerian home cooking as it is actually practised now rather than as it was fifty years ago.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Mix the dry ingredients together.
- 2
In a blender or stand mixer, blend the oats, banana and dry ingredients.
- 3
Pour in the milk to form a batter and mix for 5 minutes.
- 4
Pour the batter into a bowl.
- 5
Set a non stick pan over medium heat.
- 6
Pour in about a quarter of the batter.
- 7
Cook until the surface is covered with small holes.
- 8
Flip and cook the other side.
- 9
Serve with coffee or hot chocolate.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Taiwo Oladapo- Wait for the holes to appear across the whole surface before flipping. Turning early tears the pancake, since oat batter has less structure than a wheat one.
- Use very ripe bananas, heavily spotted or black. They are providing both the sweetness and much of the binding.
- Let the batter stand a few minutes after blending so the oats absorb the liquid and it thickens slightly.
- Keep the heat at medium rather than high. Oats and banana both contain sugars that colour fast, and a hot pan browns the outside before the middle sets.
- Blend for the full five minutes if you want a smooth pancake. Stopping early leaves a coarser, more textured result, which is a legitimate preference.
- For a gluten free version, check the oats are certified gluten free, since oats are commonly processed alongside wheat.
Reviews
4 reviews
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Used Peak milk that I bought from the African market in Brooklyn Center because Carnation just doesn't taste the same in this. The 3 bananas made it sweet enough that my kids didn't even need syrup sha. You must keep the pan on medium-low heat though or the oat batter burns before cooking inside o.
I was worried 500g of oats to just 30ml of evaporated milk was a typo because the batter turned out thick like sadza in my blender. Had to add quite a bit of extra milk to make it pourable into the pan. The cinnamon smell while cooking was lovely though.
abeg make sure your non stick pan is properly hot before pouring. My first one got stuck because I was impatient! Once I got the heat right, the cinnamon and banana combination was fantastic. Tastes just like home.
Chale blending the dry oats directly with the bananas saved me so much time. I only used half the sugar because my bananas were already very ripe and sweet paa. Came out so soft and fluffy oo.