Esfahani-Style Pancake Recipe, Long-Awaited Trip to Iran and My 10 Year Blogging Anniversary

After many years I went on a long-awaited vacation to Iran with my two daughters. It was an amazing trip with many incredible moments. Our trip was intended to visit our families, see the historic sites and spark the love of my home country and the rich Iranian culture in my daughters. We visited Esfahan, Shiraz and Tehran over a span of about three weeks and we had quite a packed itinerary exploring these three major cities. It was an experience beyond all expectations. We were warmly greeted by both sides of the family upon arrival and were graciously shown around the beautiful cities.

This blog was born in the early days of December ten years ago when I was trying to find a way to cope with the loss of my mother. It has since brought me much joy and fulfillment and I am glad that it has helped people cook Persian food. I have received many kind and heartfelt letters over the years that I am so grateful for and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

One of the highlights of our trip was getting to taste new food as well as the old favorites. A new delicious food that we had for the first time was my sister-in-law's pancakes that she made for breakfast on our very first morning in Esfahan. This ingenious پنکیک pancake is more scrambled eggs than the American pancake and contains more eggs than flour. It's also less time-consuming than making pancakes and tastes just as delicious. The entire batter is poured into the pan and cooks slowly on low heat instead of spooning the batter into the hot skillet and making several thin pancakes. Below is Shahnaz khanum's recipe that I tweaked a little.

Esfahani Pancakes - پنکیک اصفهانی 

Ingredients:
Serves 4

4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder *optional
1/2 tablespoon sugar *optional
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter

For the topping:
Syrup, honey, grape molasses, fresh fruits, or extra butter

Method:

1. Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Add the milk gradually, stirring until well blended.
3. Beat eggs with a fork or whisk and add to the flour mixture. Combine thoroughly.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil, pour in the batter, and lower the heat.
5. Cover and cook until the pancake is fluffy and golden brown on the bottom. 
6. Cut into four equal pieces.
7. Carefully flip each piece with a spatula, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

Happy New Year! May 2019 be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for everyone!