Eats of the Month | October 2019
Updated: May 19, 2020
Buckwheat Pancake and Toppings - Home-cooked
On a quest to cut down on my wheat intake for the day one day, I decided to use the
buckwheat flour I impulsively bought a few weeks ago. I had a vision in my mind of what I
wanted the pancake to look like with all of the toppings and thankfully, everything was in the
house. THANKFULLY.
I mixed buckwheat flour with water and salt, and to my surprise, the consistency turned very
okra-like. Slimy, and gloopy. I had no idea that was what would happen. It also appeared
that the more I mixed, the thicker the batter became. I got scared. I added more and more
water until I was happy that I wasn’t creating something that I would have to bin immediately
after cooking.
The pancake ended up being thicker than intended; as it was a savoury pancake, I didn’t let
this bother me too much, as I saw it to be more fitting for the toppings I would add later.
I cooked up some shallow fried plantain fries (say it out loud), chopped a full, small avocado
up into little pieces and did the same with some cucumber and tomatoes. I added some salt,
chilli flakes and parsley and voila! A quick and easy tostada, pancake hybrid thing.
Next time, I will mix the buckwheat flour (if there is a next time because I am truly scarred)
with a ‘looser’ flour – possibly coconut or almond, to make it less gloopy.
Cooking is truly a science and it is usually when things go wrong or take an unexpected turn
that you remember this.
I must say, though, that all in all, this was a solid dish and it didn’t make me feel heavy and
lethargic afterwards. Try it out.
Tofu Gyoza and Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi - HOP
I would certainly recommend going to Hop on your lunch break. It is a cute little spot near
Leadenhall Street that is more spacious than it looks and offers many affordable dishes that
are not too fattening.
I had been wanting to try Banh Mi for such a long time! So, I finally tried one filled with Lemongrass Chicken. Hm.
I was slightly disappointed with the Banh Mi. I'm not sure of what I was expecting but I wasn't wowed. The wetness of the chicken had dampened the bread, which was not the thickest. The chicken was flavoursome but had no wow factor.
I did also try the Vegetable Dumplings with their peanut sauce and although it was all intentionally cold I enjoyed them slightly more than I did the Banh Mi.
I was sold on the ambience (I did take a late lunch so it may have just been a quiet time, but still) more than I was the food. However, I know that I probably just needed to make a different food choice. I won't rule out visiting again.
Interested? Okay: http://hopvietnamese.com
Sio