Sweet and Spongy Badam (Almond) Milk Pancakes

 In Chennai, there is a sweet shop chain called Shree Mithai. I’m fond of it not only because we share similar sounding names but also because of their iconic Kesar Badam Milk or Saffron Almond Milk. When I visit my grandparents’ house, it is almost guaranteed that my patti (grandma) has stocked up on multiple 8 oz. Shree Mithai-logoed cups which radiate a saffron yellow beam upon opening the fridge door. These cups don't last long as I use my straw to pierce through the plastic seal and slurp down the cool, thick drink, only pausing to chew the slivers of almonds I siphon up. 

This recipe is based on that sweet milk dressed up as a traditional American breakfast food -- pancakes! The batter is made from cardamom-y badam milk which makes these thick and fluffy pancakes sweet enough to eat on their own -- no maple syrup needed. But, I personally like to take it even further and drench these thicccccccccc (with 50 c’s) fluffy pancakes with leftover badam milk. The feeling in your mouth when you bite into a soaked badam pancake is something I can only describe as squeezing out a sweet sponge in your mouth.

What is Badam Milk?

Badam Milk literally translates to almond milk. However, this name is a bit of a misnomer because it is actually made from regular's cow milk and contains bits of almonds. In fact, the taste of almonds is pretty subtle in badam milk but primarily adds texture to the milk. The milk is steeped with cardamom, saffron, and sugar which makes it a sweet drink to sip on. For this recipe, we will use it to sweeten our delicious pancakes. You can make badam milk up to a week before and store it in the fridge until you are ready to consume or use in your pancakes.

Easy Way To Remove Almond Skins

Pouring hot water over the almonds prunes the almond skins kind of like your fingers after swimming in the pool for a long time! The papery almond skins separate from the white interior once they are soaked for some time.

I use my forefinger and thumb to squeeze the skin off the interior. This should be pretty easy if you have soaked the almonds long enough in the warm water. If you are still facing difficulty, you can soak the almonds in warm water for some more time.

Sweet and Spongy Badam (Almond) Milk Pancakes

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• Author: Shri Repp
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 10 pancakes 1x

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Description

This recipe is based off of a sweet almond (badam) milk from a Chennai sweet shop  dressed up as a traditional American breakfast food -- pancakes! The batter is made from that cardamom-y badam milk which makes these thick and fluffy pancakes sweet enough to eat on their own -- no maple syrup needed.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Badam Milk Ingredients 

• 50 - Almonds (40g)
• 2.5 cups - 2% Milk
• ½ cup - Sugar
• 5-7 - Cardamom Pods
• Small Pinch - Saffron (~15-20 strands)

Wet Ingredients

• 1 - Egg
• 3 Tbs plus more for greasing pan- Ghee or Butter (unsalted)- melted

Dry Ingredients

• 1 Tb - Baking Powder
• ½ tsp - Baking Soda
• 1 tsp - Kosher Salt
• 1.5 cups - All Purpose Flour (213g)

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Instructions

Prepare the Badam Milk

1. First, you will blanch the almonds or you can use already blanched almonds and skip step 1 and 2. Blanching is just a fancy word to say that you will remove the dark and papery skin of the almond to reveal its shiny-white interior. To do this, boil enough water (~½ cup) to cover the almonds. Pour the boiling water over the almonds and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Drain the almonds and rinse them with cold water to quickly cool them down. Squeeze and pinch each almond between your fingers to remove its skin. Tada - you’ve blanched almonds! 
3. Use a blender or food processor to grind the blanched almonds. Add ½  cup of the milk into the blender until a semi-gritty paste forms.
4. Add the badam paste, the rest of the milk, cardamom pods, strands of saffron, and the sugar into a saucepan on medium-low heat until the milk starts boiling, the sugar dissolves, and the paste is mixed with the milk (about 5 minutes). Stir often so that the milk doesn’t burn. When the milk starts to boil, immediately turn the heat to low and let simmer for 5 more minutes. This ensures the raw taste of the almond cooks out.
5.  Let  milk cool for at least 5 minutes and pull out the whole cardamom pods. Take 1.5 cups of the milk for the batter and keep the rest as a syrup alternative to soak your pancakes in. 

Prepare Pancakes

1. Mix baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate medium bowl beat your egg, melted ghee or butter, and 1.5 cups of badam milk. 
3. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and no dry spots remain. 
4. Heat a pan or griddle over low heat. (There are a lot of sugars in the batter so avoid using high heat for the pancakes). Lightly oil your pan with either ghee or neutral oil. Scoop out about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for every pancake. The batter is on the thicker side so you may need an additional spoon to help scoop out the batter and spread in the pan. Flip once you see bubbles on the surface and light browning on the sides of the pancake. Cook until both sides are golden.
5. Serve with leftover badam milk, shaved almonds, syrup of your choice, or plain!

Notes

• Badam Milk can be prepped up to a week before you make your pancakes! 
• Remember to make your pancakes over low heat as the pancakes have a high sugar content and can caramelize and then burn with high heat.

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 20
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: Badam Milk Pancakes