Where There Is No McDonald’s: TEFL Recipes

Feasting on local food is one of the highlights of living abroad. But sometimes the craving for some comfort/home food really kicks in. A couple of my favorites which are easy to make from scratch, by popular demand:

American Pancakes (no, they do not come out of a box and you are not doomed to be without them just because you’re out of the US)
1 cup flour (do your conversion math here)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (this is important)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg (you can omit this if necessary)
2 tablespoons melted butter
oil (for the pan)

Mix this stuff up, heat the oil, then pour into the pan. When small “bubbles” appear on top, it is time to flip them over. For a really good time add walnuts/raisins/apple chunks or chocolate pieces. Forgot your Canadian maple syrup? Try using honey.

Banana Bread
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)
1 and 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (this is important)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (this can be hard to find – it might be called Soda Bicarbonate. To be honest, I’ve skipped it before.)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix these things in the order listed, with an electric mixer if possible, and pour into a greased pan. Cook for one hour at 325F (neato converter here), and good luck to you if your oven doesn’t have degrees at all, just nine number levels. According to Mom, who usually knows, it is best to store it wrapped in aluminium foil.

I’ve chosen these recipes a) because they’re tasty and b) because their ingredients tend to be widely available. When I first tried to cook abroad I was stunned by how many recipes I had which required such specific – generally pre-made – ingredients which were nearly impossible to find abroad, at least where I was. I’ll admit that identifying the correct variety of flour can be a challenge…there seem to be no less than nine varieties here. Trial and error.

Stay tuned for some Thanksgiving recipes in the near future and scroll down this post for the Universal Pasta Sauce recipe. Bon appetit for now!