Kitchen Metaphysics: Recipe - Guatemalan Banana Pancakes

Barry and I just got back from a month-long rotation in Guatemala. It was wonderful and exhilirating in so many ways, and not at all what I expected. First we spent two weeks in Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela (Shay-la) ) learning Spanish. We met some amazing people and traveled to some of Guatemala's hidden treasures, like high altitude hot springs and an active volcano nestled among the jungle highlands.

.....

Antigua, the former capital, was filled with ruined cathedrals dating back to the 16th centry, georgeous volcano-backed views, and many oddities.

In Xela we investigated the local foodie scene with our roommate Alex. This was our FAVORITE taco stand, which sadly we only discovered a few days before leaving. Best. Tacos. In the world.

The next two weeks of our trip were spent in Santa Cruz, a nearly vertical town of a few thousand native Guatemalans tucked away in a cozy ring of villages circling Lake Atitlan. It looked like Utopia, but the people lived in horrible poverty and had almost no access to healthcare. We worked with Dr. Sinkinsin, an American ER doc who opened a clinic at the lake 5 years ago with his wife Carmen, a Guatemalan pediatrician. They travel by boat two days a week to other towns around the lake and provide healthcare to whoever shows up. In tow they bring a nurse, three Spanish-to-native language translators, and however many students happen to be working with them at the time.

Barry and I could see patients on our own (using our fabulous medical spanish and much arm gesturing), discuss cases and treatment with one of the docs, get the medicine on our own from the pharmacy (the suitcases full of meds we brought with us), and administer them ourselves. It was like nothing I've ever done before. Incredible.

Here's a brief glimpse of the gorgeous lake...

We stayed at a place called La Casa Rosa. Our place had a little kitchen with a mini fridge, stove top and a sweet little view of the garden.

We spent our first weekend at the lake with our UVA/Guatemala coordinator, Jessica. She took us to her favorite breakfast joint where we ate the most delicious banana pancakes (in Guatemala they're called panqueques). Since we were on our own for three meals a day we decided to give them a try.

Ingredients:
1 cup of pancake mix
1/2 cup of water
1 egg
1 tsp of sour cream (optional)
1 tsp butter
1 banana
butter & syrup

1. Let me start out by saying that cooking in Guatemala is quite an experience. Before you can cook anything you have to take a boat to the main town, hike up to the grocery store, trek everything back to the boat and hold onto it tightly for the harrowing trip back. From the camp stove that nearly caught fire whenever we lit the big burner, to the algae bloom at the lake requiring us to only use bottled water, to the many, many, many bugs, every day provided us with new and unusual challenges. But often in a good way.

We didn't have measuring cups so I used a soup ladle to measure mix and water (2:1 ratio). It worked ok, but you'd probably be better off following the instructions on the box.

2. After combining the mix, water and egg, I decided to add a little sour cream. There is a story behind the sour cream but I will wait for another recipe to tell it.

3. I don't know how well this picture conveys the batter consistency... It shouldn't be too runny or too stiff. Adjust accordingly.

4. Now, heat a small pat of butter in a pan over low-medium heat. Once it's hot add enough batter for your first pancake.

5. Slice your banana at an angle so you get oblong pieces. While the pancake is cooking, add a few slices to the still-batter side.

6. Carefully flip your pancake over onto the banana side. It will take about 2 minutes to really cook. I have heard you're only supposed to cook a pancake once on each side but I usually toss them back and forth a couple of times to make sure they're cooked through. You'll know they're done when they bounce a little bit as you flip them.