Crepes Zenj (Mikate ya Maji)

Crepes Zenj (Mikate ya Maji)

This name Crepes is French or Crepe suzette but I think I will dop the name in English (Crepes Zenj) meaning (mikate ya maji). Despite that Zanzibar does not have too much bakery culture, still the Islands gastronomy is very much coloured with different cultures from Portugese to Iran. When I was in Lisbon in April 1974, I happened to eat these crepes made by water and onions just like how we prepare in Zanzibar, and I became surprised, but then I came to know that the Chef who prepared the crepes was from the town of Porto where they prepare crepes by using water instead of milk.

Ingredients

• 250 gms. wheat flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 ltr. water
• a pinch of salt
• 50 gms. margarine or ghee or oil.

Method

• To make you crepe mixture, mix in the water, flour, eggs, salt and melted margarine. Whisk the ingredients together throughly well, if you feel that the mixture is very thick, add a little bit of water.
• Strain the mixture.
• Warm up your pan and drop very little bit of margarine. When the pan is very hot, start to fry your first crepe. The mixture should cover the whole pan. Normally the first crepe always have some difficulties but then the second and the rest becomes normal.
• The first crepe will show you whether you have much water or your mixture is thick. This always depend on what kind of flour you have used.
• Fry your crepes both sides until golden brown.
• Do not use any oil or margarine in the process of frying the crepes because you have already mixed the margarine in the mixture.

Tips: Keeping your frying pan clean.

• Never clean your crepe frying pan by using any soap. otherwise your crepes will fasten when frying.
• Always clean your frying pan by using only water and brush, or
• Use coconut fibers (makumbi) to rub after frying your crepes, or
• Use Kitchen paper roll to clean up your frying pan.

Serve you crepes with stew, if you want to enjoy them!

Bon Apetite.

Benn Haidari