Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Banana Cinnamon Crepes

When I first met the man who would be my husband, I had no idea about the rich culture that he carried with him, in fact I had given it no thought whatsoever.  I had heard him talk about his cousins in Trinidad, and soon after we started dating I learned about the Sri Lankan side of his family.  Before long, I was intrigued.  My husband's heritage is a vibrant and interesting one and I was keen to learn more about it.

I was particularly fascinated by the food (natch), and after sampling Sri Lankan food (thanks to a couple of very talented Aunties and one Sri Lankan restaurant) I was hooked.  The deep, intense roasted curry powder, heavy use of chillies and, of course, cinnamon seduced me and I was determined to cook this cuisine for myself.  I have found that most Sri Lankan dishes that use flour call for rice or lentil flour, so are naturally gluten free.  I am still learning and discovering new ingredients (I'm Scottish - before all of this, coconut was just part of the coating on a Tunnocks Snowball) and I'm enjoying every moment.

That said, any Sri Lankans reading this post might want to look away now.  This recipe is very loosely inspired by hoppers, which use a fermented batter made with yeast, rice flour and coconut milk.  I say loosely, and I mean it, this is in no way an authentic recipe.


This month, the Gluten-Free Ratio is focusing on crepes.  T.R. over at No One Likes Crumbley Cookies is hosting this event, so pop over there to see the full round-up.


The ratio for crepes is 1:2:2.  That's 1 part flour : 2 parts egg : 2 parts liquid.  This ratio worked well for me, but some of the others in the rally have altered theirs in some way.  You are basically looking for a batter with the consistency of heavy cream, so depending on what flour you use you might have to adjust the amount of liquid slightly.  I was a little worried that the coconut milk I was using might change the way the batter cooked, but I was pleased to see that it worked in the same way as milk, but with the pleasing aroma of coconut wafting from the crepe pan!

Banana Cinnamon Crepes

2 eggs
56g brown rice flour
114ml coconut milk (the thin stuff - if you have coconut cream, dilute it with equal parts water)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bananas, sliced
3 tbsp golden caster sugar mixed with 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

  • Whisk together the eggs, flour and cinnamon until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps.
  • Add the coconut milk and whisk again until smooth.  Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes, to allow the flour to absorb some liquid.
  • Heat a non-stick frying-pan on a medium flame and brush lightly with oil (or use a piece of kitchen towel) to just coat the pan.  Give the batter a quick mix and pour approximately a quarter of it (about 1/3 cup) into the pan and swirl the pan to cover the surface with the batter.
  • You will know the crepe is ready to turn when the surface begins to bubble and the crepe comes away from the pan easily.  Turn the crepe and cover half of the, now cooked, surface with slice banana and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the whole surface.
  • Fold the crepe in half to cover the banana and turn out on to a plate.  
  • Brush the pan with a little more oil before starting the next crepe.
Crepe - ready to turn over


Here are the links to the rest of the rally's delicious crepes:

Adina ~ Gluten Free Travelette ~ Breakfast Crepes Three Ways
Angela ~ Angela's Kitchen ~ Savory Buckwheat Crepes with Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Kale Filling
Caitlin ~ {Gluten-Free} Nom Nom Nom ~ Buckwheat Crepes
Caneel ~ Mama Me Gluten Free ~ Slightly Sweet Crepes with Caramelized Bananas and Nutella Sauce
Charissa ~ Zest Bakery ~ Black Pepper Crepes with Chicken Tikka Masala
Erin ~ The Sensitive Epicure ~ Socca with Za'atar & Sumac (Garbanzo Flour Crepes)
Ginger  ~ Fresh Ginger ~ Sweet 'n Savory
gretchen ~ kumquat ~ nutella crepe cake
Heather ~ Discovering the Extraordinary ~ "Southwestern" Crepes
Jenn ~ Jenn Cuisine ~ Braised Duck, Fennel and Chestnut Crêpes
Karen ~ Cooking Gluten-Free! ~ Gluten Free Crepes Savory or Sweet
Mary Fran ~ FrannyCakes ~ Gluten-free Peanut Butter Crepe Cake
Mary Fran ~ FrannyCakes ~ Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Crêpes Sucrées
Monika ~ Chew on This! ~ Dessert crepes with caramelized plantains, toasted coconut and chocolate sauce
Morri  ~  Meals with Morri ~ Russian Blini for Two
Pete and Kelli ~ No Gluten, No Problem ~ Key Lime Crepes
Shauna ~ gluten-free girl ~ Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Brownie Crepes with Strawberry Wine sauce
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Basil Tomato and Feta Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Fresh Fruit Crepe
Tara ~ A Baking Life ~ Breakfast Crepes with Eggs and Kale
Jonathan ~ The Canary Files ~ Vegan Crepes for Filipino Spring Rolls
Rachel ~ The Crispy Cook ~ Raspberries and Cream Crepes
~Mrs. R ~ Honey From Flinty Rocks ~ Crepes - Spinach & Dessert



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12 comments:

  1. Dinners must be spectacular at your house with all those flavors mingling. Your crepes look wonderful. I like the coconut milk in them.

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  2. love that you used coconut milk... the flavors all sound delicious.

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  3. Angela @ angelaskitchen.com7 March 2012 at 15:32

    Coconut, bananas and cinnamon... YUM! Those sound wonderful!

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  4. charissa (zest bakery)7 March 2012 at 16:22

    I think you've hit the holy trinity in flavors. I bet they taste fab!

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  5. Mmmm, coconut smell while cooking. Love your flavor combinations! And what luck you two have with your background and his and all the awesome foods you both bring to the table!

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  6. Coconut = Brilliant!

    You always have such amazing entries for the GFRR, and I can imagine how deliciously these flavors merged.

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  7. Oh I love the coconut milk idea, and a perfect combination with the bananas, awesome! Great job!!

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  8. gluten-free[k]7 March 2012 at 18:53

    Thank you for your comments, we are very blessed to have such a rich heritage and I am delighted to have discovered so many delicious flavours along the way!

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  9. Wow. So simple and delicious. I love it. I think I should try this for myself soon to share for dessert w/ friends. ;)

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  10. The InTolerant Chef7 March 2012 at 20:46

    How lovely with the coconut milk, yummo!

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  11. What an awesome story regarding your husband and how his heritage inspired your choice of flavors. And from beautiful inspiration sprang beautiful crepes. :) Thank you so much for sharing, Caleigh!

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  12. Mmm, now you've got me fascinated by Sri Lankan food. Based on your descriptions of it, I'm thinking I would LOVE it. How wonderful that so much of it is naturally gluten-free! And your crepes sound delicious, too. I love baking with coconut, especially for the smell it fills my kitchen with!

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