Epicurious Diaries

Passport & Plate - Secret Beach Banana Nutella Crepes

India | Friday, February 14, 2014 | 4 photos

Ingredients
Plain flour – 1 cup
Milk - ¾ cup
Water – ½ cup
Eggs – 2 nos
Salt – a pinch
Nendrakai Bananas – peeled and sliced (you can use regular bananas)
Nutella
Pinch of coarse sea salt

How to prepare this recipe
In a bowl, add eggs, milk and water. Whisk until well combined. Add the flour and beat it to a smooth, runny batter. The batter needs to be thinner than a pancake batter. Add more milk if needed. Add a pinch of salt to balance the flavour. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and add a drop of oil just to grease it lightly. Pour 2 or more ladles of the batter and swirl the pan around to cover the base of the pan completely. Once it is evenly spread, cook it only on one side for 2-3 minutes. The base should be lightly brown. Slowly lift the crepe with a flat spoon and lay it on a plate. Spread a generous amount of Nutella on one half of the crepe and spread out the banana slices. Sprinkle coarse sea salt and fold it in half. The sea salt represents the salty breeze at the beach Serve them while they’re hot.

The story behind this recipe
~Simplicity~
Countless hours spent in front of my computer screen typing away words that no longer held any meaning – brands, strategies, social media plans etc. The sound of the sea was calling and I pushed it behind all the work piled up in front of me. The restlessness was growing inside and the sea kept lashing out to create magnificent waves. Finally, I decided to fight no more and let the waves take me in. Without a care in the world I packed my bags and reached Goa by flight and then a really long bus ride took me to my secret beach destination. I chose to stay at a tiny cafe/beach shack with modest accommodation and friendly staff. Out of the 30 rooms, only 3 rooms were occupied. The sea facing shack had its own cafe with a few tables and a bar. A friendly dog walked up to me and rested his head on my feet. While I sat with my new friend under a coconut tree, I let the sea breeze kiss my face. The saltiness in the humid air made my hair curl like a surfer girl. I enjoyed my first big lunch of Nendrakai Banana Crepes and local beer. The salt in the air complemented the crepes dripping with chocolate and sweet bananas. Nendrakai, a banana local to Southern India, has a sweeter flavour than regular bananas and that really hit the spot. The warmth of the sand at my feet, Tippu the dog, and the crepes made me happy. The simplicity of the dish was enough to realize that living in simplicity can bring you more joy than living in a big city with so much technology around you. We work so hard, complicate our lives, to make our dreams come true but at the very core of our being all we really want is a moment that we can relish in its entirety. Those first few moments by the beach savouring each bite reminded me of the number of days I spent turning my back towards pure joy. Simplicity, in every sense, is truly a treasure we all must be on a quest to find... and that is what I find in food.