This is the celebrated Czech variant of the Middle-European Potato Pancake – with a twist. I’ve mentioned it before, during my ‘Expedition to…’ series of online food adventures. But this stuffed version is particularly good – and multi-faceted…
The Bamboraki is a classic Czech street food, hand pie, pancake, stuffed pastry, main course, dessert and snack. and dessert. Appropriately stuffed, it could also be a great all-in-one breakfast to dine-in upon or grab-and-go….
You HAVE made it!
Or, at least, all the components. Which is to say, if you can make pancakes, you can ‘ace’ this! It’s the tweaks in the pancake batter recipe and the way you cook it that make it special. Not to mention that texture and flavour that will captivate your taste buds and make you a fan forever…
Magdalena Pomorska – whose authentic Czech name suggests both she and her Bamboraki are un-doubtedly the real deal – shares a little background…
In Central and Eastern Europe, she notes, “Pancakes are one of the most popular dishes made from potatoes. They can be served with both sweet and savoury toppings. In the ‘Czech style’ version, they can be as [stuffed] as a two-course meal. Bramboraki are very filling and [can be] surprising in their contents.”
The ‘batter’ is better…
“The potatoes must be grated finely, and you can confidently use a food processor or blender for this purpose,” Magdalena suggests. “This step speeds up the process. For 1 kilogram of potatoes, you should prepare 1 tablespoon of potato flour, along with simple seasonings such as a bit of marjoram, [and] salt and pepper to taste.”
Other ingredients of the classicbatter recipe include eggs and milk. And that’s about it. The savoury version also gets fresh garlic and crispy bacon. For a sweet version, hold the garlic, bacon and pep-per. Add a tsp. of sugar, plus 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or maple syrup.
Stuff it!
Magdalena shares her traditional method for ‘stuffing’ Bamboraki: Make one thin-ish pancake (cooks in less than a minute). Place stuffing on top leaving a little room around the edge to deal. Then pour another thin layer of batter on top of the filling making sure it overlaps and ‘seals’ to the bottom pancake. Flip and cook for a minute or two more – whatever it takes for the pancakes to finish cook-ing through.
All meat fillings should be pre-cooked to desired doneness before adding to the pancake. Fruits and veggies can be raw or par-cooked, depending on what they are, and how you like them.
Top that!
You can use any kind of topping that strikes your fancy. Dips are also good on the side. Just take into account whether you’re serving sweet or savoury Bams, and what your filling, if any, is.
My take
Once you get used to making Bamboraki, you’ll be able to throw them together in minutes from mem-ory, and fill them to suit your crave or whim of the moment – or create a supper main every-body will love.
Take special note of Magdalena’s suggestion use the blender or food processor, A really thorough whizz-up will ensue that your Bams are light and crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside…
~ Maggie J.