BANANA PANCAKE-using coconut

Bananas are very tricky to maintain during summer. Before you know it, half of the bunch would have turned brown and mushy. This is a recipe to use such bananas to make a quick snack. Being a first-time mom, I have been searching for different evening snacks to try out. My neighbor in Trivandrum, who is a mother to 4 kids, showed me how to make this pazham appam (that's what she called it).
INGREDIENTS

1. 1 over-ripe banana (I have used the robusta banana, which weighs about 160 gms)
2. 3 Tbsp whole wheat flour(for a medium size robusta banana)
3. 1 Tbsp grated coconut
4. 1-2  Tbsp. jaggery syrup (optional)
5. slightly less than 1/8 tsp salt
6. 2 tsp oil

METHOD

• Peel the bananas, add coconut, jaggery syrup, and salt, and mash it using the tip of your fingers or with a fork. Don't mash it into a pure; leave bits of chunks here and there. 
• After adding the jaggery syrup and coconut, gently mix in the salt. Adding salt before adding the flour is essential. 
• Then add the flour and stir it in. The flour should be enough to hold or firm up the batter.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• If the batter is very wet, add more flour. The amount of flour depends on how ripe the banana is and the consistency of the jaggery syrup.
• Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low heat, that's 2 on my stove on a  heat range from LOW to HI.
• When the pan warms up, drizzle 1 tsp oil; spoon in the thick batter when the oil is hot. Dip a spoon in water and use the spoon to smooth the top of the pancake.

•  Close the pan with a lid, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Then, turn the heat to 2 again and cook for 1 minute. Open the cover, turn over the pancake, and cook the same way. (1 minute on low and then 1 minute on medium-low (2)).
• A pleasant aroma comes when the banana caramelizes. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Transfer it to plates. Enjoy as a snack.
  

NOTES

• The flour should be just enough to hold up the batter. If the flour is significantly less, you can't gather it up as one single pancake. If the flour is too much, the pancake will be too hard. I like the pancakes with less flour and more of a banana taste. 
• The jaggery syrup is entirely optional. I leave that out when I am making it for myself. For the kids, I use it.
• 1 meduim ripe US Robusta banana is 160 gms. 
• The heat should be medium-low to low, or the pancake will burn quickly.