Back by popular demand

Last year around this time, I had talked about how delicious my sister's recipe for potato pancakes was. A quick check of my sitemeter statistics show that many of you have been searching for Bubalech Recipes and came across that article. Since I didn't actually publish the recipe, those searches were pretty much fruitless. Today, I will remedy that oversight by publishing the actual recipe.


My mom's recipe for bubalech - lovingly revised and transcribed by my sister

This will yield 5 small pancakes (each pancake made with two soup-size spoonfuls of dough):


You'll need

• 2 eggs (separated)
  
• 1/8 cup (=1oz. or 30ml) milk or water (I use skim milk)
  
• 25ml (=1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) matzo meal
  
• 1/8 cup (=1oz. or 30ml) cake meal
  
• 1/8 teaspoon (i.e. half of 1/4 teaspoon) sugar
  
• Oil for deep frying (my mother used peanut oil, but I use canola oil)
  
• Applesauce, powdered sugar or cinnamon for topping
  
• Electric blender, soup spoon, pancake flipper and large spoon
  
• Paper towels to absorb excess fat
  
• Oven-safe warming plate (optional - if pancakes will not be served immediately)
  

Instructions

1. Beat the egg whites on high speed until as light and fluffy as possible without becoming stiff. (**this is the secret of my mother's recipe)
   
2. Add egg yolks and beat on high just until blended.
   
3. Add liquid and beat just until blended.
   
4. Stir in dry ingredients BY HAND until blended. The dough should be thick enough to drop from a soup spoon. It will thicken a bit after stirring as the matzo meal absorbs the liquid, but you want it to be loose enough that it will result in a light pancake rather than a stone.
   
5. Pre-heat the oil on medium heat. The oil should be deep enough to fry the pancakes, as they will absorb less oil if they are fried in deep fat.
   
6. When you are transferring the mixture from spoon to fry pan, you need to just keep the bowl very close to the pan, take a generous spoonful and drop it into the oil (2 spoonfuls per pancake) working your way around the perimeter of your pan.
   
7. Fry them on medium heat (or adjust lower if needed) and only turn them once. It's easier to flip them if you use two implements (I use a flipper in my right and a large spoon in my left).
   
8. Transfer to a paper towel on a plate to absorb excess fat. They can be kept warm on 200F in the oven for a short while before serving if you are making multiple batches, but are best eaten fresh.
   

Topping suggestions

As a topping, I suggest spooning on some applesauce or sprinkling with sugar and/or cinnamon.


If you find this recipe of use, please leave a comment and I'll be sure to pass it on to my mom and sister.

Have a Happy Passover!