Pan bati — 'beaten bread' — is the cornmeal griddle cake of the ABC islands, its batter stirred hard before it meets the pan. Slightly sweet and pliable, it is the everyday partner to the islands' stews and soups.
Tear a piece of pan bati and it is soft, thick, and faintly sweet, golden on both sides with a tender cornmeal crumb. Bite: gently sweet and corn-fragrant, denser than a pancake, perfect for tearing and dragging through stoba gravy or dipping in soup. The everyday bread of the Dutch ABC islands, plain and comforting.
Cornmeal and flour with baking powder griddle into a thick, soft, slightly sweet pancake-bread; the batter's sugar gives a faint sweetness that complements savory stews. It's cooked like a thick pancake, made to tear and soak up gravy rather than to be eaten alone.
Variations
With more cornmeal (denser). Sweeter for breakfast. With aniseed. Thinner. With grated cheese. Plain (no sugar).
On the Palate
Where Pan Bati sits in the Aruban flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active + 15 min waiting
- 13 min
Whisk 150 g cornmeal with 100 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- 24 min
Beat in 1 egg and enough milk to make a thick, pourable batter; rest 15 min.
Watch outAim for a thick but still pourable batter that falls off the ladle in a ribbon — too runny and it spreads thin like a crepe instead of a soft thick bread.
- 34 min
Heat a lightly greased flat pan or griddle over medium heat.
- 42 min
Pour in a ladle of batter and spread into a thick round.
- 54 min
Cook 3-4 min until bubbles set and the underside is golden.
Watch outFlip only once the bubbles on top have set and the edges look dry — flip too early and the soft middle tears.
- 63 min
Flip and cook the other side 3 min until golden.
- 73 min
Keep warm under a cloth; repeat with the rest of the batter.
- 82 min
Tear and serve warm with stoba, fish, or soup.
