Tropical Mango Pancakes with Brown Sugar Syrup

There are a few blogging events each month that I try not to miss. One of these events would be The Royal Foodie Joust. I don't always come up with a winning recipe but it is always a challenge to come up with a recipe using just the 3 ingredients chosen by the previous months winner. I am always up for a challenge! It is just as much fun to participate as it is to win.

Our illustrious and beautiful Queen (founder of the Joust), Jenn of Leftover Queen is busy planning the rest of her life with her knight in shining armour Roberto. She is getting married and to uncomplicate her life a little she has had a series of hosts so far. This month the evertalented Prince Charming Ben of What's Cooking - US is hosting the event in the Queens absense. Last month the Joust was hosted by Jedi warrior Dharm of Dad, Baker and Chef . This months ingredients were chosen by Michelle of Thursday Night Smackdown or USVFood who won the Joust last month. She has chosen:

mango, brown sugar and cardamom

I had to think long and hard about this one and finally settled on these banana and coconut infused pancakes with chunks of juicy ripe mango and a touch of cardamom in each and every bite. There is no sugar added to the pancake batter because the sweetness of the mango and bananas shines through. I must admit these went down very easily with the homemade brown sugar syrup. Of course it is always better to serve them up with maple syrup tapped from the trees of Eastern Canada, but homemade syrup is the next best thing! You may notice that there are Candied Pecans on top of the tropical pancakes as well. They are definitely not essential for the recipe but I happened to have some on hand and are there for aesthetic purposes...they look GOOD!! I am of the feeling that if it tastes good...then what the "hay". My blog attests to the fact that not everything is photogenic and magazine perfect. If that were true why isn't there a photo of every dish in our favourite foodie magazines...some just aren't photogenic or better left on paper:D

Mangoes are native to southeastern Asia, where they have been grown for more than 4,000 years. Because the mango seed can't be dispersed naturally by wind or water due to its large size and weight, it is believed that people who moved from one region to another transported the fruit to new areas. In 1860, mangoes were successfully introduced to Florida along the east coast. Asia still accounts for more than three-quarters of the world's mangoes, with India remaining the main producer. Did you know that India grows more mangoes than all its other fruits combined? Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand are the other main countries in the world where mangoes are grown. Most of the mangoes sold in Canada though are grown in Florida or imported from Mexico, Haiti, the Caribbean and South America.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!!!

**Tropical Mango Pancakes with Brown Sugar Syrup**

3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 banana
1 large ripe mango

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In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, coconut, cardamom, ginger and salt. In a blender (I used a blender stick or immersion blender) combine the milks and banana, and blend until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and whisk gently until just mixed. Heat pan to medium and lightly oil a non-stick frying pan. Pour out batter in 1/4 cup portions. Top with mango slices. Flip when edges start to get golden brown and the batter settles a little and looks sturdy enough to flip. Cook until other side gets golden. Lower the heat a little and cook the rest of the pancakes. Stack and drizzle with brown sugar syrup.

Serves 4

Brown Sugar Syrup(20 servings)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 butter
a pinch of salt

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Bring all ingredients to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved the syrup is ready to serve.You can also store this and serve cold or at room temperature like store-bought syrup.

If you would care to make the candied pecans here is the recipe as well.

Candied Pecans

1 cup pecan halves
2 T packed brown sugar
1 T water
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Coat pecans well. Arrange a single layer of pecans on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes, being careful not to burn them.