Cornmeal Griddle Cakes + Blueberries + Groundcherry Sauce + Mint
- 2 cups Cornmeal, Yellow
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Egg Mix, Dried*
- 1 3/4 cup Water (plus more if needed)
- 1 cup Blueberries, Frozen (thawed, drained**)
- 2 - 4 tablespoons Oil, Vegetable (for frying)
- 1/4 cup Mint leaves (fresh, foraged, for garnish)
- 2 cups Groundcherries (fresh, foraged, husked***)
- 1/2 cup Applesauce (Unsweetened)
Combine cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and egg mix in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Add water to dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. The batter should be thin, but not watery. If the batter is too thick to spread evenly, add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time and mix to desired consistency. Cover bowl and set batter aside while making the Groundcherry Sauce.
After the sauce is prepared, heat an oiled frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop ¼ cup of batter onto the hot pan for each cake, being careful to leave space between each cake. Immediately arrange a few blueberries on raw batter surface as desired.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until batter begins to bubble and edges appear cooked. Bottom of the cake should be golden brown to rich brown in color. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side until golden brown. Repeat, wiping the pan clean before re-oiling for each batch.
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Use a spoon or spatula to crush the groundcherries and release moisture as they heat.
Reduce heat and simmer until groundcherries are soft and translucent, and desired consistency has been reached. Keep warm until serving.
Top warm griddle cakes with Groundcherry Sauce. Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot.
*Use 1 fresh egg in place of dried egg mix, if available. Whisk egg well, and add to water before adding to dry ingredients at step #2.
**Use any fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) sweet berries
***If groundcherries are unavailable, substitute any fresh or frozen sweet berries such as blueberries or raspberries. Drained canned peaches can also be used. Use maple syrup in place of berry sauce if desired.
As a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative, NĀTIFS works with its Indigenous Food Lab and partner Indigenous chefs across the country to develop recipes and accompanying cooking videos that demonstrate how to combine Indigenous & locally forageable foods with items available to tribal communities through the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) federal emergency food program.