We got the chance to talk to one of Auckland’s most well-known foodies, Oksana Zhang. Oksana is Auckland born and bred and is currently a full-time Urban Planner working in an international consulting firm. On weekends, she swaps out her pen and paper with a knife and fork as she explores eateries with her friends and family.
Oksana has always been into scenic photography, and three years ago she started photographing dishes served at eateries. At the time she posted on her personal Instagram account but soon lots of her friends encouraged her to create a separate account solely dedicated to food photos…and, Oksana Overeats was born.
Life’s too short to stick to the same foods, and there’s a whole world of culture expressed through food out there
Oksana doesn’t claim to be a “foodie” herself, “I’m really just someone who has a very adventurous palate! For me, exploring gastronomic ways is more about learning the culture or history behind the food. It instantly gives something meaning,” she says.
“I’m someone that usually only visits an eatery once because I’ve yet to eat my way around the world and I would run out of time otherwise! I strongly gravitate towards all things rare, weird…even disgusting — basically the more exotic the more excited I am! There’s still a lot of overeating left for me to do, and my journey has only just started.”
During lockdown, Oksana has gotten creative with cooking cafe inspired food, because, it’s no denying that we all miss brunching with our gals.
Lucky for you, Oksana has shared her very own Chocolate Berry Pancake recipe so you can create a cafe experience at your own home!
CHOCOLATE BERRY PANCAKE RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 4 Tbsp cocoa powder (Milo, drinking chocolate works too!)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (brown or white)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 50g melted butter
- 2 cups berries
Method:
- Sift flour, sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl.
- Make well in the centre. Add milk, eggs and melted butter. Whisk until smooth but still has a “tough” consistency.
- Add in berries and mix further.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and add a small dash of oil.
- The size of the pancake is totally up to you! Cook each side of the pancake for about 1-2 minutes until bubbles form on the surface. The pancake should rise a little bit and form a fluffy texture!
- Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Voila! Garnish with berries, syrup, cream, ice cream, yoghurt…the list could go on forever!
