Potato And Tomato Bhaji

This is a delicious dish, which also happens to be dry enough to stuff inside pancakes! I love it with
Black Eyed Pea Pancakes or
Moong Dal Pancakes, but it works with most savoury pancakes.

Ingredients-
700g of potatoes
500g chopped tomatoes, tinned or fresh and ripe
4 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
1 large red onion (or 2-3 small), chopped
Handful of curry leaves
1 tablespoon black/ brown mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Vegetable oil
Salt

Serves-
6-14, depending on how big your pancakes are.

Method-
1. Peel the potatoes, cube them and boil them in water till tender. Drain, and mash well. Leave a few lumps for texture, if desired.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds and fry till they pop. Then add the curry leaves, chillies and red onion. Cook till the onion is soft and slightly translucent.
3. Add the tomatoes, and cook for a minute or so to soften. Then add the potato, tumeric and salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is soft and smooth.
4. Add the chopped coriander, garam masala, and lemon juice and mix well. Taste, add more lemon juice or salt if necessary.

To Serve-
Wrap inside your favourite savoury pancake for a delicious taste sensation. At a pinch, I suppose you could serve it with bread as a snack or light lunch. But it's better with pancakes. Honest.

Fragrant Coconut Pancakes

These beautiful smelling pancakes are both rich and yet also refreshing, thanks to the combination of coconut and lemon. They make a lovely breakfast!

Ingredients-
100g rice flour
1 egg
20g sugar
150ml coconut milk
Salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Serves-
4-6

Method-
1. Put the flour in a bowl, along with the salt and sugar.
2. Beat the egg and add the coconut milk, lemon zest and vanilla extract to it. Make a well in the flour, and pour this mixture in, stirring as you do so. Add a little water if it is too thick.
3. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat, and grease with oil if using. Spoon 2-3 spoonfuls of batter on to the pan, and spread out.
4. Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip over and cook till brownish spots appear.
5. Repeat for remaining batter.

To Serve-
These are very refreshing, so you could serve them with yoghurt and fruit or even just a cup of tea. If you feel like something more decadent, stuff the finished pancakes with a mixture of fresh coconut, jaggery, raisins, cardamom and nutmeg.

The Right Equipment

The right equipment is very important for making pancakes. You'll need a good pan and spatula to get the job done. Your pan should be non-stick, thick bottomed and have good heat distribution. Make sure you only use it for pancakes, this will protect it from the grease, grime, wear and tear of other cooking.

Here is a picture of my pancake pan and spatula. The pan was only £12.99, but it does its job very well.



Here is a picture of my old, rather bent pancake pan. It was a good pan, but quite thin. I let it get too hot once too often and it warped rather a lot. Treat your pan well; don't overheat it!

Onion Pancakes

These pancakes are quite substantial and perfect for dipping in Chinese sauces. They're very onion-y though, so watch out!

Ingredients-
450g plain flour
450g onion
Salt

Serves-
5-10

Method-
1. Put the flour into a bowl, and add 250ml of boiling water, stirring with a fork or chopstick. Add 300ml of cold water, and knead it till smooth. Make sure it has cooled a little before attempting this!
2. Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and leave for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and cut into 10 pieces. Roll each piece out. It's easiest to do this by first rolling the dough into a ball, and then using a rolling pin to roll out. Make a pancake about 10cms big.
4. Sprinkle the pancakes with onion and salt, then fold the edges of the pancake over and roll out again.
5. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat, and add oil if using. Cook the pancakes for a couple of minute on either side, until golden brown.
6. Repeat for remaining pancakes.

Variations-
This basic recipe has a lot of potential. Why not add turmeric to the dough, and put finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli in the batter too? Or you could add other chopped vegetables to the pancakes, such as cauliflower or carrot.

To Serve-
As they are here, serve with delicious savoury Chinese dishes and sauces. If you make them with turmeric, ginger, garlic and chilli, serve them with Indian dishes, maybe a yoghurt dish and some chutneys.

Chinese Pancakes

These pancakes are best known as the delicious accompaniment to peking duck. They're a little bit fiddly to make, but once you know the trick, which is to make a "double-pancake", it's not so bad.

Ingredients-
280g plain flour
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Serves-
Should serve 6-10 people.
Method-
1. Put the flour in a bowl, and add 250ml of very hot water, stirring with a fork. You may need to add a little more water, if the mixture is too dry.
2. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until it is nice and smooth. You'll need to turn it out on to a work surface to do this. It might be quite sticky, so have extra flour nearby to dust with.
3. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave for 30 minutes. You can carry on with some other cooking at this point, if you like.
4. Take the dough out the bowl again and knead for about 5 more minutes. Roll into a long sausage shape, about 45cms long and 4cms thick. Split into around 18 pieces. If you split it into a different number, make sure it is even. You'll need to be able to pair up the pieces.
5. Roll the pieces into balls. Take two of the balls and dip one side of each ball into the sesame oil. Press the two dipped sides together and flatten out a little into a circle.
6. Take a rolling pin, and roll out the circle into a pancake that is 15-20 cms in diameter.
7. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat, and put the double-pancake into the pan. Cook it till it is dried on that side, then flip it over. Some sources say that slapping it down as you flip it helps separate the pancakes afterwards. Cook till the other side dries out. Brown spots may develop on either side.
8. Remove the pancake from the pan. Separate them while still warm by gently peeling the pancakes apart.
9. Repeat for the rest of the pancake balls.

To Serve-
These pancakes are great with peking duck, though as a vegetarian, I wouldn't eat it myself! What I do is cut cucumber and spring onion into fine chopsticks and wrap these in the pancakes, adding some hoisin sauce as well. These are the same accompaniments that are usually served with the duck, minus the actual meat. Jars of hoisin sauce are widely available, or you could use any other bean sauce. A quick recipe for a bean sauce that you could serve with them is to heat 100g of yellow bean sauce in some vegetable oil, cook for a few minutes and then add 3 tablespoons of sugar and cook for a few more minutes.

A Useful Tip For Those Watching Their Fat Intake

If you're looking to avoid fatty food, pancakes are definitely for you! Although you use a frying pan to cook them, you needn't use any oil. Providing you have a good quality non-stick pan and a spatula, you'll be able to make all the recipes I post. I don't use any oil to cook my pancakes, and they come out brilliant.

If there are steps in the recipe that require oil or fatty ingredients, you'll sometimes find that you can leave them out or adapt the quantities. For instance, you could use less coconut in a mix, or even leave it out if it's not the main flavour. If the recipe asks you to pop spices in oil as part of the pancake mix, you may be able to leave that bit out too. However, bear in mind that removing ingredients will change the flavour of the pancakes.

Indian Style Hot Milk

This is a really delicious way to drink milk, especially on a cold and blustery day. I love this with
Black Eyed Pea Pancakes or
Moong Dal Pancakes, but it goes great with any of the pancakes really. This should be served with a good froth on it. In India they create this by pouring the milk at a great height between cups. Unless you are very skilled, do NOT try this at home!

Ingredients-
1 cup of milk
A chunk of jaggery, crumbled (as much as you like. You can use normal sugar if jaggery is unavailable)
2 cardamom pods
Pinch of saffron
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios

Serves-
One, it's enough for only one cup of milk.

Method-
1. Put all the ingredients except the pistachios in a pan and bring it to a genlt simmer.
2. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until the jaggery has melted and the spices have infused the milk well.
3. Pour into a mug and use a frother (you can buy these in coffee shops) to create a foam on the top of the milk. Alternatively, blend the milk at as high a speed as you can.
4. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the milk and serve.

Variations-
You could try using other nuts if you wish.

To Serve-
Serve straight away, while steaming hot. This makes a good snack or breakfast drink, but it is also delicious served with spicy pancakes.

Lassi

Here's a great tasting Indian yoghurt drink that is delicous with
Black Eyed Pea Pancakes or
Moong Dal Pancakes. It is cool, refreshing, and can be made in many different flavours.

Ingredients- (for basic salty or sweet lassi)
100ml plain yoghurt
Sugar or salt to taste

Serves-
I think this serves one, but it could serve a couple of people if you just want a small glass.

Method-
1. Combine the ingredients with about 300-350ml of water in a blender. You can adjust the amount of water you put in depending on how thick you want it.
2. Add ice, or chill in the fridge. It's best served nice and cold.

Variations-
You can adjust the thickness of this to your taste, adding more or less yoghurt as you desire. You can also add fruit. My favourite lassi is mango lassi. I add big chunks of ripe mango to the blender, and adjust the amount of sugar I put in. For a richer lassi, thin down the yoghurt with milk instead of water. Use the creamiest milk and yoghurt you can find. In India, this is served topped with thick chunks of yoghurt cream.

To Serve-
Serve very cold, as a snack or an accompaniment to spicy foods.

Black Eyed Bean Pancakes

These are very similar to the
Moong Dal Pancakes I previously posted a recipe for. Bean batters can be tricky because they need to be carefully spread out with a spoon, as they do not flow like some other pancake batters. Once again, remember to prepare in advance when making these, they require a soaking time.

Ingredients-
225g black eyed beans
Large chunk of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1-2 green finger chillies
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
Salt

Serves-
Makes 12-16, depending on how big you make them. Should serve 4.

Method-
1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water.
2. Drain the beans. Start off a food processor or blender and put in the ginger, garlic and green chilli. Blend till finely chopped.
3. Add the beans, and blend till the mixture is paste-like. Add the turmeric, fresh coriander, salt and 310ml water. Run the machine till you have a well mixed thick batter. Put the batter into a bowl or jug.
4. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat and grease with oil, if using. Put two spoonfulls (or more, or less) of batter on to the pan and spread it out with the back of a spoon to make a round pancake.
5. Cook till golden brown, then flip with a spatula and cook till brown spots appear.
6. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

To Serve-
These are delicious wrapped round spicy potato mixtures, or other mashed vegetables. They are also good with yoghurt or milk drinks, such as lassi.

Yeasted Pancakes

Here's a nice simple and healthy pancake batter for pancakes that are light and lovely. They take a little bit of effort and patience, but you won't regret it!

Ingredients-
50g buckwheat flour
50g wholemeal flour
1 egg, separated
10g fesh yeast or 1/2 teaspoon dried
90ml lukewarm water

Serves-
Makes 8-10 pancakes depending on how big you make them, should serve 3-5.

Method-
1. Put the fresh yeast in a bowl and gradually mix in the water. If using dried yeast, sprinkle it with water and leave it for 5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk.
2. Mix the flours together and beat in the yeast mixture. Leave for and hour, covered eith clingfilm or a damp cloth.
3. After an hour, the batter should have doubled in size. Whisk the egg white till firm. Beat the batter till it sinks back again, then stir in one tablespoon of the egg white. Fold the rest in, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
4. Heat a pancake pan and grease with oil, if using. Pour a tablesoon of batter into the pan and spread it out. Cook for about two minutes on each side.
5. Repeat for remaining batter.

To Serve-
I think these pancakes go well with fresh fruit and yoghurt, as they are light and healthy. However, you could also use savoury toppings. The pancakes are quite small, so are easy to top than to roll, but you could make them bigger if you wish.

More Pancake Day Madness

Lemon and sugar pancakes get dull after a while, and the whole point of pancake day is to use up all the food in the cupboard to make interesting fillings. You can do anything with these pancakes. As well as just filling them and rolling or wrapping them up, you can also layer them with fillings in between and bake them to make make a sweet or savoury pancake "pie".

Sometimes the best fillings are the simplest. Peanut butter (or PB and marmite, for proper Brits), jam, chocolate spread and syrup are all favourites. For the more adventurous, why not try making a (not to saucy) curry or ratatouille-like vegetable dish and wrapping your pancakes round it? You could even stir fry some veg and beansprouts and make a mock spring roll, or stuff with chilli con (or non) carne like a sort of tortilla.

One of my favourites is to roast an aubergine, mash it up with spices and wrap it in a pancake. Or mash a banana with yoghurt and cardamom seeds. Or cook up some dried prunes with cinnamon and allspice till you get a thick paste and roll your pancake round that. Or indulge with strawberries and clotted cream...There are so many different ideas! I will post recipes for such things as I go along, but for now let your imagination run free and try your own ideas out.

Pancake Day Pancakes

These are the pancakes that are made all over England on Pancake Day. My mum always makes them, and so they hold a special place in my heart despite their plainess. They are excellent for pancake-virgins as they are unflavoured and so can be used in all manner of ways with savoury and sweet dishes.

Ingredients-
125g wholemeal or plain flour
1 teaspoon of oil (some recipes don't use this)
1 egg
300ml milk

Serves-
Makes 8-10 pancakes, serves about one or two when it's Pancake Day and everybody is trying to eat as many as possible! Should serve at least four, but on Pancake Day, you're supposed to pig out!

Method-
1. Put all the ingredients except the flour in the blender or food procesor till blended then add the flour and blend again till smooth. Alternatively, beat the egg by hand, add the milk and oil and stir into the flour.
2. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat grease lightly with oil if desired. Spoon two spoons of batter into the pan (or one ladle, as my mum does) and tilt so that the batter coats the bottom of the pan.
3. Cook until the top is set and the bottom is browned.
4. Now, the important bit. If you are sensible and boring, flip with a spatula as per usual. If, however, you're feeling the Pancake Day rush, loosen the edges of the pancake with a spatula and then remove the pan from the heat and flick with a quick wrist action so that the pancake jumps in the air and flips over. Cue jokes such as "that's your one on the ceiling!".
5. Repeat for remaining batter. Then make another batch, 'cause it's Pancake Day and you have to use up ALL your eggs, milk and flour!

Variations-
You can also make buckwheat pancakes by doing the same recipe with half buckwheat and half plain or wholemeal flour.

To Serve-
To serve in the traditional manner, spoon on sugar and lemon juice and then roll up into a neat log. Eat it with your hands. You'll know if you've put in enough sugar and lemon juice because it'll be dribbling down your arms!

Coconut Gram Flour Pancakes

These yummy pancakes are slightly sweet and wonderfully spiced with aromatic cardamom.

Ingredients-
100g gram flour
30g jaggery (an Indian palm sugar - if unavailable use palm sugar or at a pinch, any rich flavoured sugar)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds (or to taste)
1 tablespoon of freshly grated coconut (or more, if desired)

Serves-
Any number from about 2-5, depending on how big you make them and how much everyone wants. Realistically, you know the number's going to be on the small side - these are delicious!

Method-
1. Place the flour, coconut and cardmom seeds into a bowl.
2. Melt the jaggery by putting in a little saucepan with some water and heating gently. Add to the flour mixture, stirring well. Then continue stirring and add water to make a thin batter.
3. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat, and grease if desired. Spoon two (or more, or less) spoons of batter on to the pan, and spread out with the back of a spoon.
4. Cook till golden brown on one side, then flip over and cook till brown spots appear.
5. Repeat for remaining batter.

Variations-
You can also make this recipe with rice flour in exactly the same way. Just replace the gram flour with rice flour. Why not try fine semolina instead too? If you've got a sweet tooth, add more jaggery!

To Serve-
These are superb with spicy stews, or on their own with a mug of hot chocolate. You can also wrap them around fresh fruit, such as banana.

Light Fluffy Cardamom Pancakes

These pancakes are fluffy, spongy and have wonderful little holes like crumpets. The recipe is sort of adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, except it uses different flour and also contains cardamom seeds. In the original, plain flour is used. I have used rice flour, because I like the texture and flavour more. The proportions are also different. I have only ever made these pancakes for a smaller serving than the MJ ones, and I use different amounts of the ingredients. Nevermind! If you wish to see what it's (sort of) based on, grab a copy of Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern Cookery Book and check out the Fluffy Pancakes With Sweet Sesame-Peanut Filling Page. And then realise that my recipe is totally different. Meh.

Ingredients-
100g rice flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds (or to taste)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
130ml milk
Salt

Serves-
I think 2-4 people could happily share this, but they are so lovely that even one person could scoff them all!

Method-
1. Put the flour, sugar, cardamom seeds, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Beat the egg and it, along with the milk, to the flour mix. Mix well until you have a nice smooth batter. Set aside for at least two hours. I tend to this bit the night before, and leave the batter overnight so I can have them for breakfast. Just pop the bowl into the fridge.
3. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat and grease with oil, if desired. Stir the batter to mix it again, you might want to add a little water if it is too thick for your taste. Pour two spoonfuls (or more, or less) on to the pan and spread it out gently with the back of the spoon.
4. Cook until golden brown on the bottom and set on the top. Do not flip.
5. Repeat for remaining batter.

To Serve-
As it's title suggests, the Madhur Jaffrey recipe this is (very) loosely based on goes a bit further. In the Far East, these pancakes have fillings of butter, sugar, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds and even sometimes chocolate vermicelli! To serve your pancakes in this way, spread a little butter over the pancake during the cooking when the top is just firm enough and sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of crushed roasted peanuts and a teaspon and a half of roasted sesame seeds. In MJ's recipe, you cook the pancakes under a lid, so you would replace the lid after adding this and allow it to cook a little longer. Then you fold the pancake in half, and serve dusted with icing sugar.

If that is all too much effort, try these pancakes just as you might eat crumpets. Smother in jam, peanut butter or chocolate spread for a delicious snack with a cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate. You could also spread a little yoghurt on them and top with sliced banana for a healthy breakfast. Alternatively, use them to mop up spicy stews or curries.

Moong Dal Pancakes

Here's a tasty pancake made from moong dal. It requires a soaking time, so prepare in advance. There are many recipes for pancakes made with dals but I'm going to post Madhur Jaffrey's as I have found it to be most efficent.

Ingredients-
185g moong (mung) dal
A 2cm cube of fresh ginger roughly chopped (or more, to your taste)
3 cloves of garlic
1-2 hot green chillies
Salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (optional, the pancakes will work without it but will be less airy and light)
1 small onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped corainder
Salt

Serves-
Makes 9-15 pancakes, depending on how big you make them. Should serve at least 5-10.

Method-
1. Soak the dal in 850ml of water for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
2. Drain the dal. Start your food processor or blender and drop in the ginger, garlic, green chilli and onion. When they are finely chopped, put in the dal and blend until you have a sort of paste. Add 100ml water, the salt, bicarbonate of soda and turmeric. Blend till you have thick, well mixed batter. Pour into a jug or bowl and stir in the coriander.
3. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat. Use oil if you wish. Pour your preferred amount of batter on to the pan, and spread it out with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with oil, if using.
4. Cook till golden brown, then flip and cook until it develops brown spots.
5. Repeat for remaining batter, ensuring that you stir the batter well before using as it tends to settle out.

Variations-
You can leave out the onion if you wish. Madhur Jaffrey has another almost identical recipe in which she adds 50g of shelled peas to the batter while blending. I have tried this, and it is very delicious!

To Serve-
Serve with chutneys and yoghurt dishes, or with a glass of
Indian Style Hot Milk. They are also wonderful wrapped around potato dishes.

Cheat's Dosas!

Here's a sort of dosa recipe, which can be made easily in the blender. It's another Madhur Jaffrey and is very good. I've adapted her recipe a bit. I don't use any plain flour as she does, but instead make the whole batter with rice flour.

Ingredients-
255g rice flour
1/2-1 teaspoon of cayenne
115g peeled and chopped onion
30g coconut (you can leave this out, if you wish)
225ml of yoghurt
Salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsly crushed
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds (optional)
Vegetable oil

Serves-
Makes 8 pancakes according to Madhur Jaffrey, but I always end up with more. Could probably serve 4-10.

Method-
1. Put the rice flour, cayenne, onion, coconut, salt, yoghurt, pepper and 175ml water into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and pour into a bowl or jug.
2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan or pot and put in the mustard seeds. When they pop, which should be immediately, pour the seeds and oil into the batter. You can leave this step out if you wish, the pancakes will be delicious but different.
4. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat and grease with oil if you wish. Pour as much batter as you like onto the pan and spread it out in a spiral motion with the back of a spoon. Traditionally, the pancake should be as thin as possible, but this is really up to you. Dribble the top with a little oil if you wish.
5. Cook till golden brown, then flip and cook until it develops brown spots.
6. Repeat for remaining pancakes.

Variations-
Madhur Jaffrey has a similar recipe made with 310g fine semolina, 1 gren chilli, 225ml yoghurt, and salt. You blend the batter in the same way, with 250ml water. Instead of mustard seeds, you pop cumin seeds in oil and then you continue with the recipe the same as above. When I make the rice flour dosas, I skip the coconut and the mustard seed step. It's still wonderful.

To Serve-
Serve with chutneys, especially South Indian ones, or alongside vegetable dishes and dals. They also make a tasty wrapping for the spicy potato mixtures often stuffed inside
"real" dosas

South Indian Dosas

There are tonnes of recipes for these well-known pancakes, and you can easily find them all over the web. I'm going to turn once more to Madhur Jaffrey for help on this one! It's time consuming but yummy, and I offer some alternatives below. Prepare in advance, there is a lot of soaking and fermenting for this one!

Ingredients-
85g urad dal
200g long-grain rice
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Vegetable oil

Serves-
This makes 8 pancakes according to Madhur Jaffrey, so could serve 4-8.

Method-
1. Pick over the dal, wash, drain and then soak in 1/2 litre of water for 8 hours. Do the same with the rice, but with 3/4 litre of water (in a separate bowl).
2. Drain the dal and put into a food processor or blender. Run the machine for 2 minutes, pushing the dal down again every now and then. Add 2 tablespoons of water and run for another minute. Then add another 2 tablespoons of water abd run for another minute. Continue doing this till you have added 175ml of water. The dal should be well ground, light and fluffy. Put it in a bowl.
3. Drain the rice and out it in a food processor or blender. Blend for 2 minutes, pushing the rice down every now and then. Add 2 table spoons of water and blend for a minute as you did with the dal, until you have added 175ml of water. The rice should be very fine. Pour this paste over the dal paste and mix. Cover and leave to ferment in a warm place for 16 to 20 hours.
3. When the batter is ready it will look frothy. Add the salt and cumin and stir.
4. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat. Use oil if you wish. Pour about 100ml of batter into the pan, and spread it out in a spiral motion with the back of a spoon. Make the pancake about 7 inches in diameter. Dribble a little oil on to the top, if desired. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook till brown spots develop.
5. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Variations-
There are many variations on this recipe, and I really couldn't list them all. Search the web and you will find many other dosas; some enriched with nuts, others with different spices. You can also cheat and use rice and urad flours to speed up the process, recipes like this are widely available. Want to know a secret? I have never cooked "real" dosas! I make my dosas with a package mix, and they are still lovely! I use Gits brand, but many companies make such mixes. They also make idli mixes. Idlis are made of the same batter, but are steamed as little disk-shaped savoury cakes. I won't provide a recipe, as they are easily found online. Try them out!

To Serve-
Serve with the first side cooked up. They are usually served with south indian chutneys, as an accompaniment to sambar (a soupy and fiery south indian dal) or a they are stuffed with a potato mixture to make masala dosas. Recipes for these are easily found on the internet and in cookery books, so I will not provide recipes.

Delicate Coconut Pancakes

These pancakes are very subtle, and extremely delicate. They can be difficult to cook for beginners, so take your time.

Ingredients-
200g rice flour - including a big tablespoon of glutinous rice flour
50g coconut cream
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt, if you wish

Serves-
This makes a lot of pancakes, though they are very light and easy to eat. I should think it could serve four or more.

Method-
1. Melt the coconut cream down with water and stir it into the rice flour. You will need to mix very well. Make a batter which is very thin. Experience will tell you how much water to add, but make sure it flows very easily and is just a little thicker than water.
2. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat. Make sure the pan is nice and hot before you begin. When you are ready, add the baking powder to the batter and stir in well. Spoon about a tablespoon and a half of batter onto the pan (you can adjust this if you wish) and spread it out carefully. It will bubble, and try to stick to your spoon as you spread it out. Do not prod it too much, just accept that you might not be able make perfectly round pancakes!
3. Cook until you can flip it over and cook the other side. It should be thin and uncoloured. The pancake will be delicate and slightly stretchy, so handle it carefully.
4. Cook the remaining pancakes in the same way. This recipe makes a lot, so you can serve them as you go along, or reheat them and serve them later. They are also good cold or room temperature.

To Serve-
This pancakes have a subtle coconut taste and are excellent served with rich curries and spicy dishes with a lot of sauce. They are quite delicate though and do tend to break apart easily. As mentioned above, they are good cold and hot, and they freeze well too. They are nice with sweet fillings such as nuts and sugar, jam, or even chocolate sauce! Try them with a cup of tea for a light snack.

Sweet Vs Savoury

For many English people, pancakes means once a year on pancake day, smothered in sugar and lemon juice. In America, pancakes are often made thicker and covered in maple syrup for a naughty but nice breakfast. However, pancakes don't just come sweet, as you can see by my recipes!

In many parts of the world, savoury pancakes are a staple. In India, for instance, pancakes made out of bean (legume) batters are an important source of protein for the numerous vegetarians who live there. I think it's time more people learnt about these delicious pancakes, as they make a nourishing breakfast and are much more interesting than just a normal boring pancake!

Don't be nervous, try a savoury pancake today. I've tried to make the recipes as clear as possible, but don't hesitate to post a comment if you're having trouble. If you're wondering when to try them out, you should know that they make a filling snack, or can be eaten in place of bread at a meal. I don't eat any bread. I eat only rice and pancakes. I find pancakes lighter and easier to digest. Plus, they're yummy!

Korean Dipping Sauce

This is Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for a sauce to accompany her
Korean Potato Pancakes. Enjoy!

Ingredients-
1 clove of garlic
1 spring onion
4 tablespoons soy sauce (preferavky Japenese shoyu)
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (roast them in a dry pan until they go golden brown and smell nutty)
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (leave this out if you don't like spicy food)

Serves-
4, or however many the pancakes are serving!

Method-
1. Peel the garlic and crush to a pulp. Cut the spring onion crossways into very thin rounds. You don't need all of it, just a tablespoon.
2. Combine everything into a small bowl and mix it well.

To Serve-
Serve this sauce with
Korean Potato Pancakes, or anything else that strikes your fancy!

Korean Potato Pancakes

This is one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipe, and anyone who knows me knows that I love her cooking! I've never made the recipe plain and unspiced as she has, but I'll post the original recipe first and add my suggestions afterwards. Please note, though some of it is copied, parts of the following recipe are just in my own words.

Ingredients-
225g potatoes
25g onion
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
Salt
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil [if you wish, I never use oil to cook my pancakes as I have an excellent pan!]

Serves-
2-4, depending on how many pancakes each person wants. Madhur Jaffrey suggests that it makes 8 small pancakes.

Method-
1. Peel the potatoes and put them in water to prevent them from discolouring. Peel and chop the onion finely. I do this in the magimix. Beat the egg and put to one side, and mix the cornflour with the salt.
2. When you are ready to eat, grate the potatoes in to a pulp and add the other ingredients to them, mixing well. I grate the potatoes in the magimix, using a special grating attachment. Sometimes they don't pulp very much, so I quickly pulse the batter in the blender after mixing to squish it a bit. The mixture grows dark if it sits for too long, so use it immediatly.
3. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat and grease it with oil, if using. Spoon one (or more, depending on how large you like your pancakes to be) spoonful of batter into the pan and spread it out a little with a spoon.
4. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook until brown spots appear.
5. Repeat for the remaining pancakes. You can probably fit more than one pancake on to the pan at a time, depending on how big you are making them.

Variations-
I like to add spices to my pancakes to make them extra tasty. I magimix a large chunk of ginger, a couple of green chillies and a few cloves of garlic alongside the onion, and add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the mix too. I think this gives the dish a nice kick!

To Serve-
Madhur Jaffrey recommends serving them with
Korean Dipping Sauce. I think they're also lovely if you top them with tomato, cheese or other toppings like a mini pizza. Or you can use two and create a little sandwich! Just experiment, and have fun.

Gram Flour, Again!

Yes, I know it's yet another gram flour recipe, but I do think that this versatile and delicious ingredient is regretably underused. This recipe is almost identical to the last recipe, but the pancakes are cooked differently and made using more liquid to create a completely different texture. They're quite delicate and can be difficult for pancake-newbies to handle. The bottom goes a wonderful crisp golden brown but the top is deliciously smooth and soft.

Ingredients-
100g gram flour
1-2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne (or more)
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Salt

Serves- Once again, this can serve just one hungry person or two. It can easily be doubled.

Method-
1. Place all the ingredients in a jug and slowly begin to add about 300ml of water stirring constantly. The batter should be very thin. You may want to add 20-50ml more water.
2. Heat a pancake pan over a low heat. Add two spoonfuls (or more, depending what size pancake you want) of batter to the pan and help it to spread out by tilting the pan gently or spreading it with a spoon.
3. Cook gently until the top of the pancake is set and the bottom is a golden brown colour. Don't flip the pancake, just gently ease a spatula under the it and put it on to a plate.
4. Repeat for the remaining pancakes.

To Serve-
I love these on their own, or with just some very mild side dishes such as a salad or some mild vegetable curries.

Another Gram Flour Delight!

Here's another tasty recipe using gram flour, and this one is extremely simple.

Ingredients-
100g gram flour
1-2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne (or more)
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Salt

Serves-
One hungry person or two people who are feeling generous enough to share!

Method-
1. Place all the ingredients in a jug. Mixing constantly as you do so, add water until you have a thickish consistency which flows but needs to be spread out with a spoon to make a pancake.
2. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat. Spoon two spoonfuls of batter onto the pan and spread it out with the back of a spoon. You can use more or less batter if you wish.
3. Cook until golden brown, then flip over and cook until brownish spots develop.
4. Repeat for the remaining pancakes.

Variations-
Try out different spices! For a version that goes well with sweet dishes, use a spoonful of ground cinammon and a spoonful of ground allspice. If you don't have many spices in your cupboard, try using your favourite curry powder instead. You can also add vegetables to the batter - crushed peas, lightly crumbled up cauliflower, grated carrot, chopped tomatoes, etc.

To Serve-
Excellent with chutneys, relishes and yoghurt dishes as a snack. It's also great with a salad and perhaps a dish of raita for a light lunch.

My Favourite Pancake!

This is my favourite pancake. It is savoury, it is my own invention, and I love it.

Ingredients-
100g gram flour (chickpea flour)
100g yoghurt
A large chunk of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1-3 green finger chillies, roughly chopped
50g of onion, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
Salt

Serves-
One of me! Or two slightly more sensible people. Can serve more if you wish, and is easy to double anyway.

Method-
1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend, adding water till you reach a batter that is flowing, but still quite thick. It should not be too watery. You can adapt the thickness to your taste.
2. Heat a pancake pan over a medium heat. You can grease it with oil, if you wish. Take two spoonfuls of batter, place them on the pan and then use the back of the spoon to spread it out in a circular motion. You can use more or less mixture if you wish.
3. Cook until golden brown, then flip over and cook till brownish spots appear.
4. Repeat for the remaining pancakes.

To Serve-
These pancakes are so scrummy you can scoff them all on their own! Otherwise, chutneys, pickles, relishes and yoghurt dishes make a delicious accompaniment. You can also you these pancakes to replace bread at an Indian meal. They are particularly good for wrapping round dry vegetable dishes.