Historians across the globe unanimously agree to the existence of a delicacy close to pancake in every region. Pancakes are nothing but base flour mixed with milk or water and spread on greased pan to cook and served hot. It is speculated that Otzi the Iceman from Italy around 5300 years ago also consumed something similar to pancakes few hours before his life came to an end. Purodasha (पुरोडाश) is a kind of pancake offered as an oblation in some of ancient Indian sacrifices. Multiplicity of pancakes can be savoured today. Each of them must have evolved from the available local ingredients. Some of them have been listed here.
1. Traditional Pancake
Ingredients
- 5 cups refined flour (Maida)
- 5 teaspoons baking powder. Eno or similar fruit salt can be used instead of baking soda.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 teaspoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 25 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with syrup or honey.
2. Rice Pancake (Amboli)
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour
- Salt
- Sugar
- Milk
- Oil
- Cardamom for taste
Procedure
- Rice flour, water, salt should be mixed well until the batter is smooth. It does not have to be very thick or very runny.
- Leave aside untouched for 2-3 hours for fluffiness.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Add sugar, cardamom to warm milk. Milkmaid can also be added for thickening effect.
- Serve hot amboli with warm milk or green chutney. Dry sesame chutney mixed with oil is also served at times.
3. Wheat Pancake
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat flour
- Salt
- Coconut Milk
- Milk
- Sugar/milkmaid
- Oil
- Cardamom for taste
Procedure
- Rice flour, coconut milk, salt should be mixed well until the batter is smooth. It does not have to be very thick or very runny.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Add sugar, cardamom to warm milk. Milkmaid can also be added for thickening effect.
- Serve hot with warm milk or butter.
4. Chickpea Pancakes
Ingredients
- Chickpea flour (commonly known as besan)
- Salt
- Finely chopped Onions
- Finely chopped Tomatoes
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Turmeric powder
- Asafoetida
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it till golden brown on both sides.
- Dish up with tomato ketchup, tamarind chutney or plain curd.
5. Ragi Pancakes
The nutritional quotient of this pancake is very high as compared to other flours. Glutent content is less and ragi is known to be rich in iron.
Ingredients
- Ragi or millet flour (commonly known as nachni)
- Salt
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup, tamarind chutney or plain curd.
6 Jowar Pancake
Ingredients
- Jowar or millet flour (commonly known as nachni)
- Rawa or semolina
- Salt
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Turmeric powder
- Oil
Procedure
- Jowar and semolina should be mixed in ratio 1:1.
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Cook it till golden brown on both sides.
- Give out with tomato ketchup, tamarind chutney or plain curd.
7. Semolina Pancake
Ingredients
- Fine semolina
- Salt
- Finely chopped onions
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Bake till golden brown on both sides.
- Plate up with tamarind chutney or green chutney.
8. Corn Pancake
Ingredients
- Cornmeal flour (commonly known as makki atta)
- Salt
- Finely chopped onions
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Turmeric powder
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup, tamarind chutney or plain curd
9. Sabudana Pancake
Ingredients
- Cornmeal flour (commonly known as makki atta)
- Sabudana soaked overnight
- Salt
- Freshly grated coconut
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Turmeric powder
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it golden brown on both sides.
- Coconut, Chillies and coriander should be blended well with salt to make chutney.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup, green chutney or plain curd.
10. Thalipeetha
Ingredients
- Cornmeal flour (commonly known as makki atta)
- Millet flour
- Rice flour
- Bajra flour
- Chickpea flour
- Salt
- Finely chopped onion
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Grated radish/carrot (optional)
- Oil
Procedure
- All the flours are taken in equal quantities.
- The ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is thick.
- It should be spread on greased pan making holes in centre to let steam pass.
- Roast it brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with homemade white butter for best results.
11. Egg Roti
Not sure what to do with last night’s Roti? This may be the solution.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Salt
- Butter
- Finely chopped onion
- Finely chopped tomatoes
- Finely chopped Coriander
- Finely chopped Green Chilli
- Stale Roti
- Oil
Procedure
- Egg is beaten with other ingredients.
- Pour the egg preparation on pan. As it starts to cook place a stale Roti over it
- Roast it with butter on both sides.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup and Chilli flakes.
12. Methi Pancake
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat flour
- Salt
- Finely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves (commonly known as methi)
- Fenugreek powder can also be added in case of unavailability of fresh fenugreek.
- Oil
Procedure
- All the ingredients should be mixed well with water until the batter is smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Grill it golden brown on both sides.
- Spoon out with tomato ketchup, white butter or plain curd.
Spinach and other green leafy vegetables can also be used.
13. Beetroot Pancake
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour
- Salt
- Oiled and pureed beetroot
- Oil
- Cumin seeds or powder
Procedure
- Rice flour, beetroot puree, salt, cumin should be mixed well until the batter is smooth. It does not have to be very thick or very runny. Water may be added if necessary
- Leave aside untouched for 2-3 hours for fluffiness.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast it on both sides.
- Serve green chutney. Dry sesame chutney mixed with oil is also served at times.
14. Cucumber Pancake
Ingredients
- Half kg rice rawa flour. (Also known as bhagar, variche tandul, used to prepare rawa idli)
- Salt
- Half kg jaggery
- Ghee
- Grated ginger to taste
- One kg old cucumbers
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
- Cardamom powder for taste
- Cut leaves of turmeric/banana for cooking
Procedure
- Rice rawa should be roasted on ghee.
- Grated cucumbers be added to warm ghee in saucepan. Jaggery, salt to taste should be added to the same till cucumber secretes all its water. Roasted rice rawa, grated coconut, ginger, cardamom powder should be added. The batter is thus prepared. Water can be added if it is very thick.
- Batter be poured over individual cut pieces of banana or turmeric. The pancake should be steamed over boiling water. This is the traditional method.
- The pancakes can be cooked like other pancakes on pan well. However, additional greasing may be required to prevent jaggery from sticking to the pan.
- Serve hot.
15. Moong dal Pancakes
Ingredients
- Moong dal soaked overnight
- Onion
- Coriander
- Green Chillies
- Salt
- Oil
- Crushed garlic
- Curd/yoghurt
Procedure
- The ingredients should be blended well in mixer. Water be added as per requirement to make smooth batter.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Broil brown on both sides.
- Crushed garlic should be mixed with curd. The garlic dip is ready.
- Ladle out hot. Garlic dip can also be prepared to serve with it.
Other kinds of pulses, lentils can be used instead of moong-dal. Grated cheese, paneer, tofu can be used to garnish.
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16. Oat Almond Pancake
Ingredients
- Powdered oats
- Crushed Almonds
- Milk
- Sugar or sugar-free granules
- Honey to serve
Procedure
- Powdered oats should be mixed with crushed Almonds in proportion 5:2.
- Milk should be used to blend the ingredients together with sugar or sugar-free granules.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Spill-roast brown on both sides.
- Spoon out with honey.
17. Banana Pancake
Ingredients
- Refined or wheat flour
- Crushed Almonds
- Milk
- Sugar
- Bananas
- Crushed Dry fruits (optional)
- Honey or syrup of choice to serve
Procedure
- Flour should be mixed with mashed in proportion 3:1.
- Milk should be used to blend the ingredients together with sugar.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Bake brown on both sides.
- Dish out hot with honey or syrup of choice.
Procedure (Another method)
- Sugar, banana and milk should be blended together to make a smooth paste.
- Flour and dry fruits should be added to the paste.
- It will become more like a loose dough. It can be spread on greased pan and roasted on both sides.
- Plate out hot with honey or syrup of choice.
Mango, chickoo can also be used in place of banana.
18. Chocolate Pancake
Ingredients
- Refined or wheat flour
- Milk
- Milkmaid
- Cocoa powder
- Crushed Dry fruits (optional)
- Orange syrup (optional)
Procedure
- Flour should be mixed with cocoa in proportion 3:2.
- 1 tin Cocoa powder should be blended with one small tin milkmaid.
- Milk should be used to blend the ingredients together with sugar. Milk will help reduce the strong flavour of cocoa powder. Dark chocolate lovers can use water along with milk.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Cook on both sides.
- Dish out hot with orange syrup with twist of tastes.
19. Jam Pancakes
Ingredients
- Refined or wheat flour
- Milk
- Salt to taste
- Jam of choice. In case jams are not available, murabba can also be used.
Procedure
- Milk should be used to blend the ingredients together with sugar.
- Salt in minimal amounts depending on quantity. It should not overpower the taste of the pancake.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Bake till golden brown on both sides.
- Plate out hot with jam or syrup of choice.
20. Peanut butter
Ingredients
- Refined or wheat flour
- Milk
- Salt to taste
- Peanut butter.
- Peanuts (for preparing peanut butter)
- Honey (for preparing peanut butter)
- Sea salt (for preparing peanut butter)
Procedure
- Milk should be used to blend the ingredients together with sugar. Powdered peanuts can be added directly to the batter.
- Salt in minimal amounts depending on quantity. It should not overpower the taste of the pancake.
- Pour small amounts of the batter into greased pan.
- Roast golden brown on both sides.
- Serve hot with peanut butter.
Procedure for peanut butter
- One handful Peanuts should be ground well.
- Add half tablespoon honey and pinch of sea salt.
Coconut, berries, dates can also be used to make varieties of sweet pancakes. The procedure remains the same.
