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Pani pol pancakes
පැණි පොල් පැන්කේක් (pani pol pancakes): thin golden pancakes rolled around coconut cooked in kithul treacle
In Sri Lankan bakeries and tea kiosks, pani pol pancakes sit next to the savoury short eats, neat little rolls of thin, faintly yellow pancake wrapped around a dark, sticky filling, and at home they are a favourite Sunday breakfast and tiffin-box treat. The pani pol, literally treacle coconut, is grated coconut cooked with kithul treacle, cardamom and cinnamon until glossy and sweet, and the pancakes are thin crêpes made with egg and milk, often tinted with a pinch of turmeric. They are eaten warm or at room temperature with a cup of milk tea. The mistake most cooks make is cooking the filling dry, which makes it gritty and hard to roll; it should be moist and just holding together. Chef's tip: rest the batter for 20 minutes while you cook the filling, so the pancakes come out thin, soft and free of holes.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 7 oz grated coconutfresh or frozen and thawed
- ½ cup kithul treacleor 120 g grated palm jaggery with 3 tbsp water
- 3 pods green cardamomseeds crushed
- 1 /4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
For the pancakes
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups milk or coconut milk
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor the pan
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 egg, 1 ¼ cups milk or coconut milk, 1 pinch ground turmeric and 1 pinch salt into a smooth, thin batter and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Meanwhile, put ½ cup kithul treacle, 3 pods green cardamom, 1 /4 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 pinch salt in a pan over a medium heat, add 7 oz grated coconut and cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until glossy, sticky and moist. Cool slightly.
10 minStep 3: Heat a 20 cm non-stick pan over a medium heat and wipe it with a little 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl to cover the base thinly.
2 minStep 4: Cook for about 1 minute until the edges lift and the underside is lightly golden, then flip and cook for 20 seconds more.
1 minStep 5: Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the pancakes on a plate; you should get about 8.
15 minStep 6: Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling along one edge of each pancake, fold in the sides and roll up. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pani pol pancakes take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ground cinnamon?
- A cinnamon stick, ground: about ½ tsp per stick.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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