1 cup mixture of dhals*
2 cup long grained rice
1 salt to taste.
Directions
*(use any combination of tur dhal, chana dal or even split yellow
peas)
Wash and rinse the dhals and rice thoroughly. When the rinse water
runs clear, soak the dhals and rice together in a bowl with fresh
water for a couple of hours. Drain the dhal-rice mixture and grind
into a somewhat coarse mixture in a blender using water when
necessary. Empty the batter into a bowl, add some salt and let it
rest for at least an hour. You could also let it ferment overnight if
you like a sourdough tang in your pancakes.
To make the pancakes, heat a non-stick/well-seasoned cast iron
skillet on a moderate stove. If a few drops of water bounce off the
pan, the pan is hot enough and you can proceed to make the pancakes.
Drop a ladleful of the pre-prepared batter in the center of the pan
and with the back of the ladle, swirl the batter from inside to
outside to form a thin round pancake. Wait till the top looks dry,
wait another minute if you like them crisp and flip to cook the other
side. Remove onto a plate and eat immediately with a nice coriander
chutney. (Continue preparing pancakes in the same way, till you run
out of batter and/or chutney. The batter will also keep in the fridge
for almost a week and you can prepare the pancakes when the mood
strikes you.)
Variation: Can add finely chopped onions/jalapenos/spinach/ginger/a
few cumin seeds, anything you fancy, to the batter before making the
pancakes. You will however not be able to make neat circular
pancakes. Instead, you will end up with (tasty) irregular shaped ones.
From: nalini@picard.vwo.Verdix.COM (Nalini Ganapati). Fatfree Digest
[Volume 8 Issue 55] June 16, 1994. Formatted by Sue Smith, S.Smith34,
TXFT40A@Prodigy.com using MMCONV.
Servings: 1 servings
Adai(Savory Indian Pancakes) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Breakfast; Cake; Indian; Pancake
The History of Recipes
Academics have traced the existence of recipes way back into history, in fact as far as the early Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these ancient cook books were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe found, according to academics are a few ancient tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel wonderful and blissful. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there were two books dating from the 1300s : a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, these are not about the indian food that appears on menues today, but rather recipes for the types of meals served to the rich and powerful of the time. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many new spices and herbs from the Middle-East, including spices such as parsley, basil and rosemary. These new spices and herbs caused an increase in publications on food, some of which still exist in private collections. Over the next few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Europe strove to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a result chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. Even so, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that fine cookery and recipe publications became really popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated years of their lives to assembling, testing, and publishing recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy. The introduction of television brings us celebrity TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to search through thousands of recipes like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Adai(Savory Indian Pancakes) recipe.
