Growing up, most sweets at home was made with coconut, jaggery and cardamom mixture. The heady aroma wafting through the house was a sign of things to come. I remember this mixture being ready and on the stove, still warm, waiting to be filled in rice paste lined turmeric leaves and then to be steamed. Obviously it was a long wait and all I wanted was a spoon of the sweet mixture. I’d eat a few spoonfuls and wait for the rest of the process to be finished. Making that sweet myself seemed like a task I’d take on another time and so I made something that’d have the same coconut and jaggery mixture. Pancakes. To compliment them, I made a caramel sauce with jaggery and ginger. I’m pleased to inform you that these are officially my favourite pancakes.
Yield: 6 medium pancakes
Ingredients for pancakes:
Flour – 1 cup
Coconut milk – 3/4 cup
Eggs – 2
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Jaggery (I used the organic kind) – 1/2 cup crushed or powdered
Cardamom seeds – 1/4 crushed (you could use cardamom powder as well)
Coconut – 1/2 cup
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt – a pinch
Ingredients for the sauce:
Jaggery – 1/4 cup
Coconut milk – 1/2 cup
Butter – 2 tbsp
Grated ginger – 2 tbsp
Salt – a pinch
Method:
Pancakes:
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and keep aside. Mix the coconut milk and eggs and keep it aside.
In a pan, melt the jaggery with the butter, add the coconut and cardamom to it. Mix well.
Take it off the heat.
Pour the coconut milk and egg mixture into the flour and mix gently.
Tip the jaggery and coconut mixture in and mix.
Heat a nonstick pan and pour a ladle of the batter to make the pancake.
When you see bubbles forming around the pancake, flip it over. This should take 30 to 40 seconds.
Cook the other side for another 30-40 seconds and continue with the rest of the batter.
Caramel sauce:
Melt jaggery and butter on a sauce pan on medium heat.
Once melted add the butter and then the coconut milk to it. Whisk.
Take the ginger in your hand and squeeze the juice over the jaggery mixture. Add salt as well.
Whisk till it’s all mixed well together and take it off the pan.
Pour the caramel sauce over pancakes and serve. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.
