Coconut Jaggery Pancakes Recipe

Photo Credit: Anita Jaisinghani

These pancakes have been on the menu since day one and remain one of the most requested recipes at my restaurant, Pondicheri. They are inspired by the "malpua," a sweet rice flour pancake deep fried in ghee. While these are pan-sautéed, they have a deep, flavorful richness and make for a lovely weekend brunch.

Pancakes

Makes 6 pancakes | 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon kevra water
• ¼ cup ghee or melted butter + more for greasing pan
• 1 cup grated fresh coconut
• 1 tablespoon grated unpeeled ginger
• 1½ cups rice flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk, kevra water, ghee, grated coconut, and ginger and whisk until smooth. In another large bowl, stir the rice flour, almond flour, sugar, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until evenly combined. Pour in the egg–coconut milk mixture and fold until evenly mixed. On a greased hot skillet, pour a little ghee, drop a small mound of batter, and top with some sliced almonds. Repeat and let the pancakes cook 1–2 minutes, then flip them on the other side to finish cooking. Serve the pancakes with jaggery caramel, sweetened yogurt, and blueberries.

Notes & Variations

• If allergic to almonds, replace almond flour with additional rice flour and increase the ghee to ½ cup.
• The batter may be made 2–3 days in advance; make sure to whisk before using.

Jaggery Caramel

Ingredients

• ½ cup grated or chopped dark jaggery
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup heavy cream

Add the jaggery and sugar to a stockpot and heat until golden brown. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and heavy cream. Heat the mixture again until smooth; strain if needed.

Sweetened Yogurt

Ingredients

• 2 cups drained or Greek yogurt
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• pinch salt

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.