Savory and sweet beet pancakes
It’s pancake day!
Who says pancakes have to be sweet? I made these savory beet pancakes for the Yoga teacher training here a few weeks ago and they turned out great! They’re light, and both sweet from the cardamom and fantastic beets we’ve been getting this winter, and savory with a note of salt, coriander and cumin.
Leave all ideas behind of what you believe pancakes are -
and you’re in for a surprisingly delicious and balanced treat.
Beet pancakes
Makes about 20 small ones, serves 4-5 people
You need:
½ cup rice flour
1 ½ cup wheat flour
2 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp coriander powder
1 ½ tsp fennel powder
2 tsp cardamom powder
4 tbs ghee
1 ½ cup water or tea (more if needed) to
make a thick but smooth batter
2-3 cups grated beets
This is how:
Combine all the dry ingredients (flower, salt and spices) in a bowl and stir well.
Add the ghee and 1 cup water.
Continue to knead the dough with your right hand and hold the bowl steady with your left.
Switch to a whisk when the batter is thinner and continue to add the rest of the water. The batter should be smooth and liquid, but still fairly thick. The amount of water will depend on where you live, what kind of flower you use and what your preferred consistency or the pancakes are. If you have some clumps in your batter - no need to worry. They will cook away.
Once your batter is ready, heat up 3-4 drops of ghee in your frying pan.
When the pan is hot (feel with your hand in the air above the pan) add in your first pancake.
Immediately add the grated beets on top and press them lightly into the batter.
Add a few drops of ghee around the pancake, not on top of it or it will make it heavy to digest.
Cook on low heat for 2 min until the batter is drying up slightly and it easily comes of the pan. Be patient and avoid adding to much ghee.
Press the ladle down and forward to lift the pancake out.
Flip to the other side and cook for about 2 min until the beets are soft and the pancake cooked all the way through.
Continue to finish the pancakes on low heat. It’s good to be quick to put in the beets in once the batter is in the pan so they cook well.
Enjoy with a legume, the rest of the beets cooked in a pan with spices and a splash of water and some greens for a complete meal.
Let me know how your pancakes turned out and get in touch with any questions. This recipe is adapted from a larger quantity. Trust your intuition and enjoy the process. If you don’t have the exact spices or flowers at home that I used, feel free to substitute them for what you have at hand, but keep the wheat amount to 2/3 of the total batter to make sure the pancakes hold together.