Crisp Rice and Chickpea Pancakes with a Spiced Potato Filling

I am very fortunate to have lots and lots of veggies in the house right now and I wanted to cook with spices. Particularly, I wanted to make Indian Dosas because I saw a picture and, even though I had never had one, I needed them. I did a little reading and realized that I am not even slightly capable of the intricacy and art of the cooks who make these every day. So, I came up with what I thought might be a good substitute. Definitely not as beautiful as Dosas, but wonderful all the same. These pancakes have a crispy outer layer and a great nutty taste. The filling is so incredibly good. Try serving these with Jackfruit Chutney, Minted Yogurt with Lime Zest or your favorite condiment.

Ingredients (serves 6-8 with some potato filling left over):

For the filling:

2 teaspoons canola oil or ghee (clarified butter)

½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds

2 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

½ cup vegetable stock

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Salt to taste

For the pancakes:

1 cup white rice powder

1 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)

2 ½ cups of water or enough to make the batter thin (I mean like a runny batter)

1-2 Tablespoons of canola oil or ghee, divided

Directions:

For the filling:

Heat the oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the mustard seeds, curry powder, cumin, and ginger and gram masala. Cook for 3 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Add in the garlic and the onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onion is soft. Add in the potatoes (both kinds) and stock. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring often, for about 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough for you to easily smash against the side of the pan with a fork. Go ahead, smash some of them. You want a nice, chunky and dry filling here. Add in the peas and remove from heat. Keep warm.

For the pancakes:

Whisk together all ingredients except water. Then, slowly add the water until you have a consistency like crepe batter or thin pancake batter. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Stir and check the consistency again, adding more water if you need to. You want a very, very thin batter.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil or ghee in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Ladle in one small portion of the pancake batter and spread it to make an even layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Flip the pancake and cook the other side another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter, using the rest of the oil or ghee as needed.

Assembly: Place one pancake in a warm nonstick skillet and spread some of the potato filling on one side. Fold the pancake over, pat down the top and cook for just a minute to warm through (Note: you could also roll these up like a burrito by placing the filling in the center and then putting each side of the pancake over the middle and flipping to ‘seam side down’ to warm through).

Serve with Jackfruit Chutney and Minted Yogurt with Lime Zest or whatever other condiment you would like.