Sweet Coconut Pancake (pani pol pancake)

These delicious pancakes take me straight back to my childhood memories ….pani pol pancake is a very popular and easy-to-make sweet in SriLanka. My loving Mum always made them for my evening tea. This is my own recipe – I hope you will all enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS
For pancake batter

3 eggs (beaten)
2 cup coconut milk
175g plan flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
Pinch of salt

METHOD

Place all the ingredients in a big bowl together and mix until you have a thick smooth batter. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, if necessary adjust with a little flour or milk then cover and set aside for 30 minutes to rest.

For sweet coconut mix

1 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut (or frozen)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
50g chopped cashew nuts or almonds
Pinch of salt

METHOD

Heat the pan then add sugar. Allow to caramelise until golden (making sure not to burn it). Add water, reduce the heat and mix until it becomes a syrup. Then add the coconut and other ingredients, mix well and let it cook on a low heat until the syrup absorbs into the coconut. Remove from heat and leave to cool down.

Heat the nonstick small frying pan over medium heat and lightly wipe the hot base of a pan with coconut oil or olive oil. Add just enough batter to pan to cover the base – cook for about 2 minutes until it becomes a dry pancake. Slide onto a plate, place the 1 tbs sweet coconut (pani pol) into centre of the pancake. Fold the bottom over the filling and roll it up. Do this when the pancake is hot, it will be easy to roll up and will hold together better.