Sri Lankan Coconut Pancakes

Keegan Crawford, creative genius and part of our Castaway team, put us onto one of his favourite travelled tastes from Sri Lanka; Pani Pol or sweet coconut-filled pancakes. Creating this recipe took Keegs back to Sri Lanka, and we hope it leaves you with a taste for travel that takes you to this island nation, too. 

SERVES 4

FOR THE PANCAKES 

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½t  baking powder

1T white sugar

½t table salt

¼t turmeric powder

1 cup whole milk

2 eggs

1t vanilla essence

Coconut oil, for frying the pancakes

FOR THE COCONUT FILLING (PANI POL) 

¼ cup coconut milk 
½ cup desiccated coconut 
¼ cup jaggery  
5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle 
1 cinnamon stick 

MAKE THE PANCAKES: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and turmeric. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla essence to the bowl. Whisk well to remove any lumps. Alternatively, you can use a blender to combine all the pancake ingredients, as we did. Heat a non-stick pan over low heat and brush it with a bit of coconut oil (just enough to lightly coat the base). Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and use the back of a spoon to spread it thinly. Cook one side until small bubbles start to appear (1-2 minutes), then flip and cook the other side (1-2 minutes). Repeat with the remaining batter.

 MAKE THE FILLING: In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the desiccated coconut and allow it to absorb the moisture. It should resemble fresh coconut. In a separate small saucepan, add the jaggery, crushed cardamom pods, and the cinnamon stick. Place it over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Let it reduce slightly until it becomes a syrup-like consistency. Once the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has boiled, add the desiccated coconut mixture to the syrup. If the mixture is too liquid, cook it for a little longer to reduce the moisture. It should be semi-liquid, neither too dry nor too moist. Remove the saucepan from heat and discard the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.

ASSEMBLE: Place a pancake on a flat surface. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the coconut filling and place it down the centre of the pancake. Fold both sides of the pancake over the filling, then roll it to seal. Repeat the process for the remaining filling and pancakes and serve immediately.