If you are tired of eating the same regular poha, paratha, or cheela every morning for breakfast, you can try something entirely new this time. This pancake made from semolina and potatoes tastes wonderful and can be easily prepared right at home. You can make it even more enjoyable and nutritious by adding vegetables of your choice. The best part is that you do not need any special ingredients to bring this recipe together.
This quick breakfast can be whipped up using semolina, potatoes, curd, and a few basic spices that are already readily available in your kitchen. If you are in the mood to make something a bit different for your family, kids, or elders over the weekend, this recipe will definitely come in handy.
List of Required Ingredients
To make this easy and tasty pancake, you will need 1 cup of semolina, 2 tablespoons of gram flour, and 1/2 cup of curd. In addition to this, you will require 1 medium-sized grated potato, 1 finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup of finely chopped vegetables such as carrots and capsicum, 1 finely chopped green chili, and 1 small spoon of grated ginger. You will also need salt and red chili powder according to your taste, a bit of cumin seeds, turmeric powder, freshly chopped coriander leaves, and a little bit of oil for cooking.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the semolina, gram flour, and curd thoroughly. Now, slowly add water little by little to prepare a thick batter. Cover this mixture and let it rest for about 10 minutes so that the semolina can absorb the water and swell up properly. Make sure that the batter does not become too thin, otherwise, it will be quite difficult to shape the pancakes nicely on the griddle.
Mixing Vegetables and Spices
Once the batter has rested, add the grated potato, chopped onion, carrots, capsicum, green chili, and ginger into it. Following this, add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and fresh coriander leaves, and stir everything together very well. If the batter appears to have become too thick at this stage, you can pour in a little bit of water. All the ingredients must blend together nicely so that the delicious flavor of the vegetables shines through in every single bite of the pancake.
Cooking and Griddling Process
Heat a non-stick griddle or tawa and apply a light coating of oil over it. Now, take a large ladleful of the batter, pour it onto the center, and spread it out into a slightly thick round shape. Keep the heat level between low and medium so that the potato inside cooks thoroughly and the pancake does not burn too quickly from the outside. Let the pancake cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. When the bottom side turns a nice light golden color and the top batter begins to dry up slightly, turn it over very carefully. Cook the other side thoroughly as well. Prepare the remaining pancakes using the exact same method with the rest of the batter.
Tips for Making Extra Soft Pancakes
If you prefer your pancakes to be a bit fluffier and softer, mixing a pinch of fruit salt into the batter is a good alternative. After adding it, do not let the batter sit for too long and immediately start making the pancakes. Using fruit salt is completely optional, but if you do use it, follow the instructions given on the packet carefully. Cooking the pancakes on a low-medium flame is essential because high heat can brown the outer crust too fast while leaving the potato raw inside.
Serve these piping hot semolina and potato pancakes alongside fresh green coriander-mint chutney, tomato chutney, or simple tomato ketchup. If you like, you can also serve a hot cup of tea alongside them. When preparing this dish specifically for children, you can reduce the amount of green chili. You can also customize the recipe by swapping out the vegetables according to your own personal preferences.
