Savory Burmese Pancake

Savory Pancake in Myanmar Version

Most of Myanmar rice powder related snacks are savory and delicious in their own way.  In some, the rice powder batters are mix with urad dal and fermented overnight. This makes the batter like the fluffy texture like the pancake. Rice is also the Asian countries' favorite grain and the daily meal.

In Myanmar, it is quite common for most countrymen to have rice with steam Vatana beans for breakfast and well appreciated. This bean is nutritious, low calorie and a good source of fiber. We did a lot of dishes with steam bean as I mention it before. As we usually get a long holiday for the Christmas season, this pancake recipe is fun to make at home for the family and is a good change from the daily routine of eating bread.

For this pancake rice batter, I tried to make with actual rice grain and urad dal soaked overnight. Then I ground them into powder then ferment overnight to make the batter fluffy.
We could also use the buttermilk pancake batter and add this savory ingredient which would taste good too. Flavor and texture may be different on the use of rice flour or wheat flour.

We could store this batter for at least 3 to 5 days in the fridge for the future use.  It is also a great snack option for children after their school.

Savory Pan Cake with Vatana Bean (2-3 serving)

Ingredients

1 cup     Rice
1 cup     Urad Dal
2 tsp      Salt
1 cup     Steamed Vatana Bean
1 tbsp   Ginger Juice
1/2 cup  Finely Chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup  Finely Chopped fresh spring onions
2 Tbsp   Toasted sesame seeds
1/2 Cup  Fresh grated coconut flakes
2 Tbsp   Canola oil

Instructions

1.  In the clean and dry bowl, add rice and Urad Dal as the ratio above, add water and soak overnight.

2. In the blender, add all the rice and water together and then grind till smooth. We may add a cup of water ( pour 2-3 tbsp water at a time) to make the grinding process smooth.

3. When everything is ground into smooth powder texture, pour the batter into the dry bowl and cover with strainer or cheesecloth. Put this bowl in the oven for one night to start the fermentation process.  Please don't forget to turn on the oven light.

4. Next morning, you may see some bubbling foam on top of that batter. It means the batter is ready to make the pancake. otherwise, we may need to leave it in the oven one more night. But in hot and humid countries, we can just leave it on the counter one night to ferment. ( Oven light process is only for the cold place like Minnesota where I stay.)

5. When the batter is ready, add salt, ginger juice, spring onion, cilantro and mix it thoroughly.

6. On the stove top with medium-high heat, we may use the griddle or non-stick skillet rub the oil ( or butter) and pour 1/2 cup of batter, sprinkle 4-5 steamed Vatana beans on top and cover for 1 minute. Then flip onto the other side is golden brown. We may also brush the surface of the pancake to make it crispier.

7. Cook until both sides are a golden brown color. We may continue to make more pieces as we needed.

8. In the plate, add one or two pancakes, sprinkle ground toasted sesame powder and freshly grated coconut flakes will make the pancake perfect breakfast with tea or coffee.

( Note: We may also add 1 tsp of toasted sesame seed in the batter. It is optional. )