Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes

Also known as dangela, these Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes are made with dhokla flour: a mix of rice, chickpeas, pigeon peas and lentils. The fermented yogurt batter is traditionally cooked on a tawa or griddle.

I first read about these wonderful savory pancakes on my friend Mayuri’s blog, Mayuri’s Jikoni. I had never heard of dhokla flour but I am often looking for ways to up our protein intake and a flour containing legumes sounded like an easy, tasty way of doing that. 

Fortunately, my favorite Indian market in Houston, Subhlaxmi Grocers, carries it! There are a lot of recipes online that start from scratch, grinding the various ingredients to make the flour first so, if you are so inclined, you can certainly make it yourself. Mayuri says the ratio to use is 2 parts rice, 1 part split chickpea (chana dal) and 1/4 part urad dal (split black gram aka white lentils.)

Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes

The batter requires time to ferment so start this recipe in the morning to make the pancakes in the afternoon or evening. Or start in the evening and leave it to ferment overnight. The weight of the vegetables given below is what I used. You can add more or less, according to your taste. You can find the original recipe with Mayuri’s notes here. If you can't find ajwain seeds, Google offers this advice: Ajwain seeds have a distinctive flavor that is similar to thyme and cumin. When a substitute is needed, thyme, caraway seeds, or a combination of cumin and oregano can be used. 

Ingredients  

For fermenting the batter:

1 cup or 220g dhokla flour

1/4 cup or 60ml warm water

1/4 cup or 61g plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

For adding to the fermented batter:

1 medium (about 5 0z or 142g) zucchini

1 medium (about 2 1/2 oz or 71g) carrot

2 good handfuls (about 1 2/3 oz or 47g) fresh baby leaf spinach

1/4 medium onion

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1 small knob ginger, grated on a microplane

2 small green chili peppers, finely minced

For the tarka, to further season the batter:

1 tablespoon oil

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

generous pinch asafetida

1- 2 tablespoons water, for rinsing the tarka pan

For cooking the savory pancakes aka dangela:

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Canola or other light oil

3-4 teaspoons sesame seeds for topping

Method

Measure the flour into a large bowl that will fit the rest of your batter ingredients later. Add the warm water, yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds to the flour.

Mix well. Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight.

If the weather is warm, the bowl can be kept on the kitchen countertop. If the weather is cold, put the bowl in your oven (with a pilot light, if it’s gas) or turn just the light bulb on. 

During the fermentation time, finely grate your zucchini and carrot. Leave both to drain on paper towels to get rid of some of the excess liquid. 

Pinch the stems off of the spinach leaves and discard.

 

Chop the leaves.

Then mince the onion.

When the fermentation time is up, add grated carrot, grated zucchini, chopped onion and spinach to the batter. Mix thoroughly.

Add the salt, sugar, turmeric powder, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Mix again to combine.

Grate the ginger and mince the green chili peppers. 

Add them to the batter. Rub the ajwain between your palms and add it to the batter. Mix the batter well.

If it appears a bit dry then add normal tap water, little at a time. I found that the more I stirred, the wetter it got, no doubt courtesy of the chopped spinach, so I didn't add any water. You want a batter thick enough to be spooned into a pan but one that will spread out a little of its own accord, perhaps with a little help from your spoon.

Finally, we’ll make the tarka to finish seasoning the batter by lightly frying the tarka ingredients in a little oil. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan over low to medium heat. Add the fenugreek seeds. When they begin to sizzle add the mustard and cumin seeds.

Add the pinch of asafetida. 

Give the tarka a quick stir then immediately pour it into the batter.

Add about 2 tablespoons of water to the hot pan. Give it a swirl and add the water to the batter. Stir well.

I almost missed this step! When you are ready to make the dangela, add the baking powder to the batter and give it another good stir. Now you are ready to cook! 

This will make four nice thick pancakes so I eyeballed the batter in the bowl and scored the top in an effort to make them come out relatively even. 

Wipe out your tarka frying pan then heat it over medium heat.

Drizzle in some oil. Add about one-quarter of the batter to your pan and give it a little shake and use your spoon to spread it out into an even circle. 

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds over the top of the batter.

Drizzle a little more oil around the pancake.

Leave it to cook for about 3-4 minutes over low heat or until it seems set enough to turn.

Carefully turn it over with a big spatula.

Drizzle a little more oil around the dangela and cook until it is golden on the other side. Put it in a low oven in foil to keep warm while you cook the other three. 

Repeat the process until you have four savory pancakes to enjoy. My husband and I ate the first two as snacks with mint chutney. 

Then the next morning, we enjoyed the last two, warmed, with a fried egg each on top. Lovely snack and lovely breakfast. Highly recommend either way! 

It’s already the second Tuesday of the month – how is it June?! – so that means it’s time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes for this month’s theme: Indian breads. Many thanks to our host, Renu from Cook with Renu. Check out the links below. 

• Butter Naan from Passion Kneaded
• Cheese and Garlic Naan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya with Whole Wheat Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• "Instant" Appam from A Messy Kitchen
• Khamiri Roti from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Litti Chokha from Cook with Renu
• Magical Avocado Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Easy Lamb Curry

This easy lamb curry has a rich gravy and is full of flavor. Using a store-bought curry paste instead of a long list of spices makes it so easy! 

My spice cupboard is full of all the spices I need to cook a full blown, made from scratch curry but sometimes I’m just too lazy to toast and grind them. That’s when a store-bought curry paste comes in handy. 

And in that same spirit of laziness, this post doesn’t have my typical process photos, just one of the well-seared lamb and onions! But truly, I don’t think they are necessary. This really lives up to its name, easy lamb curry.

Easy Lamb Curry

I am a fan of stock cubes so if you don’t have chicken broth or lamb stock, by all means use a cube here to make some. Depending on the saltiness of your broth or stock, you may not need any salt added at the end. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 lb or 450g cubed boneless lamb

¼ cup or 60g hot or mild Indian curry paste (such as Patak's)

1 cup or 240ml chicken broth or lamb stock

1 can (14.5 oz or 411g) chopped tomatoes and juice

6 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup or 120g frozen peas, thawed 235g/2

Fine sea salt, to taste

To serve: cooked rice

Optional: chutney (homemade or store-bought)

To garnish: cilantro leaves

Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it is translucent. Remove from the pan.

Add the lamb and fry till seared on all sides. Transfer to the plate and mix with the onions.

Add curry paste to the pan and stir for one minute.

Add the broth/stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil. 

Return the lamb and onion to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Add cubed potatoes and simmer, covered, until the lamb and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in the thawed peas and cook until heated through, about five minutes. Taste for salt and add some if necessary. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with cooked rice and chutney on the side for those who would like a dollop.

Enjoy!

It's Sunday FunDay and I am hosting! I chose lamb as our theme/ingredient since it's spring. Check out the links below.

• Cheesy Mutton Curry from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Lamb Curry from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Lamb Meatballs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Rosemary Lamb Skewers from Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Spicy Urad Dal

This spicy urad dal is made with split and skinned black lentils, seasoned with many spices including cumin, ginger, coriander, onion and dried chili peppers. 

I was racking my brain to come up with a recipe ingredient that starts with the letter U for this edition of the Alphabet Challenge when all that thinking sparked a memory. Once upon a time I had eaten at an Indian restaurant in Dubai and was served dal makhani. It was a beautiful dark color, rich and flavorful and unlike any dal I had enjoyed before. 

My only experience prior had been with dals that were yellow! I offer this recipe as evidence: My Tarka Dal or Curried Lentils.

Of course, when I got home, I did a little google search to discover that dal makhani is made with whole black lentils or urad dal. Further investigation revealed that urad dal can be purchased whole - with the black skins still intact, split – with skins intact but with the inside exposed, and "white" – with skins removed. 

Now I had my ingredient name for U, but where to buy some? Had I been back in Houston where Indian supermarkets abound, no problem. But in Jersey, we aren’t so fortunate. Amazon to the rescue again.

I ordered white urad dal as well as some asafoetida which is recommended when cooking legumes of any sort, including lentils, as it is meant to meant to help with digestion and, ahem, gas. 

Spicy Urad Dal

Despite the urad dal I bought being skinned and split, every recipe I found assured me that I could not skip the soaking step. So I did not and you shouldn’t either! Soaking the dal not only reduces the cooking time but also makes the dal more easily digestible. Even with soaking, this did not break down to a mush like other lentils. We really liked the texture.

Ingredients 

To cook the dal:

1 cup or 220g white urad dal (split and skinned black lentils)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Small knob ginger, peeled and grated

For the tempering aka tarka: 

3 tablespoons ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon asafoetida (also known as hing)

¼ teaspoon kalongi

2-3 dry red chili peppers

½ medium onion, chopped

5-6 curry leaves

1 teaspoon cayenne

To serve:

1 tablespoon lime juice

chopped cilantro 

Method

Rinse the dal well with water until it runs almost clear. This takes a few times. 

Soak it in 4 cups or 960ml water for 30 minutes.

Drain the water and add the dal to a large pot. Pour in 26 oz or 750ml water. Bring to the boil, and use a slotted spoon to remove the scum that rises to the surface. 

Add in the turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and grated ginger. 

Stir to combine and turn the stove to simmer. 

Put on the lid, but leave it partially ajar, to prevent the pot from boiling over. Simmer for about 30 minutes, checking it every so often to give it a stir. Add a little more water if necessary so the lentils don’t dry out.

When the lentils are cooked, we make the tarka. Heat the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat. Once the ghee is hot, add the asafoetida, cumin seeds and kalongi and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

Add the dry red chili peppers and chopped onions and cook until the onions turn golden brown, stirring frequently.

Quickly stir in the curry leaves and cayenne.

Immediately add the tarka to the cooked dal.

Stir then add the lime juice.

Garnish the dal with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice, naan or chapati. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 21th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter U. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the U recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Utah Buttermilk Scones 
• Culinary Cam: Curry Udon with Prawns 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (Yaki Udon) 
• Food Lust People Love: Spicy Urad Dal 
• Magical Ingredients: Ube Paratha 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Upvasachi Shengdanyachi Usal/Peanut Sundal - Keto 
• A Messy Kitchen: Ube Muffins 
• Blogghetti: Easy Homemade Peach Upside Down Cake 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Ukranian Cod in Tomato Sauce 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Vegetable Upma 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Unsweetened Coconut Oatmeal Peach Crisp

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 

U. Spicy Urad Dal - this post!

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Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani #FishFridayFoodies

This Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani is a fragrant dish of well-seasoned seafood quickly seared till golden then mixed with long-grained basmati rice. It’s one of our favorite one-pot meals!

We love biryani but I must confess that it’s not a dish I make very often, primarily because, aside from egg biryani, my favorite kind is made with lamb. Lamb biryani means cooking the meat first, long and slow, in which case I’m probably just going to make lamb curry or lamb stew and serve them with white rice.

It’s just occurring to me that maybe I need to try a lamb biryani in my Instant Pot. I still think it would take longer than this relatively quick bay scallop shrimp biryani.

Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani

If you are using frozen shrimp and scallops in this recipe, make sure to thaw and drain well before you begin. Since we want to get a good sear with color on them, I’d even suggest patting them dry with a paper towel before seasoning. I’ve adapted this recipe from the shrimp biryani in At Home with Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients
2 cups or 385g long-grained basmati rice
1 lb or 450g bay scallops
1 lb or 450g medium raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
5-6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil or other light oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 2/3 cups or 630ml store-bought or homemade shrimp or fish stock
4 cardamom pods
3 inch or 7.5cm stick cinnamon

Optional to serve:
Fried onions – can be purchased at most Asian markets

Method
Discard any hard stems from the cilantro and then mince the tender stems finely. Chop the leaves roughly and set aside a small handful for garnish at the end.

Rinse and strain the rice with cool cold water until the liquid that comes off the rice is clear. When done, drain the rice. I have a special tool for this that I bought when I lived in Brazil, where it got use daily. It’s called, no surprise, a “lava arroz” which means, wash rice.

You can use a colander or strainer, if the holes are small enough. Finally soak the rinsed rice in more cool water for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the scallops and shrimp with the minced fine cilantro stems, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a generous few grinds of black pepper. Toss well. Set bowl aside for 5 minutes.

Heat large non-stick skillet over a high heat. Add a small drizzle of the oil and then about a quarter of the shrimp and scallops and sear them quickly. You are looking for a little brown color so avoid stirring for the first minute or so. Check for color with a pair of tongs.

Just starting to brown! 

Cook another minute and tip them into a bowl. Continue with the rest of the shrimp and scallops until all are seared and in the bowl. Add in the lemon juice and the bigger pile of chopped cilantro.

Mix well.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to your skillet. (You will see that I changed pans here. This is because I don’t have a tight-fitting lid for my non-stick skillet. If you do, you can continue in the same pan. I did deglaze my original pan with a little of the stock so I wouldn’t lose the brown bits left behind there.)

Give the cardamom pods a slight bash with your pestle or the flat side of a knife. You just want to crack them open a little. Add the cinnamon to the pan along with the cardamom pods. Fry over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and turn the heat up. Assuming you’ve used the same pan, use a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits on the pan.

When the liquid comes to a boil, add the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Stir well, and then cover the pan tightly, reduce the heat to your lowest simmer, and cook for 25 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the pan to rest covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid of the pan. You can discard the cinnamon stick and the cardamom or leave them in. Up to you.

Distribute the scallops and shrimp over the top of the rice and scrape in any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Cover and set aside for another minute or two.

Stir the mixture gently.  Sprinkle with the reserved cilantro leaves and some crunchy fried onions.

Enjoy!

Check out the other lovely biryanis my fellow Fish Friday Foodies are sharing today. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe and our group leader Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani by Food Lust People Love
• Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani by Making Miracles
• Prawn Biryani + Homemade Naan by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Seafood Biryani by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Shrimp Biryani by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tandoori Prawn Biryani For One by Sneha's Recipe

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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