Tamal Ray's recipe for coconut rice pancakes

Pati shapta is the Bengali name for these traditional pancakes, which my mum would make as a treat on special occasions. The coconut filling is usually sweetened with nolen gur, a particular form of date palm sugar that’s difficult to find in the UK. I’ve used brown sugar instead – although, if you happen to have some, date syrup would also work well here.

Bengali rice flour pancakes

You can find rice flour in some supermarkets and online – Doves Farm makes a good one. If you go to a South Indian food shop, be aware that rice flour and ground rice are not the same thing. Ground rice has a coarser texture and will not form a batter.

Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 6

For the pancakes
120g rice flour, sieved
30g caster sugar
200ml whole milk
Butter, for greasing the pan

For the filling
100g desiccated coconut
80g dark brown sugar
2 green cardamom pods
300ml whole milk

To make the filling, pour all the ingredients into a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Cover with a lid, then simmer at a low heat for 10 minutes, until the coconut has softened. Uncover and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has become a sticky paste.

While the filling cooks, make the pancakes. Stir together the flour and sugar, then add the milk gradually to avoid lumps. You should be left with a thin, smooth batter.

Put a large frying pan or a crepe pan on a medium-hot heat, grease with butter and then pour in just enough batter to cover the surface of the pan. Cook for about a minute on a high heat, until the edges of the pancake are just starting to brown, then flip over and cook for another 45 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

To serve, put some of the coconut filling along the middle of each pancake, then roll up.