Surnoli

Cooked on one side only, under a lid, so it stays yellow and full of holes.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (butter), dairy (buttermilk).

Ingredients

250 g raw rice, soaked 4 hours
80 g flattened rice, poha
80 g fresh coconut, grated
200 ml buttermilk
80 g jaggery, grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
about 150 ml water
oil for the griddle
butter, to serve

Method

IT IS COOKED ON ONE SIDE ONLY, UNDER A LID, SO IT STAYS YELLOW AND FULL OF HOLES. Its article is short and the method is complete: the batter is made BY GRINDING TOGETHER SOAKED RICE MIXED WITH FLATTENED RICE, COCONUT, BUTTERMILK, JAGGERY AND TURMERIC INTO A SMOOTH PASTE, and THE BATTER IS FERMENTED OVERNIGHT AND COOKED COVERED ON A GRIDDLE ON ONE SIDE. Never turned. The underside browns, the top steams under the lid, and the holes that open on the surface stay open.
WHICH IS ALSO WHY IT STAYS THE COLOUR IT IS. The article describes surnolis as having A PUFFY TEXTURE WITH HOLES, WITH A YELLOW COLOR. Turn one over and the turmeric side darkens on the iron and the yellow is gone.
THE BUTTERMILK IS THE FERMENT, NOT YEAST OR SODA. It is in the grinding list rather than added after, so the acid and the bacteria are in the batter from the start. Slightly sour buttermilk works better than fresh.
FLATTENED RICE WITH THE RAW RICE, WHICH IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE TEXTURE. Eighty grams in two hundred and fifty. Poha is already cooked and gelatinised, and it is what makes the pancake puffy rather than merely thin.
GRIND EVERYTHING TOGETHER TO A SMOOTH PASTE AND LEAVE IT OVERNIGHT. Somewhere warm. It should rise a little and smell faintly sour in the morning.
MAKE THEM LARGE. The article's figure is ABOUT 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER, which is most of a griddle. Poured and spread with the back of the ladle, thicker than a dosa.
COVER IT AT ONCE AND LEAVE IT ALONE FOR FOUR MINUTES. The lid is what cooks the top. Lifted early the middle is raw; lifted late the base is bitter, because the jaggery in it burns.
LIFT IT OFF AND SERVE IT COOKED-SIDE DOWN, WITH BUTTER. Its article has them eaten for breakfast or at afternoon tea, SERVED WITH HOMEMADE BUTTER, and records the dish as a Saraswat Brahmin one among the Konkani community.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes