Idli Rice and Mung Bean Pancakes with Onions, Mustard Seed & Asafetida and Tamarind Yogurt Sauce

These pancakes are the product of a class I taught at the beloved San Franciscan community cooking school, 18 Reasons. I had just returned from 7 months of international travel, 4 of which were in India. I was particularly charmed by the southern states of India and wanted to teach people more about my favorite meal there: breakfast. When I am at home in California I have reliable and gorgeous breakfasts: avocado miso toast, fermented vegetables, an egg and usually a salad or sauteed vegetable of some sort. I never missed this breakfast when I was in India. The food was just too good.

Idlis were a particular favorite of mine and I wanted to share them with the class. The idlis required idli rice, which typically comes in a 5 pound bag. Of course it does! If you’ve made idlis in the past you are sure to want more in future. However, how many idlis was this community cooking school really going to make? That class barely made a dent and thus, the gauntlet was thrown down. How to use up that big bag of rice without reteaching the same recipe? I ended up making many recipes with the rice but this one was my favorite.

So often pancakes are a nutrient poor food, composed mostly of flour and water. One of the things that I love about this recipe is that it uses whole foods to create the base. Since we are using both a grain and a legume it winds up being a complete protein to boot. The curry leaves are magical and wonderful but don’t let their absence from your larder stop you from making the recipe. Ditto asafetida.

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INGREDIENTS
Pancakes

• ½ c idli rice, soaked overnight

• ½ c split mung beans, soaked overnight

• 1 ½ tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp neutral oil + extra for cooking pancakes

• 1 Tbsp brown mustard seeds

• 10 curry leaves

• ⅛ tsp asafetida

• 1 large onion, diced

Sauce

• ½ c plain yogurt

• 1 Tbsp tamarind concentrate

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• ¼ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Pancakes

1. Drain and rinse rice and mung beans.

2. Place in a blender and add enough water to just barely cover rice and beans. Add salt and purée until smooth.

3. Transfer batter to a medium-large mixing bowl. The consistency should be like pancake batter. If too thick, thin with water.

4. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. Cook for about 1 minute until mustard seeds begin to make popping noises.

5. Add onion and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 7-8 minutes until onion becomes translucent. Transfer to the bowl of batter.

6. Clean out the cast iron pan and wipe off any bits of debris. Pour a couple Tbsp of oil into pan and coat evenly.

7. Ladle out batter in ¼ cup increments. Flip pancakes over when the sides start to brown and bubble, about 3 minutes. Repeat until all batter is used. Serve immediately.

Sauce

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve alongside pancakes.

Serves 4-6