Surnoli (Coconut-Rice Pancakes)

Step 1

Rinse the rice several times in warm water until the water runs almost clear, and soak for an hour. Drain the rice. In a blender, combine all ingredients except the salt and ghee, butter and honey with 1 cup water, and mix on high speed. If you need to, add a splash more water, just enough to help the ingredients catch the blade and produce a thick, smooth batter. Scrape batter into a bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to ferment overnight, or about 8 hours.

Step 2

Add salt, and give the batter a gentle stir. Add a little water, if needed. It should be thicker than pancake batter but somewhat airy from the fermentation. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add a half teaspoon of ghee, followed by about 2 ounces surnoli batter. Immediately tilt the pan around to encourage the batter to spread a little, into a small, thick circle. Cover the pan with a lid, and let the surnoli cook gently without flipping it. When the top is pocked all over with holes and cooked through, and the bottom is a golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, transfer to a plate and serve with some butter or ghee, and honey. Repeat with remaining batter.