Tandoori-Spiced Pancakes

This is the one thing we cook in our house more than any other! When we were kids, Mum would make a big batch of pancake batter and have a couple of fillings on the go. I’ve adopted it at home too and cook it for my daughter Zara, who loves it! We call it ‘Our Pancake Day’. 

Makes 8 pancakes 

Pancakes

1 egg

120g plain flour

300ml milk

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp melted butter, plus an extra 2 tsp for the pan

Savoury filling 

1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil

1 onion, sliced into half moons

150g potatoes, peeled and diced into pea-sized cubes

1 tbsp Tandoori Masala 

150g frozen peas

Pinch of salt

Method 

First make the savoury filling. Warm the vegetable oil in a large frying pan (skillet) and fry the onions until just starting to soften. Add the potatoes and keep everything moving. Stir in the tandoori blend and continue to cook until the onions are soft and the potatoes are tender. Set aside and stir in the peas; they will cook in the residual heat. Taste and season with salt.

For the pancakes, beat the egg with a couple of tablespoons of the flour until you have a smooth mixture (this will help prevent lumps in your batter). Stir in a splash of milk then a spoonful of flour alternately until you’ve used both up and the batter has the consistency of single cream. Season with the salt then whisk in the melted butter.

Melt the additional butter in a non-stick frying pan. The melted butter in the batter means you don’t have to re-grease between each pancake (and that you don’t end up with burnt butter in your frying pan), but a little to start helps the tricky first pancake on its way.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the centre of your pan and swirl it so it covers the base in a thin layer. Cook until the pancake is light brown in patches underneath, then flip with a spatula (or flip in the air if you’re good at that sort of thing).

Distribute the pancakes as you cook them, adding the filling as you go.