Sri Lankan Sweet Coconut Pancakes

A traditional classic Sri Lankan pancake, also known as Wellawahum (වෙල්ලවැහුම්), is something that is always close to my heart. I loved it as a kid and nothing much has changed since then. My mom used to make these every single week and sometimes I take these to school as my breakfast meal. These Sri Lankan pancakes are filled with sweet roasted coconut also known as pani pol. You can always have this with jam, peanut butter, or any sweet or savory spread that you have at home and it can be stuffed with any number of flavorful things.  

Sri Lankan Stuffed Coconut Pancakes

There are two special ingredients that make these coconut stuffed pancakes more aromatic and flavorful; cardamon and vanilla! Just the right amount of crushed cardamom and a hint of vanilla can take these things to the next level. I would usually add vanilla essence but this time I went ahead with the new product that was introduced by Finch foods, vanilla powder.

Vanilla Powder

The best thing about this Vanilla powder is its pure ground-dried vanilla beans and has a more intense flavor than vanilla extract. This can be used directly in your baking recipes, pancakes, waffles, or added to smoothies, or even to your coffee.

Ingredients

• 01 cup of all-purpose flour
• 01 1/4 cup of milk – use warm coconut milk to keep it vegan
• 02 eggs – substitute with flax or chia eggs
• 1/4 tsp of saffron powder
• 1/2 tsp of FinchFoods vanilla powder – Shop Now
• 1/2 tsp of salt – adjust to your preference
• 01 tbsp of melted butter
• 02 pods of cardamom – crushed

Stuffing

• 01 cup of finely shredded coconuts
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• about 1/4 cup of water

Prep Time – 15 minutes Cook time – 30 minutes  yield – 10 medium-sized pancakes 

Sri Lankan Stuffed Coconut Pancakes

Method

Method 01:

• Add everything into a food processor or a blender and blend for about  45 to 01 minutes until you get a smooth batter. 

Method 02:

• First, let’s mix all the wet ingredients, in a medium-sized bowl combine milk, egg, butter, and whisk well.
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, combine with wet ingredients and give it a good mix. The batter consistency should be easy to pour.
• Let the batter rest for a minute and heat up a non-stick pan in medium heat.
• Apply some butter (optional) on the pan and pour 1/4 cup of batter, move the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter to make perfect round crepes. Okay! Almost perfect round crepes.
• Cook each side for 01 to 1.5 minutes until the edges are a little crispy and brown.
• Repeat the process until you finish the batter and stack the crepes on a plate to cool down.

Sri Lankan Stuffed Coconut Pancakes

• Now let’s make the stuffing;  Add 1/4 cup of sugar, crushed cardamom, salt to a small cooking pot and heat it until it’s caramelized. When the sugar syrup is beginning to form add a few tablespoons of hot water and stir well and bring it to boil.
• Finally, add the grated coconut, give it a good mix and cook it for another minute or two tossings and turning. You can also use toasted coconuts if you want to reduce the moisture and to add the toasted coconutty taste but I prefer to keep it moist so I’m using untoasted coconuts.

Pani Pol

• Let’s serve! Add the 01 to 02 tbsp of pani pol in the middle of the crepes and roll out sealing the stuffing inside. Enjoy!