Recipe for Goan Pancakes/Alle Belle
Recipe for Goan Pancakes/Alle Belle
In most Goan Homes, we don’t really wait only for Pancake Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday to prepare these sweet treats! These pancakes or as we Goans call them ‘Alle Belle’, are a super hit tea time snack! The combination of a smooth, mild and thin crepe stuffed and rolled with a rustic mixture of grated coconut and palm jaggery, is what makes these pancakes unique and extremely hard to resist! I’m yet to come across anyone who can just eat one and get away with it! 😋 Alle Belles are super yum, super easy to make and a sure shot melt in the mouth! The most exciting part about my recipe is that I’ve shared with you around 12 options of how you can make your Pancakes/Alle Belles!! So, Are we ready to roll?? 😉
Servings 15 pcs
Ingredients
Ingredients For the outer covering
- 1.5 Cup All Purpose flour (maida)
- 1 Large Egg (if small then use two)
- 1/2 Tspn Salt
- 700 ml Water (room temperature)
Ingredients For the stuffing
- 160 Gms Fresh Grated coconut (1 medium sized coconut)
- 100gms Gms Jaggery (scraped/grated)
Other ingredients and things to keep ready
- Hand Whisk (to mix the crepes batter)
- Non stick pan (to fry the crepes)
- A bowl of Oil (for frying the crepes)
- Silicon brush (for greasing the pan)
- Lid with a heat resistant handle or knob (to cover the pan)
- Ladle (to pour the crepes batter)
- Flat spoon (to work with the crepes)
- Table spoon (for the stuffing)
- 1 Plate no. 1 (to keep the fried crepes)
- 1 Plate no. 2 (to roll the Alle Belle)
- 1 Plate no. 3 (to place the rolled Alle Belle)
Instructions
- First, keep everything ready so that it becomes easier to manage the entire process
Follow these steps to make the outer covering
- Add in all the ingredients mentioned under the ‘outer covering’ section into a large bowlNote:-Do not add all the water at once
- With a Hand Whisk, mix all these Ingredients well, until all the lumps of the all purpose flour have been broken down. Bring it to a smooth thick consistency first and then add in the remaining waterNote:- If you do not have a hand whisk, you can use an electric egg beater as well or you can even use a mixer grinder. The bottom line is that there should be absolutely no lumps.
- Mix it well and keep asideNote:-In the picture, you will see that I have made batters with different flours to give you all many other options for making Alle Belles. It’s discussed below.
- Take a nonstick pan and place it on medium flame
- Lightly, using very little oil, grease the pan and allow it to heat for about 2-3 minutes
- Take 3/4th of a ladle and pour it onto the pan
- Gently spread the batter on the pan, to form a round flat crepe
- Cover the pan with a lid for exactly 1 minute and then turn the crepe using a flat spoon
- It’s not necessary to cover the pan once you’ve turned the crepe.
- After turning the crepe, keep it for 30 seconds and then gently remove the crepe from the pan and place it on Plate no. 1
- Fry all the crepes, following steps 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 until all the batter is complete
Follow this step to make the stuffing
- In a bowl mix the grated Coconut and scraped Jaggery together and hand mix it well and keep asideNote:- This mixture cannot be stored for future use as this is not a cooked mixture plus your hands are being used for mixing it. It has to be consumed within 4 to 5hrs max
Follow these steps to roll the Alle Belle
- Take a crepe from Plate no. 1 and place it on Plate no. 2 (rough side up and smooth side down. I like my Alle Belle to look smooth and shiny so I follow this method. But it’s totally up to you)
- At the bottom centre of the crepe, add 1 tbspn of the stuffing
- From left to centre and from right to centre close the crepe
- Now using both hands, roll the Alle Belle very gently till the end and place it on Plate no. 3
- Follow steps 1, 2, 3, 4 to complete all the Alle belles
- Alle Belles are best enjoyed Hot!
Here are some Exciting Substitutes😋😋
- Traditional Alle Belles are white in colour, with no added flavour or colour and are made with only rolling till the end. You won’t find side folds. Side folds were recently introduced in order to make it more convenient and less messy to eat
- You can make Alle Belles using Rice Flour as a substitute for All purpose flour as as well. Quantities and other ingredients remain same. But it may not be as soft and fluffy as that of All purpose flour but it’s a healthier version.
- You can make Alle Belles using regular wheat flour as well instead of All purpose flour. Quantities and other ingredients remain the same
- You can also substitute All purpose flour with Oats flour(make a powder of Oats in a dry grinder) Quantities and other ingredients remain same.
- If you don’t have palm jaggery or find it difficult to source it, you can use Sugarcane jaggery as well, for your stuffing mixture. The quantities remains the same.
- If you don’t find Sugarcane jaggery either, you can use White granulated sugar as well, for the stuffing mixture. Quantities remain same. However, here, you may have to add a pinch of Green Cardamom powder to give it some flavour. But that’s optional
- For all my Vegetarian friends and for all those who are allergic to egg or can’t deal with the smell of egg, but still wish to enjoy Alle Belles, you can substitute egg with Corn Flour . 1 Egg = 2tbspn of Corn FlourNote:-You can make eggless pancakes using Rice Flour, Oats Flour, All purpose flour or Weat flour as shown in the picture.
- For those adding colour to the Alle Belle Crepes, you need to first make the batter, then divide them equally into bowls and then add the colours of your choice
Other Notes
- Alle Belles, once rolled up, cannot be stored for future use. They have to be consumed on the spot or maximum within 4 to 5 hours. This is because the coconut is not cooked.
- The ingredients that I’ve mentioned, will give you the exact number of Crepes for the quantity of the filling. So u don’t have to worry about what’s to be done with the leftovers! However, For whatever reason, if you do have any of the crepes batter remaining you can add in some sugar to it, mix it up well till all the sugar dissolves and fry them in the same manner as mentioned under the ‘steps for making the outer covering’ section . They taste super yum!
- You can also play around adding some cut dry fruits of your choice, in the stuffing, if you like. I’m not a big fan of dry fruits so I haven’t used any!