These delicate rolls are like gram flour crepes filled with a savory filling. The texture of the rolls is smooth and silky and just melt in your mouth. This is a dish that can be part of your culinary bucket list. It is quite difficult to make – you need to know when to stop the cooking process and you need to learn how to spread the hot batter quickly and evenly. But, once you get the hang of this recipe, the results are outstanding and you will certainly receive compliments from your guests. One required tool for this recipe is a wire whisk. The batter must be absolutely smooth without any lumps and a wire whisk is the best tool to prevent lumps. If you follow the recipe strictly, you are sure to have success.
Suralichya Vadya/Khandvi (Gram Flour Rolls)
Ingredients
Batter
- ½ cup coarse chickpea flour/besan
- ¼ cup yogurt mixed with ¾ cup water
- ½ cup water
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- 1 cup coconut, freshly grated
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup onions finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp green chilies chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
Tempering
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafoetida/hing
Instructions
- For the filling, mix the coconut, cilantro, onions, chilies, sugar, and salt and set aside.
- Prepare the tempering by heating the oil in a small pan on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds stop popping, turn the heat off and add asafoetida. Set aside to cool. When cooled, pour it over the filling and gently mix it.
- Prepare a flat surface for spreading the batter. The backs of baking trays or a clean kitchen counter work well. We have always used large stainless-steel plates from India.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, mix the besan, yogurt/water mixture, additional water, turmeric, and salt together. Remove any lumps by using a wire whisk. Place the pan on your cooking stove and begin cooking on medium heat. Keep whisking continuously to prevent any lumps from forming as well as preventing the batter from sticking to the bottom of the pan. In about 7-10 minutes, the batter will start thickening. You will notice that the batter will have a slight shine. Immediately after this shine forms, test the batter by lifting a spatula full of batter. The batter should fall like a thick ribbon. At this stage, turn the heat to its lowest and work through the next step quickly.
- Take about half a cup of the batter and spread with a small bowl, a round spoon, or with your hands over the prepared surface. The batter should be spread thinly and evenly. Do the same with rest of the batter quickly and let it cool for a few minutes. Spreading all the batter quickly is crucial otherwise it is impossible to spread the batter.
- Sprinkle the filling over the spread batter evenly. Cut the spread batter into equally sized strips (about 2 inches wide and 7 inches long). Gently lift the end of the strip closest to you and start rolling away until the end of the strip. If you prefer to garnish over the rolls, make some extra filling. Serve it at room temperature.
