Every evening, my mother made different sweet treats for tea time. One of them was the Alle Belle, a traditional Goan pancake stuffed with coconut and Goa palm jaggery filling. I remember enjoying the soft pancakes and sucking onto the juicy coconut filling. They were so delicious and melted in your mouth. The pancakes can be made colourful by adding a drop of your favourite food colour to the batter. The batter is thinly spread in the pan and covered for a minute. These pancakes are so thin that the top gets cooked when covered and are not flipped over. They are stuffed with the filling and rolled.
Alle Belle are normally prepared on Shrove Tuesday, also known as pancake Tuesday. It’s the day preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). Shrove Tuesday marks the last day for celebration and feasting before the period of fasting begins for the Lenten season.
Alle Belle are normally prepared on Shrove Tuesday, also known as pancake Tuesday. It’s the day preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). Shrove Tuesday marks the last day for celebration and feasting before the period of fasting begins for the Lenten season.
Alle Belle (Goan Pancakes)
(Yields 18)
Batter
Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
oil for greasing the pan
Method:
Sift the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder and salt together. Keep aside.
Mix the wet ingredients i.e. milk, vanilla essence and melted butter.
In a bowl, add egg and beat with an electric hand mixer (beater) or whisk. Slowly add in the sifted dry ingredients alternating with the wet to make a batter of thin consistency.
On low heat, place a 6” non-stick pan. With a silicone brush, lightly grease pan with oil. When hot, use a 1/4 measuring cup and fill it half with batter. Pour batter in the centre, tilting to spread and coat the base thinly. Cover with a lid and cook for one minute. The pancakes do not have to be flipped. They are thin enough for the top to cook when covered. Remove pancake in a dish.
Ensure to grease the pan after every pancake.
Repeat the above process till all the batter is exhausted.
Filling
Ingredients:
2 cups grated coconut
1 large pyramid Goa palm jaggery
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method:
Goa jaggery is filled with impurities so in a saucepan on medium flame, first melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water. Once the jaggery has been completely dissolved, strain the liquid through a cheesecloth. Clean the saucepan of any impurities and then, add the filtered liquid along with the grated coconut.
Place saucepan on a medium flame and stir at intervals till coconut mixture is completely dry. Shut off flame and transfer mixture onto a plate. Add cardamom powder and allow mixture to cool. Divide filling according to the number of pancakes.
Assembling
Spread the coconut filling on one side of the pancake. Then roll and fold the side to your right inward, continue to roll till the end. When you hold the rolled pancake in your hand, the top side will be open while the bottom is tucked in to prevent the filling from falling out.
Enjoy delicious pancakes with a cup of hot sugarless tea.
Note:
(Yields 18)
Batter
Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
oil for greasing the pan
Method:
Sift the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder and salt together. Keep aside.
Mix the wet ingredients i.e. milk, vanilla essence and melted butter.
In a bowl, add egg and beat with an electric hand mixer (beater) or whisk. Slowly add in the sifted dry ingredients alternating with the wet to make a batter of thin consistency.
On low heat, place a 6” non-stick pan. With a silicone brush, lightly grease pan with oil. When hot, use a 1/4 measuring cup and fill it half with batter. Pour batter in the centre, tilting to spread and coat the base thinly. Cover with a lid and cook for one minute. The pancakes do not have to be flipped. They are thin enough for the top to cook when covered. Remove pancake in a dish.
Ensure to grease the pan after every pancake.
Repeat the above process till all the batter is exhausted.
Filling
Ingredients:
2 cups grated coconut
1 large pyramid Goa palm jaggery
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method:
Goa jaggery is filled with impurities so in a saucepan on medium flame, first melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water. Once the jaggery has been completely dissolved, strain the liquid through a cheesecloth. Clean the saucepan of any impurities and then, add the filtered liquid along with the grated coconut.
Place saucepan on a medium flame and stir at intervals till coconut mixture is completely dry. Shut off flame and transfer mixture onto a plate. Add cardamom powder and allow mixture to cool. Divide filling according to the number of pancakes.
Assembling
Spread the coconut filling on one side of the pancake. Then roll and fold the side to your right inward, continue to roll till the end. When you hold the rolled pancake in your hand, the top side will be open while the bottom is tucked in to prevent the filling from falling out.
Enjoy delicious pancakes with a cup of hot sugarless tea.
Note:
- To make coloured pancakes, divide batter into 3 bowls (around 3/4 cups in each). Colour batter in two bowls with edible food colour - red (2 drops) and green (9 drops). Continue recipe as above and spread the filling on the bottom brown side of the pancake. Tuck both the sides inwards, like in the case of a spring roll.
- For larger pancakes, use a 8" non-stick pan.
