Pathiri

Method

1. 1 Boil water with salt, then sprinkle in the rice flour and stir quickly until it forms a dough.
2. 2 Knead the hot dough with the shredded coconut for 8 minutes until smooth and pliable.
3. 3 Kneading the dough while it's still hot is essential; if the dough cools down, it will crack and cannot be rolled out.
4. 4 Divide the dough into portions and roll each portion thinly to 2 mm thickness between two layers of banana leaves or parchment paper.
5. 5 Sear the dough sheet in a dry cast iron pan for 90 seconds on each side until it puffs up like a bubble.
6. 6 The pancakes puffing up is a sign that the batter is moist enough and the pan is hot enough; serve with coconut milk.

With an appliance

• Oven 38 min

  Replace step 5: spray oil on both sides of the rice cake sheets, bake on the middle rack at 230 degrees for 5 minutes and flip after 150 seconds; the cake will puff up evenly, requiring little monitoring but without burnt spots.