Of all of the joys of cooking, one of the dearest to my heart is the act of sharing recipes and cooking techniques. I get great pleasure from people cooking for me as I learn from them new ways of doing things and new ways of cooking recipes which I might have cooked a particular way (for no particular reason) for as long as I have been wielding a chefs knife. I might even be introduced to a new ingredient or a new recipe, one which I have never before been fortunate enough to eat.
This is one of those recipes, it is one which I had never before heard of, nor had ever been fortunate enough to eat. Cooked to accompany dhal one evening on a weekend away with my good friend Annwen, these pancakes immediately took my interest and have subsequently found a permanent place on my Indian table. The besan (chickpea) flour lends a nuttiness and lovely yellow colour to the pancakes and the sesame seeds provide a bit of texture.
It may pay to double this recipe if you are expecting guests – the pancakes themselves are very thin, and incredibly morish!