An old Calcutta ghat on bank of river Hooghly during British Raj. |
New Market / Hogg Market in central Calcutta during Bitish Raj |
"Anglo-Indian food is the delicious result of the British Raj in India. Indian Khansamas (cooks)
took aspects of British cuisine and amalgamated them with Indian methods of cooking, spices, ingredients to create Anglo-Indian Cuisine! There are soups tempered with cumin and red chillies, roasts cooked in whole spices like cloves, pepper and cinnamon, rissoles and croquettes flavored with turmeric and garam masala.... Over the years, Anglo-Indian cooking has become more Indian than British", Petrina Verma Sarkar writes about Anglo Indian Food.
Surprisingly this unique cooking style is in the verge of extinction.So, this is our small contribution to rejuvenate this rich and unique cuisine.
Among the myriads of impressive Anglo-Indian dishes Pantaras or the Pan rolls with minced meat filling is one such dish which can be the ideal snack for evening hi-tea party. This mouth-watering rolls are very crunchy at outside, but every bite will melt in your mouth for its soft crepe coating and its filling. If you are a vegetarian, use paneer or mixed-veggies as alternative.
Ingredients:
For the
filling:
·
1/2 kg minced meat (use ground chicken, lamb or mutton) / paneer or mixed-veggies as alternative
·
3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
·
2 medium-sized onions chopped fine
·
2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped fine
·
1 tbsp garlic paste
·
1 tbsp ginger paste
·
2 tbsps coriander powder
·
1 tbsp cumin powder
·
Salt to taste
·
sugar to taste
·
2 tsp parsley/coriander (chopped)
·
Juice of 1/2 a lime
·
Water
·
3 cloves (powdered)
·
2 green cardamoms (powdered)
·
1-inch stick cinnamon (powdered)
For the
crepes:
·
2 eggs
·
1 cup milk
·
1 cup flour
·
a pinch of baking powder
·
3-4 tbsp of vegetable/ canola/ sunflower oil
You also
need:
2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp flour
Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower oil to deep fry
1 cup breadcrumbs
Preparation:
To make the filling:
·
Heat the cooking oil in a wok or deep pan, on medium
heat.
·
Add the onions now. Fry till they turn a pale golden
colour.
·
Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for 1 minute.
·
Add the minced meat and all the powdered spices and
salt to taste.
·
Continue to brown the minced meat, stirring often to
prevent burning. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
·
Add the tomatoes, stir and cook till they are soft.
·
Turn the fire off, add the lime juice, chopped
coriander leaves and stir. Keep aside for later.
To make the crepes:
·
Mix all the crepes ingredients together in a deep
bowl and whisk till a smooth batter is formed.
·
Set up a frying pan
on medium heat. Grease it with a brush so that it is lightly coated. (This will
prevent the crepe from sticking. Each Pan Roll must be filled and rolled
while the crepe is still warm as this helps it 'stick' and prevents it from
unrolling).
·
When the pan is hot, use a ladle to pour a small
amount of batter onto the centre of the pan.
·
Swirl the pan
to spread the batter into a thin crepe. Let it cook until the batter fully sets;( do not let the crepe brown. You do
not need to flip the crepe. When it is ready, take it off onto a flat plate
to fill).
Putting the rolls together:
·
Immediately add 2-3 tablespoons of the filling and roll
the crepe (while still warm).
·
Turn two ends
over to prevent filling from falling out and then form a roll.
·
When all the rolls are ready, dip each one in the egg
and flour mixture, to coat well on all sides.
·
Then roll in breadcrumbs to coat well. Repeat for all
the rolls.
·
Deep fry one or two rolls at a time until they are
golden brown all over.
·
When done, use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil
and keep aside on paper towels.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.
Watch this video and check out the insider stories on Anglo-Indian food
straight from the Horse's mouth.