Pantaras or Pan Rolls

An old Calcutta ghat on bank of river Hooghly during British Raj.

Calcutta's chronicle began on a hot, August afternoon in 1690 when a hungry Job Charnock climbed off his ship on a state of a muddy ghat.The river was Hooghly and the place Sutanati, one of the three principal villages which became Calcutta.It is said that Charnock Sahib was served khichuri, a meal of rice and dal cooked together in a terracotta handi, by a common villager. The spontaneous sharing of a meal with an unexpected guest is the hospitality so characteristics of the Indian householder.Little did Charnock know that this lunch of khichuri/khichdi was the gastronomical link through most of India. Later as Calcutta was growing as well as Charnock and his fellow country men in population, experiment on local cuisine by Memsahibs with the help of Bawarchees resulted a new fusion of Anglo-Indian cooking style to satisfy the taste buds of Burrasahibs (Lords).

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.