Chatamari

Ingredients

• 7 ozRice flourfor the pancake base; finely ground
• 1½ cupsWateradd gradually until the batter is thin and pourable
• 8¾ ozMinced meatchicken or buffalo, finely minced, for the topping
• 4Eggone per pancake
• 1Onionfinely chopped
• 1Tomatofinely diced
• 1 tbspginger and garlicor freshly grated ginger and chopped garlic
• 1Green chilichopped, for the topping
• 1 tspCumin
• 1 tspGround corianderused as a cumin-coriander blend in one source
• ½ tspTurmeric
• 1 tspChili powderto taste
• ½ tspSichuan pepperground, for the typical hill zing (optional)
• 1 bunchFresh corianderchopped, for the topping and to garnish
• 2 tbspOilfor frying and greasing the pan; mustard oil in one source
• 4 tbspCheesegrated or paneer; as a vegetarian substitute or scattered over the topping (optional)
• Saltfor batter and topping

Method

1. Mix the rice flour with salt in a bowl and stir in the water a little at a time until you have a smooth, thin batter that pours easily. Let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the ginger-garlic paste briefly, until it smells fragrant.
3. Add the minced meat and season with cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chili powder, timur and salt. Fry, stirring, until the meat is cooked through and the mixture looks dry.
4. Stir in the onion, tomato, green chili and some of the chopped fresh coriander, then take the topping off the heat.
5. Heat a flat pan and grease it thinly with oil. Pour in a ladleful of batter and spread it with the base of the ladle into a thin, round pancake.
6. Scatter the topping over the pancake, leaving the centre clear. Crack an egg into that space and sprinkle over the cheese if you like.
7. Cover and cook over medium to low heat until the edges are crisp and the egg has set.
8. Lift the pancake out of the pan while hot, scatter with fresh coriander, cut it into wedges like a pizza and serve with chutney. Make the remaining pancakes the same way.

Tips and variations

Plain flour works in place of rice flour for the batter. If you want things simpler, beat the eggs into the minced meat mixture instead of cracking them whole onto the pancake; for a vegetarian version, use grated cheese or paneer in place of the meat. Traditionally the pan is greased with a halved potato, and some cooks put the topping on barely fried or simply mixed raw onto the batter. To serve, cut the pancake into pieces, scatter plenty of fresh coriander over it and put a bowl of chutney alongside.