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Aktori
Buckwheat pancakes with greens
Aktori: thin buckwheat pancakes layered with greens, from Spiti and Lahaul
High in the Spiti and Lahaul valleys of Himachal Pradesh, where wheat struggles, buckwheat (kathu) grows in short summer fields and its leaves are eaten as a vegetable too. Aktori are thin buckwheat pancakes cooked with a layer of those greens inside, dotted with ghee and eaten warm with yogurt or salty butter tea. Families make them on festival mornings and through the long winter. Outside the valleys, spinach or young chard stands in well for buckwheat leaves. Chef's tip: keep the batter as thin as pouring cream; buckwheat has no gluten, so a thick batter cooks up gummy instead of tender.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups waterabout
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 green chillifinely chopped
- 3 ½ oz buckwheat leaves or spinachfinely shredded
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 7 oz plain yogurt (optional)to serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 7 oz gluten-free buckwheat flour (kuttu), ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds) and 1 green chilli with 1 ¼ cups water to a smooth batter the consistency of pouring cream. Rest for 10 minutes; it thickens slightly, so add a splash more water if needed.
10 minStep 3: Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl it into a thin 15 cm round. Scatter a handful of 3 ½ oz buckwheat leaves or spinach over, then drizzle a spoonful of batter over the leaves to bind them in.
Step 4: Cover with a lid and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the top looks matt and set and the edges lift away from the pan.
3 minStep 5: Dot with ghee, then flip carefully with a wide spatula and cook for 2 more minutes, until the underside is speckled brown and the greens smell toasty. Repeat to make 8 pancakes.
2 minStep 6: Serve warm, folded, with a drizzle of the remaining ghee and 7 oz plain yogurt on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aktori take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of green chilli?
- A pinch of chilli flakes per chilli.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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