Eggless Watermelon Pancakes

A watermelon is hydrating without being heavy.
Sometimes, I like to eat cubes or juice it. But my favourite way to eat this is when I make Watermelon cha Polaa. This recipe has been popular for almost 4 generations in my family and even today, the next gen wants it and loves it :)

So, what is a polaa?
Polaa is nothing but a crepe/pancake that's made without using dairy, gluten or eggs. Polaas can be savoury or sweet. This one is sweet but without using refined sugar. We use Jaggery here instead. 

Watermelon cha Polaa is healthy, delicious and easy to make too. In short, perfect to feed fussy kids and equally fussy adults as well ;)

Interested?

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients
8-10 mid-sized pieces of watermelon blocks
1/2 glass of rice (I use Basmati) washed and drained
6 teaspoons grated jaggery
10 teaspoons flattened rice (pohe) (Shake this in a colander to take away any loose particles)
5 tablespoons freshly grated coconut/desiccated coconut
Water to grind
Ghee/oil (if vegan) to use on the pan

Method
Mix together pieces of watermelon and drained rice. Squash the watermelon pieces slightly. Use a fork or your fingers.

Keep this mix overnight in the refrigerator.
The next morning, grind with jaggery, coconut, flattened rice (pohe).

Add water while grinding but not too excessive. I add 1/4 teacup. 
The batter should be thick but of pouring consistency.

Batter

Allow the non-stick pan to heat up on low heat.
Coat the pan with ghee/oil. I recommend ghee for a richer flavour.
Take a ladle full of batter and gently pour it like you would for a pancake.
Don't spread it too thin.

Allow to cook before you flip it over.

This is the indicator that you need to flip it over to cook the other side

My grandmom would insist that there be a net on one side as you cooked the batter. That was the indicator that the batter was well-fermented and that the Polaa was ready. Make sure you don't burn it though!

The net on top

Serve hot or you can use up all the batter to take out the polaas and then heat them up on the pan before serving.
Enjoy:)

If you would like to try out yet another type of Polaa made by my grandmother using buttermilk but without eggs and flour, here's the link.