The Pan roll, ever so popular amongst the Sri Lankan and Indian community, has made its way to our shores.

They originate from Sri Lanka, the once beautiful spice island then known as Ceylon for its rich melting pot of culinary skill and culture.

It is the culmination of English, Portuguese, Malay and Indian food cultures that have hugely paved the way to our Pan Rolls. By sharing their cuisines around the world at colorful banquettes, we have been granted the ultimate pleasure and benefit of fusing tradition with modern culinary practice.

Having been asked the question many times, what is a pan roll, let me tell you my version. Its nothing like a croquette or a spring roll, and to call it a Chinese roll when even the Chinese don’t know what it is, can be annoying.

To me, the Pan rolls that we produce here at Krispi can’t be described without first admiring their several layers of texture.

The first layer makes that signature crunch sound as you bite through the Krispi golden breadcrumbs. This layer gives way to a soft, silky texture as you reach the crepe encasing the delicious spiced filling of your choice. When people say you have to try them, this is what the fuss is about!

Many would also say you need a good sauce on standby to enhance the spice factor, so I’ll share this family recipe below, which I think goes well with any flavour of our Pan rolls.

Since I’ve been seriously addicted to anything with chilli for all of my life, my go-to has got to be a spicy chutney.

Seriously addictive and a perfect addition to any meal or the pan rolls.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 kg ripe tomatoes, quartered, or good quality chunky canned tomatoes
• 100g Mustard oil
• 100g Ginger / Garlic paste
• 100g Green chillies diced
• 1 Tbsp Chilli powder
• 1 Tbsp Chilli flakes
• 1Tbsp Garam masala
• 1 Tbsp Fenugreek powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin powder
• 1 Brown large onion diced
• 1 Tsp brown mustard seed
• 100g Mustard seed powder
• 100g Brown vinegar
• 3-4 stems of fresh curry leaves
• ½ Tbsp brown sugar
• Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat the mustard oil in a reasonable size pot
2. Add diced onions and curry leaves and lightly brown
3. Add mustard seeds till they start to pop be careful not to burn as they will make it too acidic
4. Add tomatoes, green chillies along with garlic/ginger paste
5. Once the juice of the tomatoes have come out, add all other condiments
6. Bring to boil and then let simmer for around 30 minutes
7. Blend with stand mixer still keeping some chunkiness, adding sugar
8. Once cool, store in sterilized jars and refrigerate.