These Coconut Rice Pancakes (Hausa Masa) are a delicious twist on the Nigerian Hausa Masa with a slightly crusty exterior and a light fluffy interior. Serve with some maple or date syrup for a vegan and gluten free breakfast or snack idea.
In a large bowl, soak the rice in 500 ml of water. Allow the rice to soak for at least 7 hours, preferably overnight.
When the soaking time is almost up, activate the yeast. To do this, pour the 50ml of warm water into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of sugar and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Then add the teaspoon of dried yeast, and stir until all the granules of the yeast are dissolved. Cover and allow the yeast mixture to rest in a dark place for up to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you should have a little bit of froth on the top which indicates the yeast is working.
Drain the soaked rice, and discard the water in which the rice has been soaking in. Then transfer the soaked rice into a blender, along with the coconut flakes, warmed coconut milk, spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla extract), salt, sugar and yeast water and blend to break up the rice granules. You may have to do this in batches until the rice batter is very fine, smooth and thick.
Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover and allow to rest for 3 hours, or until the batter has doubled in size and has lots of air holes at the top.
Grease the holes in an Aebelskiver pan with the olive oil and heat on a medium heat setting. When the pan is hot, add the batter to the holes, filling it to up to three-quarters of the way.
Cook for about 2 - 4 minutes per side, and then carefully turn over using a fork or a sharp instrument like a chopstick or a sturdy toothpick. Repeat on the other side for another 2 - 3 minutes.
Remove the cooked pancakes from the heat and allow to cool before serving.
