Dodo is a Sindhi sweet-savoury flatbread pancake — jaggery, sesame seeds and fennel mixed into a whole wheat batter and cooked on a griddle until the jaggery caramelises in spots and the sesame seeds toast. It sits in the cooking tradition neither as bread nor as sweet but as something between: more substantial than a dessert, sweeter than a roti, eaten as a morning snack, at festivals, and whenever someone needs something quickly made and immediately satisfying. It appears in Sindhi homes but rarely in any recipe book, and it is the kind of dish that Sindhi grandmothers make from memory without proportions.
Zone: Indus Plains
SOURCE: Sindhi household, Sukkur, recipe passed from mother to daughter, transcribed 2021
LOCAL NAME: ڈوڈو
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- 4 tbsp grated jaggery (gur)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds (til)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- ½ tsp salt
- water to make a thick batter (about ¾ cup)
- 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil for cooking
METHOD
- Mix the flour, grated jaggery, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom and salt in a bowl.
- Add water gradually to form a thick, pourable batter — slightly thicker than pancake batter. The jaggery will not dissolve fully; that is correct, the solid pieces will caramelise on the griddle.
- Heat a tawa or heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add a little ghee.
- Pour a ladleful of batter onto the tawa and spread into a round about 15cm in diameter and 5–6mm thick.
- Cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until the top surface looks set and dry and the underside is golden with dark caramelised jaggery spots. Flip carefully.
- Cook the second side for 3–4 minutes until cooked through and golden.
- Serve immediately. Dodo is best hot, when the jaggery is still molten and fragrant.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Jaggery (gur) from any South Asian grocer. Whole wheat flour (atta) from any supermarket. Sesame seeds and fennel seeds from any supermarket. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Jaggery from Patel Brothers or Indian grocery stores. Chapati or whole wheat flour. Sesame seeds and fennel seeds from any grocery store. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Jaggery burns quickly on high heat. Keep the tawa at medium — the dodo should cook gently so the sweet spots caramelise without going bitter.
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