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Tabani (Udmurt sourdough pancakes with mushrooms)

Name: Tabani (Udmurt sourdough pancakes with mushrooms)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: Makes 8-10
Ingredients: For the batter; 450ml whole milk; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast; 230g plain flour; 1 tsp fine salt; For the mushrooms; 25g salted butter; 1 onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped; 200g white button mushrooms, roughly chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; For the zyret dipping sauce; 300ml whole milk; 2 tbsp plain flour; Pinch caster sugar; 50g unsalted butter, plus extra for frying and greasing; Chopped fresh parsley or dill to serve (optional)

By: Alissa Timoshkina

Published: 13 Feb 25
Updated: 13 Feb 25

Tabani (Udmurt sourdough pancakes with mushrooms)

These tabani from food writer Alissa Timoshkina use a quick-mix overnight sourdough starter to give the pancake batter depth of flavour, paired with earthy mushrooms and a creamy sauce.

“This is a fascinating recipe from the Udmurt people, an ethnic group close to the Finns and the Hungarians, who reside in the Eastern European side of the Ural Mountains (as well as in parts of Ukraine, Estonia and Kazakhstan),” says Alissa. “Tabani are a culinary classic, usually prepared for celebratory weekend breakfasts. Made with a sourdough starter, they’re either served plain, smothered in butter, or with various toppings, such as mushrooms, and are always served with a side of zyret, a sort of a béchamel dipping sauce.”

“While traditionally these were baked in a cast-iron pan inside a wood-fired oven, these days tabani can be made on a stovetop in any frying pan. I have to admit, I had not come across this dish until now, and I absolutely love its unique yet familiar combination of sour pancakes, earthy mushrooms and creamy sauce.”

Recipe taken from Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina (Hardie Grant Books £28, out 20 February). Photograph by Laura Edwards. Browse more of our best savoury pancake recipes.

Easy
Online only 2025

Test kitchen approved

Makes 8-10
Prep time 15 min, plus at least 8 hours for the starter and 40 min resting. Cook time 45 min

These tabani from food writer Alissa Timoshkina use a quick-mix overnight sourdough starter to give the pancake batter depth of flavour, paired with earthy mushrooms and a creamy sauce.

Recipe taken from Kapusta by Alissa Timoshkina (Hardie Grant Books £28, out 20 February). Photograph by Laura Edwards. Browse more of our best savoury pancake recipes.

Vegetarian

Nutrition: Per pancake (for 10)

Calories: 227kcals
Fat: 9.3g (5.8g saturated)
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrates: 29g (7.1g sugars)
Fibre: 1.7g
Salt: 0.7g

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Before you start

You’ll need to start this recipe the day before as the sourdough starter needs time to develop. All the elements to the recipe can be done in advance (to the end of step 3), so you can simply finish the batter and cook the pancakes in the morning.

Before you start

Ingredients

For the batter

450ml whole milk
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
230g plain flour
1 tsp fine salt

For the mushrooms

25g salted butter
1 onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
200g white button mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated

For the zyret dipping sauce

300ml whole milk
2 tbsp plain flour
Pinch caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, plus extra for frying and greasing
Chopped fresh parsley or dill to serve (optional)

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Method

Make the sourdough starter by mixing the milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Whisk in half the flour until smooth and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
Now to cook the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10–15 minutes. Set aside.
To make the zyret, pour the milk into a saucepan, reserving a couple of tablespoons in a small bowl. Add the flour to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Heat the pan with the milk over a low heat, tip in the flour mixture, add the sugar and a pinch of salt and warm it up, stirring constantly without allowing it to come to the boil. When the mixture is hot and starts to thicken, take off the heat and stir in the butter. Leave to cool until serving.

To finish the batter, add the remaining flour and salt to the sourdough starter, mix well, then leave to rest for 40 minutes.
To serve, melt a knob of butter in a cast-iron frying pan (or one that you’d usually use to make pancakes) and pour in a ladle of the batter. Once bubbles start to appear, add 2 tablespoons of mushroom filling across the pancake while the batter is still wet and let the mix cook through. Carefully flip the pancake and cook for a minute on the other side. Set aside on a plate and grease with butter. Continue with the rest of the batter and mushrooms, stacking the finished pancakes with a little knob of butter between each one.
Serve with the dipping sauce, and you can of course sprinkle some fresh parsley or dill on top.