Tabani (Udmurt sourdough pancakes with mushrooms)

Method

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. To finish the batter, add the remaining flour and salt to the sourdough starter, mix well, then leave to rest for 40 minutes.
5. 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.
6. Serve with the dipping sauce, and you can of course sprinkle some fresh parsley or dill on top.