
Savoury Chickpea Pancakes
Also known as Besan Ka Cheela, this aromatic vegetarian snack is often served up as breakfast in Indian cuisine. This earthy spiced treat can be served with plain yoghurt, curd, or your favourite chutney for a filling and nutritious start to the day. This recipe comes from That One Flavour, a young Indian chef who showcases food from all around the world through her vlogs on Youtube.
This recipe might not be on the menu often for us Brits, but we’re missing out! At first glance, you might feel like veggie pancakes wouldn’t fill you up like the classic flour-milk-and-egg kind, but here’s how these healthy snacks fit the bill for a proper breakfast. Firstly, they’re made up of chickpea flour, which is a lovely compliment to all those spices, but also higher in protein and lower in calories than most other flours! What’s more, plain yoghurt and curd are also protein rich, and are beloved in diets all over the world for their affects on your appetite. They can promote fullness, whilst also increasing your metabolism, making for a seriously effective breakfast.
On top of that, it’s a quick and simple recipe to make. It’s perfect for times when you’ve chopped too much veg, or have half an onion left over from another recipe, and you need a dish to stop it all from going to waste. Next time you’re tired of the same three cereal options, or you fancy a midmorning snack, why not give this a whirl?
Ingredients
- 125g Chickpea flour
- 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green chili, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp curd or thick plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
- 1-3 tbsp olive oli
- Water as required for consistency
Instructions
- First, roughly dice the onion, tomato, green chili and garlic into small cubes. Using a blender, combine into a smooth paste. Add the cumin and blend once more.
- Pour the paste into a large bowl and add the chickpea flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Combine thoroughly with a whisk, then add the curd before whisking again.
- Slowly add water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well between each splash until the mixture has a consistency like pancake batter.
- Heat a large, non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, and spoon out a ladle of the mixture into it. Gently smooth the batter into a circle with the back of the ladle.
- Drizzle oil around the edges of the mixture in the pan, and allow to cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the batters begins to harden and turn golden brown.
- Flip the pancake over with a spatula and allow the other side to cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate, then repeat the process for the rest of the batter.
Serve hot with chutney, curd, cream cheese, or plain yogurt.
Tips
Credit for the original recipe and photography goes to That One Flavour
See their video recipe and more here