Today is Shrove Tuesday – the day before Ash Wednesday and is chiefly celebrated by feasting on pancakes. Lots of them. My kind of celebration.
As a kid I used to enjoy the English crepe style pancakes topped with lemon and sugar. Simple, satisfying and delish. When I lived in the States whilst at uni, I was introduced to the American style pancakes. Soft and fluffy (with ridiculous toppings). Also delish.
There is another type of pancake that I also enjoy and that’s the Punjabi one aka Besan Ka Puda. Made from gram flour, spices, coriander & red onions – it’s spicy, crispy and soft all at the same time. And yes you guessed it – it also gets FULL MARKS on the delish scale. Served with a dollop of yoghurt alongside your favourite pickle and washed down with a cup of hot milky tea, it’s a real crowd and stomach pleaser. Here’s a delicious garlic dill zucchini pickles recipe you could pair with it. Want to know how to make it? Course you do! Scroll on down for the recipe. Ps. This pancake is accidentally gluten free & vegan (without tasting like it). Win win I say.
Spicy Chickpea Pancakes (Besan ka Puda)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (180g) gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 1 1/4 tsp salt or according to taste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 large handful fresh coriander finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp mango powder (amchur)
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing) optional
- 2 cups water (same cups used to measure flour)
- oil
Instructions
- Add 1 tsp of oil in the non stick frying pan and spread over using a kitchen paper. Heat the frying pan on a medium/high heat setting.
- Place all ingredients apart from the oil into a large bowl. Whisk well for 1-2 minutes until ingredients have combined together to create a thin batter. Taste for salt and chilli before cooking and adjust accordingly.
- Pour in 1 ladle of batter and tilt the pan so that the batter spreads all over the base. Reduce heat to low/medium then cook for 2 to 3minutes, or until it starts to come away from the sides. Brush the pancake with a little oil.
- Once golden underneath, flip the pancake over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through.
- The pancake should be slightly crispy on the edges and golden brown all over. Remove and serve with greek yoghurt and your favourite Indian pickles/chutneys. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Going to share this with my vegan Sister! ??