I was listening to the radio on my way to work one Friday, and a guest on one of the shows mentioned gram pancake, which is a savoury pancake made out of chickpeas. My curiosity was immediately piqued, and I just had to find out more about this savoury pancake.
I did some research about this savoury pancake and woke up on the Saturday with the determination to make it for breakfast. Luckily, I found gram flour, the main ingredient on the Asian aisle of my local Tesco.
Gram pancake is made out gram flour, also known as besan. It is basically chickpea flour and widely used in South Asian recipes. It is also used in Italian and French cooking, so it more commonly used than I initially thought.
Chickpea flour is richer in protein than regular wheat flour and is suitable for a variety of diets. It is gluten-free, and perfect for vegetarians as well as vegans. I found it interesting to learn that gram flour is not only used as food, but also used on the skin and hair. It is used to exfoliate dead skin, treat acne, lighten the skin etc.
If you’d rather make your own gram flour, “The Spruce Eats” has a 10 mins recipe to make it at home. https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-chickpea-flour-2394971 . This will save you having to buy the big 1 kg pack, which was the only size I found in the store.
Chickpea flour pancake is prepared in the same way as you would regular pancake. It is typically eaten with yogurt, dips or sauces. I ate it with “ata dindin” (Nigerian fried pepper sauce), and it was delicious.
Chickpea Savoury Pancake Recipe
Most of the recipes that I saw called for chopped onions, which I replaced with onion powder. That is because I can’t stand the taste of raw onion, and I worry that I may not enjoy the pancake if the onions don’t cook through during frying. I have kept this recipe simple, but the dish is quite versatile, and can be easily adapted to add whichever vegetables, spice or herb catches your fancy. The caveat is; they must be chopped finely to cook through in a short period of time.
One last tip – Make sure to eat the pancakeswhile still warm to enjoy!
Chickpea Flour Pancake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpea flour
- 11/2 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
- 1 handful Coriander chopped
Instructions
Pancake Batter
- Pour the flour into a bowl.
- Add water gradually and mix with a whisk or fork until there are no lumps.
- Pour in the onion powder, chilli, turmeric, chopped coriander and salt; and mix together properly.
- Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes.
Pancake
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot, add a few drops of oil into the pan and spread with a paper towel around the base.
- Add a ladleful of the batter into the hot pan, then move the pan round to spread it across the base.
- Flip the pancake over when the colour becomes more translucent, and it starts to bubble.
- Cook for 2-3 mins and remove from pan.
- Add more oil to the pan if required as you make the rest of the pancakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Other savoury pancake idea - Savoury plantain pancake
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