Superfast, healthy, protein-rich, vegan and versatile, suits empty fridge, a very modern dish to impress your taste buds with.
This dish originates in India, where chickpea flour pancakes have long been enjoyed as a simple, savoury breakfast. Since it is fast to make, it is also an ideal quick snack when time is limited, such as when home working during the day.
In itself, chickpea flour has a neutral taste, which makes it wonderfully versatile, you can turn it into omelettes or pancakes in many different styles, from Italian to Indian. This recipe is Indian-inspired, and I’ve used Indian gram flour for that reason. If you’re a true chickpea flour connoisseur, you’ll notice there are substantial differences between types of chickpea flour: Italian chickpea flour is usually milder and finer, while Indian gram flour has a deeper flavour and behaves differently in cooking, giving a more robust and traditional result.
Chickpea flour (besan) is naturally light, drying, and warming, making it especially supportive for Kapha. For Vata and Pitta, its effects depend largely on preparation: when cooked well as a warm pancake and combined with oil or ghee and gentle spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, or ajwain, it becomes easier to digest and more balanced. This way of preparing besan supports steady energy and digestion while keeping its traditional Ayurvedic qualities intact.
The basic recipe is mixing chickpea flour and water and frying the pancake in a pan. But of course, we want to add spices and favour to the pancake. This means you can load this pancake up any which way you want. And the Indian Gram Flour is perfect for savoury pancakes of all sorts. I like to add finely chopped onions to my pancake, herbs like cilantro and chopped tomatoes. But that is entirely up to you what you put in or on the pancake. You may of course develop your own house recipe and I would love to come for a tasting.
Here is a tip, if you want to flavour something the Indian way, what you will need is turmeric (use little), cumin (generous) and coriander (generous) and that is your basic formula to start with.
A bonus of this recipe is that it doesn’t rely on fresh ingredients at all, making it ideal for those moments when the fridge is empty, such as returning from a business trip or when a group of surprise visitors turns up (which hardly ever happens these days, right?). Pair with your favourite sauces or chutneys, plain yoghurt or enjoy as is.
