I love pancakes for breakfast, but sometimes I really crave something savoury instead of sweet. If that sounds like you too, welcome to your new favourite breakfast dish! (You can have this for lunch or dinner if you like, we won’t tell).
Travelling India as a vegan really opened my eyes to so many new mouth-watering food options I’d never thought of, or heard of! One of them was pudla: a chickpea flour pancake eaten as breakfast, snack or a side dish. This is a non-spicy, herby version of pudla that I’ve been experimenting with. I love the combination of the herbs with the creamy tahini sauce, but if you would like it in the traditional style you can add in chilli, cayenne, cumin and cilantro. You could also swap the creamy tahini sauce for chutney, or guacamole if that’s more your style.
This delicious breakfast dish is not only super easy to make, but it also packs a nutritional punch. One cup of gram flour (also known as chickpea, besan or garbanzo bean flour) has nearly 10 grams of fiber and over 20 grams of protein! It also contains iron, magnesium and zinc, and is naturally gluten-free.
YIELDS
4 pancakes
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 cup gram flour (aka chickpea or garbanzo flour)
- 1 cup water (for batter)
- dash salt and pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- 1 tsp turmeric
- dash chili flakes (optional)
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1/2 zucchini
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp water (for dressing)
- 1 squeeze lemon juice
- pinch salt
Directions
1. Put all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the water bit by bit, to avoid lumps.. Mix well, with a fork. Leave to settle whilst you make the topping and sauce.
2. To make the dressing, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl or jug. If the tahini thickens up, you may need to add a small amount of extra water, until it resembles a sauce consistency. Set aside.
3. Chop up the veggies (you can substitute for any veggies you have in your fridge) and heat up a frying pan with a little olive oil to a medium heat.
4. Fry the onion, followed by the zucchini and bell pepper. When cooked through, turn off the pan, and toss in the spinach. Mix it around with the still hot veggies, and leave it to gently wilt. Set the veggies aside and cover.
5. Heat up a frying pan to a medium to hot heat, with a small amount of olive oil. Add around one ladle of the gram flour mixture (you’re aiming for thin, crispy style pancakes).
6. Flip your pancake after 1-2 minutes and cook on the other side.
7. Set your pancake aside and cover, whilst you continue to make the other pancakes. Add a little extra olive oil if needed.
8. Serve pancakes hot, with a topping of the mixed veggies and a drizzle of tahini dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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Photo: Kirstie Fleetwood
