If you love savoury pancakes, then you'll ADORE this recipe from Mira Manek.
The food writer and health-focused chef is known for her delicious vegetarian creations, prooving that Indian dining doesn't have to be only for diet cheat days.
On the recipe, Mira says:
"For years, I’d forgotten all about these chickpea flour pancakes my grandmother makes called pudlas, not realising they were so easy to make and were super healthy.
"A few years ago, my friend who moved to Bombay made me rediscover them – all the healthy Bombay-ites call them chillas – and that’s when I realised chillas and pudlas are the same thing and that these spiced savoury pancakes can be made with chickpea flour or ground mung beans, and they’re much more simple to make than rotis.
"That said, pudlas aren’t the thing I turn to first or ever, and I realised that’s probably because they lack something. So it finally dawned on me that rather than having chutney and yoghurt on the side as a dip, these pancakes needed the work ready and done, they needed completion, they needed a facelift – they needed toppings! So here’s one of my favourite combinations."
Try this recipe below and see for yourself.
Recipe: Chickpea flour pancakes with coriander chutney & chilli beet
Coriander Chutney
Ingredients:
Makes roughly 8-10 small pancakes.
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50g coriander leaves 2 cloves garlic
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1 green chilli
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15g peanuts
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Juice of half lime
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½ teaspoon cumin powder
Method
- To prepare the chutney in advance blend all the ingredients together and leave aside.
Beetroot curry
Ingredients:
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200g, 2 beetroots, grated
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2 teaspoons coconut oil
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1⁄4 teaspoon cumin seeds
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1⁄4 teaspoon mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon sesame seeds
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10-12 curry leaves
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1 tablespoon ginger, garlic and chilli paste
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1⁄2 green chilli, finely chopped, optional
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1⁄4 teaspoon salt
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handful chopped coriander
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1 tablespoon coconut flakes
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handful,10-15 raosted cashews
Method
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Place the oil in a pan on low heat and once the coconut oil has melted, add the cumin and mustard seeds.
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After the cumin seeds turn brown and mustard seeds are popping add in the sesame seeds and curry leaves.
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Then add the ginger, garlic and chilli paste as well as the chopped green chillies for extra flavour and spice (if you don’t have a paste, you can add freshly grated ginger and garlic).
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Let this cook for a minute before you add the grated beetroot.
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Stir this for 5-10 minutes and then add the coriander and cashews.
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At the end stir in the coconut flakes and leave a handful for sprinkling on top when serving.
Pancake batter
Ingredients:
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200g chickpea flour
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1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
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1 tablespoon ginger, garlic and chilli paste
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Pinch turmeric powder 1 teaspoon sea salt
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2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
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220ml water
Method
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Use your hand to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until you have reached a smooth consistency.
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To cook the pudla, take a medium, non-stick frying pan place it over a medium heat and allow the pan to warm for a couple of minutes.
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Then pour a large spoonful of the batter on the pan and spread evenly in circular clockwise motions using the back of the spoon. Press lightly so that no gap is created whilst making the pancakes.
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Add a few drops of oil on the sides of the pancake as it allows it to cookwell.
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After letting the pancake cook for a couple of minutes on one side use a spatula to flip and cook the other side for a further minute.
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The pancake is cooked when a little browned on each side.
To serve, prepare a thin layer of the coriander chutney over the pancake, add a couple of spoons of the chilli beet and serve.
Find more from Mira Manek at her website, www.miramanek.com.