Chickpea Crepes with Three Toppings

Lent begins next week and when I was growing up, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday was known as Pancake Tuesday. No Mardi Gras for us! Today I’m going to share a pancake recipe, but they’re definitely unlike the ones I ate as a kid. These chickpea crepes (better known as besan pudas) are vegan, grain and gluten free. They will be teamed up with three delicious toppings: cashew cheese, radish raita and a pomegranate mint chutney. So good!

You’ll need both chickpea and rice flour for this recipe. Try the gluten free section of the grocery store. Bob’s Red Mill makes both. You can also find rice flour in the Latin section. A few years ago, you’d have to make a trip to the health food store or the Indian grocery to find chickpea flour, but it’s more common now. It may also be called garbanzo flour, besan flour, gram flour or cici flour in an Italian market.

The trick to making the crepes is to finely grate the vegetables and to add enough water to the batter so that it pours and spreads thinly in the pan. It helps to tilt the pan and spread the batter when added to the pan, just like for any other crepes. This video from Manjula’s Kitchen demonstrates how to make them.

If you haven’t tried cashew cheese yet, here’s your opportunity. You’ll have to set time aside to soak the cashews, but the resulting spread tastes terrific. With a high speed blender you can get an even smoother texture.

Pomegranates are still in season here in Spain. If you have difficulties finding them, try substituting strawberries in the relish, keeping in mind that you’ll need to adjust the amount of vinegar and sweetener used. I love the jewel tones of the pomegranate arils and the burst of sweetness when you bite into one. When coupled with the tang of the vinegar and the aromatic mint you have a delicious relish that works with many other foods.

The radish raita was a pleasant surprise. It had a peppery bite from the radish which also turned it a slight pink color. Mix about 1/4 cup finely grated radish with a serving of non dairy yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper. I used the leftover chutney and raita on a salad for the next day’s lunch.

Chickpea Crepes with Three Toppings

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Servings: 0

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

For the Chickpea Crepes

• 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 1 cup water you may not need all of it
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 small Serrano or Jalapeño pepper seeded and minced, about two teaspoons (substitute a pinch of red pepper flakes)
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
• 1 medium carrot finely shredded
• 4 green onions sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons cilantro large stems removed, leaves chopped fine (parsley is also good…double the amount if using dried)
• 1/4 cup any light tasting oil

For the Cashew Cheese

• 2 cups unsalted cashews raw or roasted
• water to cover
• juice of a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Pomegranate Mint Chutney

• Seeds from 1 pomegranate cleaned and picked through
• 1/4 cup finely sliced mint leaves
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• a generous splash white balsamic vinegar apple cider vinegar is good, too
• sugar to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Radish Raita

• a handful of radishes finely shredded (you should have about 1/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened non dairy yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Make the Chickpea Crepes

• Measure the flours
• Add the salt and cumin seeds and mix well.
• Add half the water and blend in. The batter should be like pancake batter.
• Stir in the shredded zucchini, carrot, green onions, green chili and cilantro.
• Add more water as necessary to achieve a thin, smooth batter.
• Heat a large skillet and a thin covering of oil until very hot.
• Ladle about a half cup of batter into the hot skillet and immediately spread the batter in the pan.
• Allow the chickpea crepe to cook until the edges change color and the topside begins to dry out.
• Drizzle a little oil around the edges of the crepe, then turn it and use the spatula to press down on the top.
• When the besan puda is a nice color on both sides remove to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm.
• Add a little more oil to the pan and continue until all the batter is gone.

Make the Cashew Cheese

• Soak the cashews for a couple hours in enough water to cover by a couple inches.
• After soaking drain well blend the cashews with the lemon juice until smooth.
• Add water a teaspoon at a time if necessary to help blend.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Chutney

• Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl about an hour before you want to serve it. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar before serving.

Make the Raita

• Mix the ingredients in a small bowl about an hour before serving. Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.

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Of course, if you’re serving omnivores you could use plain Greek style yogurt or sour cream for the raita and add shredded cheese, but I’m betting you won’t miss them. If you have good quality tomatoes available, be sure to slice a few to serve with the chickpea crepes and enjoy!