Chickpea Pancakes

Another day. Another pancake. These ones are made of legumes. This is inspired by the Italian farinata, which is an unleavened pancake made from chickpea flour. The origin of this dish is unknown (to my knowledge), but it is incredibly similar to the Indian dosa. The main difference between these foods is these pancakes are not fermented. Also, this recipe uses cooked lentils instead of pulverized raw lentils. This is mainly because of the ingredients I had in my fridge, so feel free to experiment with this aspect of the recipe. If you have the opportunity, find a dosa recipe and make that. They are bursting with flavor and well worth the time they take to prepare. Otherwise, here is my take on the farinata or more plainly, the chickpea pancake.

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
1 cup red lentils, cooked
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. turmeric, cumin, and coriander (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until all ingredients are incorporated
Let mixture sit for 15-30 minutes to thicken slightly
Adjust solid and liquids to reach runny batter consistency
Heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat
Pour batter to make pancake-like discs
Let pancakes cook for approximately 2 minutes on one side before flipping
- This timing is dependent on the heat of the pan and consistency of the batter, so a few iterations may be needed to get this right
Serve and enjoy