Chickpea flour pancakes (Indian Besan Chillas)
A traditional Indian pancake or crepe, filled with vegetables and made using chickpea flour. Also known as Besan Chillas in India.
Servings: 20 chillas
Calories: 150kcal
Ingredients
- 250 g chickpea flour known as Besan or Gram flour in Indian supermarkets
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 handful baby spinach washed and chopped very finely
- 1 small onion grated
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 green chili finely chopped (optional)
- 500 ml water plus up to 100 ml more, if needed
- vegetable oil or melted ghee for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the chickpea flour and salt, and mix well with a whisk.
- Add the grated carrot, grated onion, grated ginger, chopped baby spinach, chopped cilantro, and mix well.
- Start adding water slowly, while whisking, until the batter reaches the consistency of a crepe and should be easy to pour. Or, you can add less water and have them be more like a pancake. The texture is really up to you and what you like, so add more or less water accordingly.
- Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium heat. Once hot, add a ladle of batter and spread it out until the crepe is relatively thin.
- Drizzle half a teaspoon of vegetable oil or melted ghee on the edges (plus a couple of drops on the pancake itself), and then flip after a couple of minutes. Cook the other side for a couple more minutes.
- The cooked side should have some brown spots and look cooked through. Repeat until you've finished the batter.