Savoury Chickpea Flour Pancakes

I felt like a kitchen pirate that walked off with the loot when I discovered a veritable treasure trove of interesting goodies a few days ago...

• Gluten-free pappadums that are perfect for popping under the grill for a quick snack.
• Curry leaves and yellow mustard seeds for a spicy sautéed potato dish.
• Sago for sago pudding (similar to rice pudding but cooler...like eating little see-through pearls of fish eggs, except not gross). 

I also found bags of chickpea flour...

Chickpea flour = chana flour = gram flour = garbanzo flour = besan.

According to Wikipedia:

"Used in many countries, it is a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines, and, in the form of a paste with water or yoghurt, a popular facial exfoliant in the Indian Subcontinent. Moreover, when mixed with an equal proportion of water, can be used as an egg-replacer in vegan cooking.

Chila (or chilla), a pancake made with gram flour batter, is a popular street and fast food in India.

Gram flour contains a high proportion of carbohydrates but no gluten. Despite this, in comparison to other flours, it has a relatively high proportion of protein."

So no egg = no problem. This four holds its own.

Recipe

P.S. This isn't a recipe of exacts...rather just a smidgen of this and a pinch of that. 

Go by texture and feel!

Ingredients:

- Chickpea/garbanzo/gram flour

- Water

- Jeera or Cumin (whole)

- Dried Chilli

- Black Mustard Seeds

- Salt

- Vegetable Oil

Method:

1. Chuck some chana flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch or two of jeera, a pinch or three of black mustard seeds, and a pinch or four of dried chillies.
3. Add sufficient water to make a medium-thick batter, and then mix in a half teaspoon of vegetable oil.
4. Lightly oil a non-stick crepe pan, and pre-heat it briefly over a medium heat.
5. Drop a small ladleful of batter onto the centre of the pan, and watch it sizzle.
6. Flip when it bubbles. Go for very lightly golden brown.
7. Make a rocking savoury topping (see ideas below) and chow down on some grindage.

Scoops of fresh avocado with a sprinkling of salt and dried chilli.

Zhoeshed chickpeas with dried chillies, salt, jeera; 

topped with cucumber slices.