Poora - chickpea flour pancakes

What do you make when you have a guest who is both vegan and follows a gluten-free diet? And you don't have a lot of time? The answer is simple - you make poora! These chickpea flour pancakes are a North Indian staple, easy to make, high in protein and fiber, and delicious. Chickpea flour is available in specialty and fancy food stores, but is far cheaper in Indian grocery stores, where it is labeled "Besan".

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt – adjust to taste

About ½ tsp cayenne pepper powder – adjust to taste

About 1 1/2 - 2 cups water (you may not need all of it)

Toppings – chopped scallions, cilantro, tomatoes, red peppers, sour cream/ goat cheese/ Greek yogurt, chutneys, etc.

Canola oil or butter for making the pancakes

• Sift together the besan, turmeric, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Slowly add water and mix to a smooth paste to get all the lumps out. Then, add more water and mix until it forms a thin pancake-batter like consistency.· Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes
• Heat a saucepan and melt a little butter in it or swirl a teaspoon or so of canola oil. – the pancakes can be a bit dry since the batter doesn’t have any eggs or fat in it, so don’t skimp on this part!
• Make the poora exactly the same way you would make a pancake or crepe – flipping once to cook on both sides. From experience, they turn out better if you use a non-stick pan or a cast-iron griddle (tava). It will take some practice to figure out the correct heat setting and timing for your stove/ pan. I typically cook them on medium-high heat, about 2-3 mins per side.
• Serve topped with finely chopped herbs/ scallions, your favorite chutney, or with a side of yogurt or cucumber raita. Or you can also use it as a crepe and fill it with creamed spinach, sautéed vegetables, etc. One of my favorite ways to serve this is as a crepe, with sauteed spinach and feta cheese
• Variations: add any or all of these into the batter before cooking: ½ of an onion, a 1” piece ginger, peeled and grated, one chile pepper, finely minced, grated carrots.

Musings on Mujaddara

One thing that many cultures seem to share is a dish that combines lentils and rice or beans and grains - there's the Indian kicchuri, or yellow split peas and rice, the Caribbean peas and rice, the Central American staple of black beans and rice, Italian pasta fazool, and the middle eastern Mujadarra. I didn't learn until a few years ago, that beans and rice together, provide a complete protein. Plus, they are just delicious together.

Mujaddara is one of my favorite dishes to make, especially to feed a crowd. It seems to go well with many different cuisines. Everyone in my family loves it. I understand that it is a middle eastern staple. I have seen recipes with/ without cinnamon, some with cumin, some call for cooking lentils separately, etc. But this is how I make mine. Simple, fabulous goodness.

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
1 cup brown lentils (the regular European/ french lentil)
3 to 3-1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 stick cinnamon, broken into a couple of pieces (or 1 tsp ground)
1 large onion
4 - 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (this is what makes it yummy!)

Rinse the lentils and rice (wash it and drain off the water as best you can), then put it in a large pan with the salt, pepper and cinammon, add the 3 1/2 cups water and soak for 30 mins. Then bring it to a boil, when it boils, stir once and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook slowly till all the water is absorbed (about 20-30 mins). While lentils are soaking, peel the onion, cut in half, slice thinly. In a saucepan, pour a generous amount of extra v. olive oil. Sautee the onions till nice and browned. this can take a while. Set aside. When lentils are cooked, serve topped with the onions.

In the photo, mujaddara served with rainbow Swiss chard and butternut squash yeriseri (South Indian coconut stew - recipe coming in another post). The rainbow chard was just cut in ribbons and sauteed with freshly chopped garlic in the same saucepan using leftover oil from the mujaddara onions.