Chana Dall Pancakes

These ‘pancakes’ are extremely versatile. They can be eaten as a quick snack with some pickle, used as substitute burgers, or served with rice and/or a salad for a filling and delicious main meal. They are vegan (so milk and egg-free), wheat-free, low in fat, high in protein and fibre. On top of all that they’re easy to make. And we’ve not found anyone who doesn’t like them yet!

Makes around 15 depending on how big you want them…..

Ingredients:

• 200g chana dall (Yellow split peas. Available from Asian groceries and many supermarkets)
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 red chilli pepper - chopped
• Salt to taste
• Groundnut oil (or other flavourless oil) for shallow frying

Method:

Wash the chana then leave to soak in plenty of water for at least six hours (or overnight). Drain and place the chana into a food processor along with all the other ingredients. Whizz for about 30 seconds until generally chopped up. Then keep whizzing while adding cold water until you get a 'sloppy porridge' consistency.

Put enough oil for shallow frying into a large frying pan and heat using a medium flame. When hot start frying the pancakes by putting in 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time (you can usually get four or five pancakes in at one time). Cook for about 2-3 minutes then turn over using a spatula and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Drain on some kitchen towel.

They’re great hot or cold and any left over can be frozen. We wrap any that we want to keep in kitchen foil and then freeze. When you need them again you can just pop them in a medium oven for 15 minutes to warm through.

Obviously you can vary the spiciness according to your own taste.