Spring chickpea pancake recipe

We’ve always had a thing for anything to do with savoury crepes/pancakes, essentially something that in my opinion makes a meal more exciting, eating with your hands and enjoying every bite. Often, the pan is the most important part to the recipe, an old, everything sticks kind of pan can be your worst nightmare when it comes to making crepes or pancakes successfully. It’s perfect for making those perfect crepes, minimal oil needed (mostly just for taste) and better yet, you can make the filling in no time, frying up fresh veggies without it burning or crispy up on the outer edges.

The best thing about this recipe is you can use the same pan to make the entire dish, a quick rinse in-between and you’re good to go.

Spring chickpea pancakes with spiced courgette and leek, quick tahini aioli, herbs and sesame

Makes approx 4 pancakes (thickness and size dependent)

For the pancakes:

120g chickpea flour

1/2 tsp salt

360ml warm water

For the filling:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 courgette - sliced thin

1 medium sized leek - sliced lengthways in half, then thin moons

2 cloves garlic - minced or grated

1-2 tsp dried cumin

1-2 tsp dried coriander

3 tbsp nutritional yeast *optional

1-2 tbsp tahini

Small handful fresh coriander or parsley

Pinch chilli

Salt and pepper to taste

Aioli: store in an airtight container or jar if any leftover

120g tahini

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Approx 80ml water

1/4 tsp smoked paprika *optional

Optional serving suggestions:

Chilli flakes

Spring onions

Sesame seeds

Chilli sauce/olive oil

Equipment:

 Tala Performance Superior Grade 26cm Non Stick Frying Pan 

 Tala Stainless Steel Slotted Turner 

Tala Performance Paring Knife 

Tala Garlic Press 

Tala Glass Bowl 1.6L

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, salt and warm water until smooth. The warm water will help it to thicken, pop to one side to allow this to happen.
2. In your pan, heat up your olive oil, add the courgette and leek plus a pinch of salt and fry for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic, dried cumin, dried coriander, nutritional yeast, tahini, fresh herbs and chilli. Season with salt and pepper once more, stirring regularly to fry. One your mixture has cooked, place into a bowl and cover to keep warm.
3. To make the aioli, simply place all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and season with extra salt/garlic powder if necessary.
4. Head your non-stick pan on a medium heat. Whisk the batter again to make sure there are more lumps and incase of any separation. You can add a little olive oil here.
5. Pour approx 1/4 of your batter or 1/2 cup (120ml) into the pan, creating a large pancake/crepe. Turn up the heat to high and cook until the edges start to brown, checking the underneath too. Flip and cook for another few minutes until browned on the other side. Repeat until you have used all your batter.
6. To serve, place some of your filling into one half of your pancake and a drizzle of aioli. Fold the empty side onto and press firmly to stay closed. Repeat with the rest of your filling to the other pancakes. Serve with your chosen ingredients and enjoy!

You could put a dollop of the tahini aioli on the side and dip as you go, adding some chilli/hot sauce also spices things up if you fancy it!

We hope you love the recipe and give it a go. The great thing about this one is you can also mix up the filling vegetables based on what you have in or like!