Any day I have a bit of extra time in the morning I tend to crave pancakes. There’s something super comforting about pulling out the cast iron pans, and playing around with different toppings. But with my desire for sugar on the down and out (crazy, I know), I thought maybe a savoury pancake may be an ideal sit in.

I searched around the net for recipes for savoury pancakes and came up with this one. I got it from the Not Eating Out in New York food blog, but the author picked it up at a cooking seminar in NYC. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I improvised a bit and here is my take on the NEOiNY recipe:

Savory Chickpea Flour Pancakes

1 1/4 cups chickpea flour (or gram flour) (I used a mix of chickpea/fava)
1 tsp salt
1/2 small red onion, very finely chopped
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced broccoli (or other veg)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Spices: 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp cumin
1-inch piece of ginger, very finely chopped (I didn’t use this time but would have been good)
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped (ditto)
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Makes 8 pancakes but 2 pancakes make a great breakfast with a protein topping.

Place chickpea flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the spices, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato/veg, garlic and cilantro. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

Place 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Stir once and place about 1/3 cup batter into center of skillet. Tilt pan to spread (as if making a crepe). Cover and cook for three minutes. Turn over and cook, uncovered, for one more minute; it should be golden. Repeat with remaining batter, stirring before using. Serve hot with hummus, chutney, hot sauce or whatever else you want. I actually also added some flaked smoked fish into the batter for added protein.

Result? I found them a bit dense but yummy nonetheless. Might have been because of the chickpea-fava flour mix or maybe it needed more water. Regardless, it was a success! And now I better get on with my day :)