22.2.10

pudla besan (gluten-free Indian chickpea flatbread)


Pudla is a savory pancake made from besan (chickpea flour) and native to Western India. It has many variations which use all different kinds of vegetables and spices, but here onion and ginger are the dominant flavors.

Chickpea flour can be found at health-food stores and Indian grocers.

Serves 2-4
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: about 30 minutes (including rest time)

1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
about 1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne or chili powder (add more if you like spicy food)
1 cup water
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

Mix together the flour, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Stir in the water until there are no more clumps. The consistency should be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Stir in the ginger and onion. Let the batter sit for 15-30 minutes. This supposedly lets the flavors intermingle and allows the besan to swell up, absorbing the water.

Heat a well-oiled skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter at a time, spreading a bit with a spatula. Cook for several minutes on both sides, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot with chutney, baba ganouj, or an Indian curry.

9 comments:

  1. Great with hummus too. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!

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  2. I was searching for a besan flatbread recipe and this one sounded easy and delicious.

    Just got done making it and it was EXCELLENT. I did a little tweaking and used canned coconut milk as a sub for half of the water (because I had part of a can to use up) added minced jalapeno to the batter and also sizzled some black mustard, cumin and coriander seeds in the pan before pouring the batter on top to give some crunchy pops of flavor.

    Thanks so much for posting!

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  3. Mmm, that sounds great--I'll have to try it with coconut milk and extra spices.

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  4. Thanks so much! I tried this recipe the other night and it worked out perfectly :)
    I hope you don't mind me using it for my blog too - will give you full credit.

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  5. I'm so glad the recipe worked and that's fine if you use it on your blog. Thank you!

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  6. I just used this recipe for an Indian meal made at a 5-day spiritual retreat in Texas. They were perfect for a gluten-free option! Everyone loved them and we were able to heat up the leftover pancakes for a second meal. Thanks for the recipe!

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  7. Great recipe! Delicious :) Just wondering, has anyone tried a sweet version? I'd like to try this as a breakfast alternative to toast for my PB&J.

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  8. i made these for my daughter without onion and cumin. she ate them with maple syrup and loved them. we cooked them in coconut oil. i still love them more savory with an indian meal though :)

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  9. Can't wait to try this. We use besan flour alot, love the savory flavor. The lady at the Indo-Pak market where I get my GF flours was trying to tell me about this. Thank you for posting this.

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