Mushroom & Chive Stuffed Chickpea Pancakes

Chickpea flour, which is also known as gram flour, is a versatile gluten-free flour. It’s widely used in Indian cuisine within a variety of dishes. In recent years it has become much easier to source chickpea flour. It’s available to buy in specialist Asian food shops and health shops, as well as many of the larger supermarkets. Its consistency works wonderfully in batters, so it’s a great choice for savoury pancake. As this flour is made from ground chickpeas it is also high in protein, making it rather nutritious. I’ve paired these flavoursome pancakes with a simple mushroom and chive filling. These delicious pancakes would serve well for breakfast, lunch or tea.

Mushroom & Chive Stuffed Chickpea Pancakes

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 25g butter
• 250g mushrooms, thinly sliced
• A pinch of sea salt & freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tbsp cream

For the pancakes:

• 150g Chickpea flour {gram flour}
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 250ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium sized frying pan. When hot, turn down the heat, add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the butter. Once frothing, add in the mushrooms. Season with a little sea salt and some freshly ground pepper. Increase the heat and sauté for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the fresh chives and cream. Combine well, and then keep the pan over a very low heat, to keep the mixture warm until the crepes are ready to be served.
2. In a large bowl combine the chickpea flour with the salt. Crack the egg into a jug, whisk lightly with a fork and add the buttermilk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon combine until the batter is smooth. Stir through the freshly chopped chives and oregano.
3. Heat a large frying pan. Add a little olive oil. Once hot add a ladleful of batter to the centre of the pan. Tilting the pan, swish the batter around quickly to form a circle. Cook the crepe for approximately 2- 3 minutes and then flip it over and continue to cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, and continue to cook the remaining crepes.
4. To serve; spoon some of the mushroom and chive filling into each crepe, and sprinkle over a little freshly chopped chive to garnish.