Gram flour is one of the ingredients I love and use the most in many of my recipes. It wasn’t love at first sight though, and it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I started to use it properly.
Gram flour is a pulse flour made from chickpeas: it’s packed with proteins (more than other flours), fiber, minerals, vitamin B3 and B9 and it’s completely gluten free.
I hadn’t to go too far to find out that this is commonly used in Italian cuisine too: from ‘farinata ligure’ in Liguria to ‘panelle’ fritters in Sicily.
It’s the perfect flour to use for batters, fritters and a great egg replacement to make omelettes, pancakes, cakes and my fave of all… Frittata!
In this recipes I used gram flour to make savoury and spicy pancakes, a perfect meal to pack for your outdoor adventures, lunch in the office or for your little ones.
INGREDIENTS:
240g gram flour
420ml plant-based milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
Fresh parsley
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp flaxseed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS:
Sieve the gram flour and mix it with the other dry ingredients, with exception of the flaxseeds, baking powder and vinegar.
Pour the liquid ingredients and whisk until you get a smooth mixture. Cover it and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I’d recommend you to prepare it in the morning for dinner: the longer the gram flour rests the better as otherwise, it could be heavy to digest.
Once you are ready to cook the pancakes, add the flaxseed, baking powder and vinegar, mix and leave to rest for 5 more minutes. Pour 2 to 4 tablespoons of mixture into a hot and oiled pan. When the surface of the pancake gets bubbly flip it over and cook on the other side. Stack the pancakes one on top of the other to keep them warm and soft.
Enjoy with a super fresh yoghurt sauce: I usually make mine with 3-4 tbsp of unsweetened soy yoghurt, fresh mint and lemon juice.
