29mIndian Spinach Besan Chilla
Quick vegan chickpea flour and spinach pancakes seasoned with restrained cumin and turmeric. They cook entirely in one skillet for a savory, practical breakfast.
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- Baby spinach-2 cups
- Chickpea flour-1 cup
- Water-1 cup
- Yellow onion-0.33 cups
- Canola oil-2 tablespoons
- Fine sea salt-0.75 teaspoons
- Ground cumin-0.5 teaspoons
- Ground turmeric-0.25 teaspoons
- Lemon-1 each
Finely chop the spinach and finely dice the onion. Cut the lemon into wedges and set aside.
Use a stable cutting board and keep fingertips tucked back while chopping the spinach and onion.
In the mixing bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Gradually whisk in the water until the batter is smooth and pourable.
Do not taste the uncooked chickpea flour batter.
Fold in the spinach and onion until evenly distributed. Let the batter rest for 3 minutes while heating the skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 teaspoon canola oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. Add one-sixth of the batter, about a generous 1/3 cup, and spread it into a 6-inch circle with the back of the measuring cup. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the surface looks mostly dry and the underside is golden.
Keep the skillet handle turned away from the edge of the stove, and add oil carefully to prevent splattering.
Flip the chilla carefully and cook until the second side is golden and the center is set, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining batter, using 1 teaspoon oil per chilla and reducing the heat slightly if they brown before the tops set.
Flip the chilla carefully to avoid burns from the hot skillet, and cook each one until the center is fully set with no wet batter remaining.
Serve the chillas hot and squeeze lemon over each serving just before eating.
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