Recipe: Mira Manek’s Pudla (Lightly Spiced Chickpea Flour Pancakes)

There’s something very simple about these high-protein savoury pancakes, as simple as a lunchtime meal can be. Yet they’re nutritious and filling and they absolutely must be eaten hot.

Traditionally, pudlas are eaten with yoghurt and green coriander chutney, but here, I’ve added a homemade coleslaw-like filling using grated cabbage and carrots, which adds a delicious crunch to each bite, an interestingly juicy layer and that much-needed tang of lime.

PUDLA

Lightly spiced pancakes made with protein-rich chickpea flour, filled with a yoghurt-based cabbage, carrot and coriander coleslaw

Makes around 6 pudla
Serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 200g chickpea flour
• 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon ginger, garlic and chili paste
• Pinch turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
• 220ml water

Filling

• ¼ red cabbage, grated
• ¼ white cabbage, grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 tablespoons yoghurt
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• Juice of ¼ lime
• Handful coriander

Prepare the filling in advance by mixing together all the filling ingredients and leave to one side.

Using your hand, thoroughly mix all the pancake (pudla) batter ingredients together in a mixing bowl until a smooth consistency batter is reached. To cook the pudla, take a medium, non-stick frying pan / crepe plate and place over a medium heat. Allow pan to warm for a couple of minutes. Then pour a large spoonful of the batter on the pan and spread evenly in circular clockwise motions using the back of the spoon, pressing very lightly so that no gap is created whilst making the pudla. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on one side and then using a spatula flip the pudla and cook on the other side for a further minute. The pudla is cooked when a little browned on each side.

Remove pudla from the pan, add the filling and fold over both sides. You can hold together with a toothpick.

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