Savoury Gram Flour Pancakes – Besan Cheela

Gram Flour pancakes or Besan Cheela as they are called in India, are savoury pancakes that are easy to make, tasty and nutritious. Give them a try for breakfast or lunch or a snack!

This recipe is suitable for vegans and in fact, is called “gram flour omelette” by some. Imagine a tasty omelette without eggs!

I want to talk to you a bit about gram flour so you can understand why these crispy and tasty pancakes are a welcome addition for anyone looking for new healthy recipes to try. This one is especially great for those who are diabetic and looking for new low glycemic recipes to enjoy.

Gram flour is also known as chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour or besan (in Hindi). The glycemic index of gram flour is considered low so recipes using this flour should be on your radar if you are diabetic. Actually this flour should be on your radar regardless of whether you are diabetic or not. Gram flour is rich in Vitamin B and contains many minerals. It is an excellent source of protein and helps maintain your bones. Chickpea flour has less calories than white flour and is high in fibre. I am not a nutritionist but can vouch for the health benefits of gram flour. Here is a great summary of everything you need to know about this beautiful flour.

I like to make cheela with onions and tomatoes but there are so many variations depending on whether you plan to eat them at breakfast, lunch or for a snack. Go ahead and add chopped spinach, grated carrot, finely sliced cabbage or finely chopped green peppers if you are having them for lunch or a snack.

Let’s get into the recipe and we can chat some more about the pancakes after the recipe.

Savoury Gram Flour Pancakes – Besan Cheela

ingredients

1 cup gram flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp finely chopped green chilies (optional)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp caraway seeds (ajwain)

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Oil (use any oil of your choice – I used avocado oil)

method

• Measure out 1 cup of gram flour in a bowl.
• Add tomatoes, onion, cilantro, ginger, chilis, turmeric, caraway seeds, chili powder and salt.

• First add 1/2 cup water and mix well. Now add water 1 tbsp at a time until you get a smooth batter without any lumps that can easily be poured. The batter should be pourable but thick.
• The amount of water you add will depend on the quality of flour you have. You can taste the batter and add salt or any other ingredient at this point. Your batter should look like this!

• Now add 1 tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. The better quality your pan, the less oil you will need to use.
• When the oil is hot, add enough batter to the centre of the frying pan to be able to spread to the edge of the frying pan. You can use a round ladle to spread it into a pancake shape. Reduce the heat if the batter starts to bubble right away. It should heat slowly.
• When the batter starts to develop some bubbles, you can drizzle 1/2 tsp oil under the edges of the pancake (this step is optional and you can skip adding the oil here if you are watching your fat intake). The more oil you add, the more crispy it will be. It time to flip it!

• Cook until golden brown on both sides.
• That’s it! Serve fresh and hot!

**notes:

1. You can eliminate the green chilies and reduce the chili powder if you are serving these to kids or if you are not able to tolerate the hotness.
2. Gram flour should be found at bulk food stores. It will surely be available in Indian grocery stores if you can’t find it anywhere else.
3. You can add more veggies to your pancakes if you plan to serve them as a lunch or snack. As mentioned above, you can add chopped spinach, grated carrot, finely sliced cabbage or finely chopped green peppers. Go ahead and experiment. Hmmm, wonder if grated zucchini would work?
4. I use avocado oil to make my pancakes but you can use any mild tasting oil.
5. These are best served fresh. If you do end up having leftovers, I suggest reheating them in a frying pan or skillet. The microwave can also be used to reheat the pancakes. Heat on high for 1 minute.
6. As I wrote this, I realized these cheelas would have been a great addition to my kids’ lunches. There is the scope of hiding all kinds of veggies in the pancakes! I could have even make little sandwiches with them.
   If you are making them for young children, let the batter rest for 30 minutes. This will help them digest it better.
7. You can substitute the caraway seeds with cumin seeds. The caraway seeds help with digestion so it it worth looking for them.
8. Kids would enjoy these with ketchup but you can try them with cilantro chutney or mint chutney.