Chickpea Flour Pancakes

Description

(Cheela ka besan) This Indian crêpe-like "pancake" can be used to roll up leftover vegetable curry for a satisfying lunch.

Ingredients

• ½ cup besan (chickpea flour)
• 3 tbsp chapati flour (or substitute all-purpose wheat flour)
• pinch turmeric powder
• ½ tsp minced ginger (or a pinch of ginger powder if fresh ginger is unavailable)
• ⅓ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 to 1½ cup water
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• a few pieces minced cilantro
• ghee or oil for frying

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients with a whisk to remove lumps.
2. Add enough water to make a medium-thick batter (not stiff, not runny). The amount of water that you will need depends on the flours that you are using.
3. Add all remaining ingredients except ghee or oil and mix well.
4. Let stand for about 15 minutes.
5. Heat a small amount of ghee or oil in a nonstick crepe pan (or a pan with low sides).
6. When the pan is hot, pour in about ⅓ cup of batter. Rotate the pan so that the batter spreads out.
7. Cook for a few minutes before turning the pancake to cook on the other side.
8. Keep warm in oven until you have used up all the batter.