Chickpea-Quinoa Spiced Poora (Crepes); Healthy, Happy New Year!

December 31, 2015 1 Comment

Chickpea-Quinoa Spiced Poora (Crepes); Healthy, Happy New Year! - Indian As Apple Pie
Chickpea-Quinoa Spiced Poora (Crepes)

The perfect snack, wrap, bread.

Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and absolutely delicious, besan poora is a common breakfast item and snack food in North India. It is traditionally made from besan, or flour made from ground black chickpeas

As we head into 2016 and aspire to eat healthier, I added some quinoa flour.

quinoa flour

With 4 grams of protein per 1/4 cup it's a fantastic way to boost protein in your family's diet without compromising flavor. It's an especially important component for the Indian community - where we eat largely vegetarian, but still want and need protein. 

2 cups besan (chickpea flour) *
1 cup quinoa flour
1/4 red or yellow onion
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 - 2 Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 cups water
1/2 red or yellow onion and 1 green chile, finely chopped 
#chaat masala (for garnish)

Place all ingredients from the besan to the water in a blender or Vita-mix in the above order. Blend until smooth. You'll have what looks like a frothy milkshake. Alternatively, if you don't want to use a blender, finely chop your onion and chiles and mix everything in bowl. Adjust the amount of water depending on your ingredients used. A mainstream chickpea flour may require a little less water. The consistency you want is below. 

Mix in your chopped onion and chile. Here, you can get creative. Try sliced scallions, shredded kale, grated carrots, chopped cilantro or mint - whatever you like. For me, this step is essential. I like crunch in every bite. If you are using this poora for a wrap, you may omit this step and just cook them right out of the blender. This way, it's more of a flavorful and smooth taste and texture. 

Lightly spray a griddle. Dole out about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. With the back of the ladle, spread the batter in a circular, clockwise motion from the center toward the outside of the pan to create a thin, round crepe, about 5 1/2 inches in diameter. 

Cook the poora over medium-high heat until brown and crispy around the edges, flip and cook the other side. Press down a bit to ensure even cooking. You'll cook these a total of about 2 minutes on each side, maybe a little less, depending on how hot your pan. 

Sprinkle #chaat masala at the end over each poora for extra flavor. Eat with some mint chutney, ketchup, spicy Indian pickle, or even with an Indian curry like this chana masala on the side. This was my husband's lunch. (He was on the phone, so I managed to take a quick picture.) You can keep the batter in the fridge about a week and freeze it for up to three months. It's one of the most convenient things to have prepped and ready to go. Always remember to give it a good mix before cooking up. 

* While I prefer to buy my besan from an Indian grocer, ensuring they are indeed using black chickpeas, I would recommend using a mainstream grocer if you are medically required to eat GF. The Indian space has yet to separate out machinery to ensure there is no cross contamination from gluten. Mainstream brands typically use white chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, which gives them a slightly different texture when ground down. If you are feeling really ambitious? Ground your own using our whole black chickpeas in your Vita-Mix. 

Hope you love this recipe and realize that REAL food is literally a click away. I'm on my mission to get even healthier in 2016 and will only do it by eating real food. Email me and let me know how you are doing! 

- xoxo Anupy

 




1 Response

Chris Gotje
Chris Gotje

April 06, 2020

Hi Anupy,
I already have your cookbook and absolutely love it. Very well written and full of easy tasty recipes. Enjoy cooking them and learning about spices adn new ingredients, and different ways to make delicious food. Indian food is my most favorite! Thanks.

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