Chickpea Flour (Besan) Crepe with a piquant Tomato Chutney

How about some Chickpea flour (besan) crepes with sweet and spicy tomato chutney for Sunday morning breakfast?

When I was younger, I never liked besan much because I had the misconception that it would make me fat. This was probably because my subconscious always associated besan with fritters/oily foods. However, over time as I developed conscious eating habits, I became more aware of the nutritional benefits of various edibles that we generally have in our kitchens. Now when I think of it, there were so many misconceptions I had about different foods that it makes me laugh or feel silly.

Did you have any such misconceptions about any food that makes you laugh or feel silly?

Chickpeas are an excellent source of several minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese. It has fewer calories than wheat flour and is gluten-free (beneficial for the gluten intolerant).

** Chickpea flour (besan) Crepe recipe**

Ingredients (for two):-

Two heaped tablespoon of Chickpea flour (approximately 30 ml)

Two eggs

Finely chopped green chilly as per your taste

Finely chopped medium-sized onion

Salt as per taste

Mustard Oil

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Take the besan in a bowl and add just the amount of water to make a smooth thick paste. Whisk the paste to make it lump free. Now add the eggs, salt, the chopped onions and chillies and mix them thoroughly. Add water if required to make the batter a bit runny (but not too runny like water). Allow the batter to sit for 15 minutes.

Now heat a skillet. The skillet should preferably be non-stick or cast iron or hard anodized one as the batter tends to stick to the pan.

Add 1 teaspoon of mustard oil and when the temperature is right pour the batter and rotate the pan to make thin crepes of about 6 to 8 inches.

Cook until the edges look crispy and flip the crepe to cook the other side. Fry the crepes until they have a brownish yellow tinge to it.

Make the rest of the crepes in a similar fashion and the crepes are ready.

**Tomato Chutney**

Ingredients for two

4 small-sized tomatoes finely chopped

Finely chopped 2 chillies

1 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic

2 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped onion

Cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon of Asafoetida (Hing)

Salt (a pinch)

Jaggery as taste

Black Mustard seeds for tempering

Turmeric powder

Mustard Oil

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Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, asafoetida, onion, ginger and garlic. Stir them till the raw smell is gone and the onion is soft.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin powder and a pinch of salt. Cook till the tomatoes soften and add jaggery according to the sweetness you want. Add water and cook for 4-5 minutes till the mixture gives a thick saucy look. And voila the chutney is ready...

The Crepes and tomato chutney are ready for breakfast.

Bon Apetit!

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Tips:

1. Since the crepes are salty, I made the tomato chutney on the sweeter side to the balance the palate.

2. The crepes should be thin, so that the batter is well cooked and can be taken out of the pan without tearing them.