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Besan ka puda: savoury pancakes

Besan ka puda (or besan ka chila) is a savoury pancake popular in Punjab, North India. It is a type of dosa (pancake) and is pure comfort food. It can be prepared in many ways, the below are only guidelines, so feel free to improvise, add or remove ingredients and spices - it's hard to go wrong with the pudas!

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Tags besan puda, comfort food, india, pancake
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 20 minutes
Servings 4 pancakes
Calories 153 kcal
Author Silvia Cooks

Ingredients

  • 100 g chickpea flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda (optional)
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 courgette
  • 1 carrot
  • 3 sticks spring onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder or fresh
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder or fresh
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder or fresh
  • 1/2 tsp grounded coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • water as much as you need to make it a thick but liquid dough
  • 1 tbsp olive oil to cook

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients well until there are no lumps. 

  2. Set a non-stick pan to medium-low heat. Drizzle some oil.

  3. Once the pan is hot enough (you can test by adding a drop of dough and watching if it cooks immediately), add a generous scoop of the puda dough. Then quickly spread the dough by lifting and tilting the pan in a circular movement. 

  4. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes or until the edges are cooked. Flip and cook on the other side. Add the rest of the dough and repeat the process. 

  5. Serve with extra chopped cilantro, a blop of yoghurt or any preferred sauce.