San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Crispy chickpea pancakes to make from scratch for a savory lunch or dinner
Serves 4
This recipe makes about 8 small pancakes. If you have a scale, use the gram measurements, which I find easier to work with. Be careful not to overpulse or oversmash the chickpeas; the batter should be chunky with distinct pieces.
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (80 grams) chickpea flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained, plus ½ cup and 2 tablespoons liquid reserved
2 eggs
½ cup cleaned and chopped green garlic, or
scallions with 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped dill, divided ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream, divided Vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
1 small serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small lemon, juiced
2 small avocados, split in half and pits removed Instructions: Whisk dry ingredients and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
Pulse chickpeas in a food processor or by hand with a masher in a large bowl until chickpeas are just about split in half (2-3 quick pulses in a food processor or smashes). Add egg, green garlic, ½ cup dill, 6 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoons salt. Keep pulsing until the mixture is combined and the chickpeas are broken into small pea-like pieces, about 10, 1-second pulses.
Transfer the chickpea mixture to a large bowl. In several additions, add the dry ingredients and whisk until thick, pasty and very incorporated. Lastly, whisk in the reserved chickpea liquid until the paste has loosened, like a watery, chunky hummus.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, measure out a heaping ¼ cup of the mixture and add to the hot pan and oil. Make a roundish shape with a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup if that’s what you’re using. Cook like this until several bubbles start to form, edges crisp, and the bottom is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook until the bottom has begun to turn gold, about 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Transfer to a serving platter. Continue cooking the rest of the pancake batter like this.
Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons dill with remaining 4 tablespoons sour cream and serrano chile with enough lemon juice to make it drizzle-able. Season with salt.
Serve the pancakes with scoops of the avocado and the dilly sour cream drizzled over the top.