GUJARATI CHICKPEA FLOUR "OMELET" (CHILLA)-- FUSION-STYLE; AND FAT-FREE HASH BROWNS, 2 WAYS

Italian-style Chilla!

I'm still on the quest for chickpea flour recipes! For lunch today I made a familiar recipe, a type of chickpea flour "omelet" or "crepe" that originated in the Indian state of Gujarat. When I first made it, I realized that it could be like a blank canvas for the styles of many different cuisines. Thus far I have made more-or-less traditional Indian chilla, Italian-style, Mexican-style, and even Japanese-style!

I developed this recipe for the book Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes, but, unfortunately, it didn't make it into the final version. So here it is-- give it a try!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CHILLA (CHICKPEA CREPES)
Servings: 5
Yield: makes 10/ 6" thin "omelets"

This recipe is adapted from a traditional recipe from the Indian province of Gujarat (called a "chilla"), but the recipe lends itself to a variety of seasonings. The "crepes" can be filled with grilled vegetables for a special brunch dish.

In the photos for this blog post, I made the Italian-style version, and topped the "omelets" with some leftover homemade spaghetti sauce, mixed with some leftover tofu sour creme, and added some sautéed oyster mushrooms and a sprinkle of my homemade Okara Parmesan.

For an even lower-calorie, lower-fat Chilla, instead of all chickpea flour, use:
3/4 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons split red lentils, ground in a DRY electric coffee mill/spice grinder until like flour
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1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 cup chopped canned tomatoes, drained, or chopped fresh tomatoes
(or you can use roasted, peeled red bell peppers, fresh or from a jar)
Flavor Options:
Indian-- 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Mexican-- 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños, 2 teaspoons dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Italian-- 2 teaspoon dry basil (or 2 tablespoon fresh, chopped), 2 cloves garlic, minced

Blend together the water, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, and turmeric with a whisk or hand immersion blender, or in a blender or a food processor. The batter should about the same consistency as a crepe batter. In a medium bowl, stir the tomatoes and any other optionals) into the mixture.



Heat a nonstick 7-8" skillet over medium-high heat. Cook just as you would a crepe, using 1/4 cup batter for each, and spraying the pan with oil from a pump sprayer or cooking spray before cooking each "crepe". Quickly pour in the batter and swirl it in the pan to make an approximately round, thin 6" crepe-like round. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the mixture and make it round, if you wish. (The batter is thin, so I just swirl it like crepe batter.)



When the bottom is golden-brown, and there are little holes in the batter on top, carefully loosen it with a very thin spatula, and turn it over. When just cooked dry on the other side, but not browned, remove it from the pan, place it on a platter, cover it with a clean towel, and continue until all of the batter is used up. Just stack the cooked "crepes" up on top of eachother and keep covered.

You can roll them up like traditional crepes,


fold them in half like an omelet,


or leave them flat.


Serve hot.

Serve Indian-flavored "omelets" with plain soy yogurt or tofu sour creme and any kind of chutney, or fill them with curried vegetables.

Serve Mexican-style "omelets" with tofu sour creme and your favorite salsa.

Serve Italian-style "omelets" with a non-dairy béchamel or cheesy sauce, or marinara (simple tomato) sauce, or grated soy mozza.

All go well with potatoes-- we like them with Waffle Iron Hash Browns OR Oven-Crisped Hash Browns (see recipes below.)

MORE IDEAS:

JAPANESE-STYLE “OMELETS”: Use the basic batter with no additional ingredients. Use instead of Japanese thin egg omelet to cut into strips for sushi.

EGGLESS OKONOMIYAKI: Sprinkle a mixture of corn, baby peas, shredded cabbage or carrot; minced green pepper, chopped cooked green beans, and bits of cubed tofu over the batter in the pan just after you have formed the “omelet”, while it is still soft on top. Serve with brown rice and teriyaki sauce.

SWISS-STYLE “OMELET”: Use the basic batter with no additional ingredients. Fill the “omelets” with browned cooked potatoes and onions, and top with a non-dairy cheesy sauce or béchamel sauce, parsley, salt, pepper, and soy bacon chips or bits of vegetarian “bacon” or “ham”.

SPANISH “OMELETS”: Use the basic batter with no additional ingredients. Fill with sauteed onions, green pepper, tomato, garlic, perhaps mushrooms.

KENTUCKY “OMELETS”: Use the basic batter with no additional ingredients. Fill with sauteed onion, green pepper and corn kernels, with soy bacon chips.


Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 229.0 calories; 15% calories from fat; 3.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 414.2mg sodium; 536.6mg potassium; 35.6g carbohydrates; 6.3g fiber; 9.2g sugar; 29.3g net carbs; 12.6g protein; 4.1 points.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S WAFFLE IRON "HASH BROWNS"
Servings: 2
Yield: four 4" "waffles"

This is a great breakfast dish, or even a snack when you are really hungry.

8 ounces red or new potatoes, scrubbed and grated
3 medium (12 ounces) carrots, scrubbed and shredded, or sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and shredded
1 tablespoon powdered egg replacer mixed with
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon oat bran
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat a nonstick waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients well.

Spray the waffle grids lightly with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray. Pack half of the mixture into the hot waffle iron. Allow to cook 10-12 minutes, or until the mixture is well-browned and crispy-looking. Gently ease the "waffle" from the iron.

Serve the potatoes immediately, and repeat with the second half of the batter. Serve with ketchup, applesauce, or gravy.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 179.1 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 777.6mg sodium; 1041.0mg potassium; 40.0g carbohydrates; 5.8g fiber; 5.2g sugar; 34.2g net carbs; 5.9g protein; 2.8 points.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S OVEN-CRISPED HASH BROWNS
Servings: 6

Easy, quick and fat-free-- this will quickly become a favorite for breakfast or snack times.

3 cups grated new or red potatoes (about 4 medium)
3 cups grated peeled carrots, yams, or sweet potatoes ( about 18 ounces)
1 small onion, grated (optional)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Cajun seasoning, or Old Bay Seasoning (optional)

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Mix the grated potatoes and carrots (with optional onion) in a medium bowl.

Mound the mixture on 2 nonstick cookie sheets sprayed lightly with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray, making 3 mounds on each. (If the mixture is very juicy, squeeze the juice into the bowl before you shape the mounds.)

Flatten the mounds with a spatula, or the palm of your hand. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper (and other seasonings, such as Cajun, if you like), and bake on the lower shelf of the oven for 10 minutes, or until browned on the bottom. Turn over and bake 7-10 minutes more, or until crispy.

Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 91.7 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 43.2mg sodium; 634.4mg potassium; 21.1g carbohydrates; 3.0g fiber; 3.0g sugar; 18.1g net carbs; 2.3g protein; 1.3 points.

Enjoy!