There are some days I hate having to decide what to have for dinner!! I wish I had a chef to decide what I wanted and to cook my dinner for me. I look at the menu plan I created and screw up my nose at the dinner suggestion I had made for this particular night. Anyone else do this? Or do you scratch your head as you look into the freezer or cupboard and wonder what the heck to make? On this particular day I did this I skipped the original meal plan of a stir fry and opted for a crusty and dense spiced chickpea flat bread smeared with hummus, topped with delicious tandoori spiced chicken and salad. It hit the spot and was so much better than the orginal stirfy idea. Sometimes it's good to change life up a bit every known and again.

I am sharing the recipe for the base of this dish the Spiced Chickpea Flat Bread with you today. These flat breads are made with chickpea flour or also know as Besan flour. For the more technical minded these flat breads are also called socca to the rest of the world. This high protein, gluten free flour is created by grinding dried chickpeas down to a fine, yellow coloured flour with that has nutty smell. Besan flour can be used in sweet or savoury dishes and is fabulous to use in baking. I'm going to be naughty and post only the flat bread recipe today the rest of the recipe will come next week. How mean am I?

To make the spiced flat bread you simple add the chickpea flour and some water to create a loose pancake type batter. From here you can flavour the batter however you want I went the savoury route and added some herbs and spices to give it a nice curry flavoured kick to compliment the tandoori spiced chicken. The batter needs to stand for a minimum of an hour or up to two hours to allow the batter to rest and do it's magic. Patience is the key here. You can keep the batter plain too and use the bread to scoop up casseroles, soups and my favourite a dang good curry.

When cooking the flatbread it is important to have a well oiled pan over a medium to low heat and to cook it for a longer time than you would a pancake. Bubbles will start to form on the stop of the battter and need to wait until the bubbles have developed and popped and the edges of the flatbread start to look a little dry and cooked. This is when you need to flip it. It took me a while to get this right as I kept flipping it too early and ended up with a mess! The bread needs to be golden brown and crusty on the outside and fluffy but slightly dense on the inside. I used my trusty cast iron pan that I picked up from my local OP shop. It is my favourite pan of all time and found its the best non-stick pan ever with minus the nasties chemical coatings.

The flat breads should be served warm with whatever topping you desire. As I mentioned above I smeared mine with lashings of hummous, tandoori chicken and a smattering of salad and mint. As promised I will post the rest of the recipe next week. You can eat them with a knife and fork or sandwhich the edges together and eat them like a taco or burrito. Whatever works for you really. Have fun with this fantastic flat bread and mix and match the toppings with what you have in your cupboard at home.

Spiced Chickpea Flat Bread

by The Whimsical Wife

Prep Time: 10 min + min 1 hour resting

Cook Time: 3-4 minutes

Makes: 4-6

Ingredient:

1 cup chickpea flour (also known as besan flour)
1 - 1 1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablspoon roughly chopped coriander

Instructions

In a larger mixing bowl sift in the chickpea flour. Add in the garlic, cumin and coriander.

Slowly add 1 cup of water to the flour mixing quickly with a whisk to remove any lumps. The batter should be the consistency of a loose pancake mixture. Add the extra water if necessary.

Give the mixture a good whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towell and set aside to rest for a minimum of an hour.

Once the batter has rested, oil a good quality cast iron or non stick pan over a medium to low heat. Ladle a portion of the mixture into the middle of the pan and cook for 2-4 minutes. Bubbles should have formed and popped in the center and the edge of the bread is turning a dark yellow colour. It is time to flip it. Cook for a further minute on the other side and remove. Place onto a plate and cover with alfoil to keep warm.

Repeat the process until all the remaining batter has been used. Eat immediately.

Cooks Notes

These flat bread need to be eaten within 24 hours of being cooked. They can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.