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Tonight, we’re cooking vegan Chickpea Pancakes with sesame pumpkin and mushroom, with Yolanda Whelan.

Chickpea Pancakes with sesame pumpkin and mushrooms

Besan flour is a staple in my pantry and this recipe has become the favourite thing that I’ve made with it so far. These pancakes have such a unique flavour, very umami and savoury with an omelette-like texture. This makes it one of those perfect base recipes that works with whatever needs to be used in the fridge. For this recipe, I find the sweetness of the pumpkin, the spicy richness of the mushrooms and the fresh acidic fennel salad compliment each other well and cut through the strong savoury flavour of the pancake. The combination of textures also slay. A feature of this recipe is how versatile it is, you can also cook the batter into a crepe (just leave out the bicarb and use a large pan to make it easy to get it nice and thin). It also works as a frittata in place of eggs. Almost anything will be an adequate accompaniment so feel free to get creative. I hope you have fun with it and make the recipe your own.

Ingredients:

Makes: 3 large pancakes, serves 2 Prep time: 30 mins

For the pancake:
1 cup besan (chickpea) flour Cooking time: 20 mins 1 tsp salt 1 tsp bi-carb soda 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 cup water Handful parsley, roughly chopped

For the pumpkin: 6x1 cm slices butternut pumpkin 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp sesame seeds Pinch of salt

For the mushrooms: 1-2 portobello mushrooms, sliced Handful of oyster mushrooms 1 fresh hot chilli, thinly sliced (optional) 4 cloves garlic, diced or thinly sliced Generous dash of olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Handful of parsley (including stalks), chopped ½ cup wine or stock (water will also work)

For the fennel salad: ¼ fennel bulb, sliced as thin as possible or grated Juice and zest of one lemon Pinch of salt flakes Dash of olive oil

For the Garnish: Chopped roasted hazelnuts (optional) Fennel tops

Method:

Begin by making the pancake batter. Whisk all ingredients together until well combined and set aside. The batter should be quite runny and bubbly.

Place the sliced pumpkin on a baking tray along with the sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt. Use your hands to rub the pumpkin in the seasonings to ensure it’s evenly coated. Place in the oven at 190-200°C for approx. 20 mins or until soft and lightly golden, set aside.

While you're waiting for the pumpkin to cook, begin to saute the mushrooms. Add a generous dash of olive oil to a pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook until fragrant for approx. 1 min. Then add the portobello mushrooms and stir for a minute or so before adding the oyster mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are coated in the oil and add the wine to deglaze the pan.

Once the wine has been absorbed, stir through the parsley and seasonings. Cook for a further minute, remove from the heat and taste, adjusting the seasoning as necessary. Set aside.

For the fennel salad, add all ingredients to a bowl and use your hands to massage the lemon into the fennel to soften it slightly. Set aside.

Once you have all of the components ready, cook your pancakes. Add 1 tbsp of olive or veg oil to a hot pan (med-high heat) and use a 1/3 cup measurement to pour in the batter for the first pancake. The pancake will be ready to flip once the small bubbles have popped on the surface. Cook on the other side only for a few seconds or until lightly golden.

Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.

To serve, place one pancake on a plate followed by a layer of pumpkin. Repeat with the remaining pancakes and pumpkin. Pile the mushrooms on top and then the fennel. Finish with the fennel tops, hazelnuts, drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper.