Savory chickpea battered bread

This is the ultimate savory breakfast. It is really tasty, fun to eat and packs a lot of nutrition. The chickpea flour provides protein and you can add a variety of vegetables to it to provide essential nutrients. You can use any kind of sliced bread of your choice (This is a great way to use stale bread). And the word "battered" might make you think this needs to be deep fried but actually, it just needs a few minutes on a skillet with a few drops of oil. My mom calls this the Indian version of a French toast which, I think, is very apt. If you crave something savory for breakfast, give this a go. It will not disappoint!

Makes 5 pieces | Prep. time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped

• 1 small carrot, finely chopped

• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1 tomato, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp minced ginger

• 3 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

• 1/8 cup fine semolina flour

• 3/4 cup chickpea flour

• 1/8 cup plain yogurt (optional)

• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp chili powder (add more if you like spice)

• 1/2 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 tbsp. lime juice

• 1/2 tbsp. Chaat masala (salty/sour Indian seasoning mix)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup water

• 5 slices of bread

• 5 tsp Canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the bread and oil. Save the water as the last component. You may need more or less than 1/2 cup water to achieve the right consistency. Add 1/4 cup of water first, mix everything and then add a few tablespoons at a time until a spreadable consistency is achieved. Do not make the batter runny (See picture below).

2. Place a large skillet or frying pan on medium heat. If your skillet can accommodate 2 slices of bread, that will move things along a lot faster. Or, you can do what I did and use two small skillets.

3. Add 1/2 tsp oil in the pan and while that heats up, add 2 tablespoons of batter on one of the slices of bread and spread it all over one side of the bread slice. You can use more or less depending on what ratio of bread to batter you prefer.

4. Place the bread slice on the skillet, batter side facing down. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Let the batter cook through and turn into a nice golden brown color (Should take 4-5 minutes). Make sure the batter is cooked through. If you gently press on the bread and some liquid oozes out, it needs more time.

5. Once the bottom is cooked, spread some oil on the exposed surface of the bread slice and then flip it over. Let the other side cook till it is lightly toasted.

6. Repeat for all your bread slices. You may be able to make more than 5 slices with this batter but if you don't wish to make them all at once, you can refrigerate the batter for up to 2 days in an air tight container.

7. Serve hot with tomato ketchup and cilantro chutney.

NOTE: You can add a variety of vegetables to this batter like spinach, corn kernels, peas, finely diced potatoes, shredded zucchini, cabbage... the choices are endless!