Vitality-Boosting Indian Pancakes: 3 Ways

Try Sunday brunch the Ayurveda way! Whip up a batch of delicious, protein-rich chilla (mung bean) pancakes in as little as 15 minutes! 

These versatile, easy-to-make recipes can be modified any number of ways to be sweet, savory, or anything in between.

Here are three tempting (and gluten-free!) variations of Ayurvedic pancakes to try:

• Cilantro Mung Bean Pancake Recipe
• Mung Bean Pancakes Stuffed with Veggies & Coconut Sauce Recipe
• Mung Bean Crepes with Blueberries & Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe

Cilantro Mung Bean Pancake Recipe

YIELD: 6-8 pancakes

Prep time: 10 minutes + overnight soaking 

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow split mung beans, washed 3-4 times and soaked in plenty of water to cover overnight
• Mung bean soak water
• ½ bunch cilantro (leaves and soft stems)
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• Ghee for frying

Directions

1. Add the soaked mung beans to a blender, retaining their soak water (the soak water contains nutrients and is used to blend the mung beans).
2. Add 1 cup of soak water to the blender to start with, plus the spices and cilantro.
3. Blend the beans, water, and spices to a smooth pancake batter consistency, adding a little bit more water as needed.
4. Warm up a cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of ghee.
5. Once the pan is hot, but not smoking, ladle the batter onto the pan and quickly make a circular shape.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the underside appears golden. Add a little bit more ghee on top of the pancake, and then flip.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cook crispy (more time) or soft (less time), according to your preference.
8. Serve warm, with savory toppings of choice.
   
   

Mung Bean Pancakes Stuffed with Veggies & Coconut Sauce Recipe

YIELD: 8 stuffed pancakes

Prep time: 20 minutes + overnight soaking 

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Pancakes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow split mung beans, washed 3-4 times and soaked in plenty of water to cover overnight
• Mung bean soak water
• Optional: 2 pinches of salt

Directions

1. Add the soaked mung beans to a blender, retaining their soak water (the soak water contains nutrients and is used to blend the mung beans).
2. Add 1 cup of soak water to the blender to start with, along with the optional salt.
3. Blend until smooth, adding a little more water as needed to get a consistency between a pancake and crepe.
4. Store in the refrigerator while making the vegetables and sauce.

Vegetable Filling 

Ingredients

• 1 yellow zucchini
• 2 green zucchinis
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 3 medium carrots, peeled
• ½ celery stock (about 3-4 ribs)
• Olive oil to cook

Directions

1. Chop the vegetables into small uniform cubes, the same size as possible for even cooking.
2. Warm a sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil followed by the vegetables and sauté until tender.
3. Set aside while preparing the coconut sauce.

Coconut Sauce

Ingredients

• 13.5 oz. canned whole coconut milk, or the light variety if preferred
• 2 tablespoons Maharishi AyurVeda Vata, Pitta, or Kapha Churna spice mix
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
• 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
• 2 pinches black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons kuzu root, dissolved with 5 tablespoons water to thicken the sauce as needed
• 5-8 leaves fresh basil

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil or ghee. Once hot, add the spices and herbs.
2. Sauté the spices for a few seconds, then add the coconut milk.
3. Cook the sauce, whisking frequently to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes until it starts to thicken.
4. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, add the kuzu root mixture, whisking well until thick.
5. Add the sautéed vegetable filling to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Pancake Assembly

1. Warm up a cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of ghee.
2. Once the pan is hot, but not smoking, ladle the batter onto the pan and quickly make a thin circle.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the underside appears golden. Add a little bit more ghee on top of the pancake, and then flip.
4. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cook crispy (more time) or soft (less time), according to your preference.
5. Stuff the pancakes. Fill the pancakes with the vegetable and coconut mixture, and roll them up.
6. Serve immediately. Or, roll them up and place in a large baking pan. Cover with a paper towel and foil, and place in the oven on a low setting to keep them warm.
   
   

Mung Bean Crêpes with Blueberries & Coconut Caramel Sauce Recipe

YIELD: 8 crepes

Prep time: 10-15 minutes + overnight soaking 

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Crêpes

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow split mung beans, washed 3-4 times and soaked in plenty of water to cover overnight
• Mung bean soak water
• Ghee for frying

Directions

1. Add the soaked mung beans to a blender, retaining their soak water (the soak water contains nutrients and is used to blend the mung beans).
2. Add 1 cup of soak water to the blender to start with.
3. Blend the beans and water to a thin crêpe batter consistency, adding a little bit more water as needed.
4. Warm up a cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of ghee.
5. Once the pan is hot, but not smoking, ladle the batter onto the pan and quickly make a thin circle.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the underside appears golden. Add a little bit more ghee on top of the pancake, and then flip.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter.
8. Set aside while making the crêpe filling.

Coconut Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 13.5 oz. canned whole coconut milk, or the light variety if preferred
• ½ cup palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2-3 tablespoons kuzu root, dissolved with 5 tablespoons water, for thickness

Directions

1. Warm up a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add all the ingredients, whisking frequently to prevent sticking.
3. Once thick, remove from the heat and set aside.

Blueberries

• 1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and drained
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar

Directions

1. Warm a saucepan over low heat.
2. Add the blueberries and sugar
3. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will release their juices.
4. Remove from the heat.

Pancake Assembly

1. Warm up a crêpe.
2. Place on a large plate, and fold the crepe in half.
3. Place sauce inside the crêpe, followed by the blueberries, and close it.
4. On a plate, drizzle the crêpe with more sauce and garnish with more blueberries.
5. Serve immediately.

For more healthy food ideas, visit our Ayurvedic recipe blog.