Savoury Pancakes or Gujarati Pudlas made with vegetables and chickpea flour

Savoury pancakes (known as Pudlas in Gujarati homes and Chilas in parts of India)—are soft, flavourful, and wonderfully versatile. Made with chickpea flour (besan or gram flour) and mixed vegetables, they look a bit like a pancake, uttapam, or even a Spanish omelette.

They’re one of the quickest dishes to whip up when you’re in a hurry, and adding vegetables makes them more filling and a great way to sneak extra veggies into children’s meals.

Ingredients for about 10 Savoury Pancakes or Gujarati Pudlas

• 3 cups of chick pea flour
• half cup of frozen mixed vegetables(I used peas, sweetcorn, carrots and peppers)
• 1 potato
• 1 onion
• A small handful of finely cut mixture fresh coriander and fenugreek (optional but adds great colour & flavour)
• half teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of ground green chilies ((or red chilli powder / black pepper)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A teaspoon of ground ginger
• 2-3 cloves of grated/ground garlic
• 2 cups oil (for frying the pudlas)
• 2 cups of warm water (you may not need all)

Method:

1. Soften the vegetables:
   Soak the frozen mixed vegetables in hot water.

2. Prep the fresh vegetables:
   Grate the onion and potato. Don’t grate too finely—slightly thicker shreds give a better texture.

3. Combine:
   Drain the frozen vegetables and add them to the onion and potato in a mixing bowl.

4. Add the coriander/fenugreek, followed by salt, turmeric, ground chillies, ginger, and garlic.

 

5.  Add the chickpea flour and mix everything together.

6.   Make the batter:
Slowly pour in warm water while stirring in one direction until you get a smooth, lump-free batter.
You may not need all the water.

7. Rest the batter for 20 minutes so the flavours absorb.

8. Sometimes the batter gets watery so check consistency of the batter:

• If too thick → add a little water

• If too runny → add a spoonful of chickpea flour

 

9.  Cook the Pudlas:

• • Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat.

  • Add a little oil, spread it with kitchen paper, and remove excess.

  • Pour one ladle of batter and spread gently into a circle—like a pancake.

  • Cook until you see small air bubbles forming on top.

10  Drizzle a little oil around the edges, flip, and cook the other side.

11.  Cook until golden brown, or slightly darker if you prefer crispier Pudlas.

12.  Pudlas  should be eaten hot.  They will taste great on their own but I would suggest serving them  with a selection of chutneys or sauces and a dry potato curry.

13.   Spread some green  chutney on the  Pudlas before topping with the potato curry.

 

14. .  Top this with other sauces.  I used Maggie’s red chilly sauce and tamarind sauce.

 

How do you like your pancakes and  What do you think of these pancakes?

I have more variations of pancake recipes in my blog which you may wish to try making:

• Savoury pancakes (Gujarati pudlas)
• Spicy buckwheat pancake
• Indian Chickpea crepe pancake
• American pancakes
• Spicy Uttapam style pancakes
• vegan omelette

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