Easter breakfast has a special place in my heart. In my family, it always starts with the egg-tapping game and finishes with a cheerful morning egg hunt. The middle is reserved for a sumptuous breakfast with traditional things like creamed fresh cottage cheese with scallions and cooked ham, followed by something fruity and sweet.
This year I’ve decided to take some of those traditional tastes and transform them into something new which will indeed become a tradition of its own.
Fluffy chickpea pancakes with a zesty wild garlic spread and a soft-boiled egg are a true delicacy worth this special occasion!
Which ingredients will you need for this breakfast recipe?
For the chickpea pancakes:
Chickpea flour: Chickpea flour is a staple in Indian cuisine, but in recent years, it has also gained popularity in Europe, which I’m so happy about. It is a gluten-free flour made from ground-up chickpeas. It works great as a thickener and a binding agent, which makes it an excellent substitute for regular wheat flour.
The traditional chickpea flour is made from the smaller Desi variety of chickpeas, also called gram flour or besan. The other version of chickpea flour is made by blending tan-coloured Kabuli chickpeas, which are much more available here in Europe.
Both of these flours have a similar, neutral taste, but the gram flour needs slightly less water when making bread, pancakes, cakes, etc.
Here in Croatia, the type of chickpeas used is rarely stated, but most often, it is the Kabuli type.
Did you know that you can easily make your own chickpea flour? You will need dried chickpeas of your favourite type and a strong blender. In less than a minute, you will have homemade chickpea flour for this recipe.
Eggs: Even though you can make chickpea pancakes only with chickpea flour and water, I absolutely love the addition of eggs in this recipe. The egg yolk gives them a richer flavour, while the beaten egg white brings a pleasant fluffiness and airiness to these chickpea pancakes.
Chimichurri: Chimichurri is a famous South American sauce made with chopped parsley or cilantro, garlic, olive oil and spices and is the perfect accompaniment to grilled meat. There is also a dry chimichurri spice mix you can easily transform into the sauce or use it as it is for many other different applications.
In this case, I’m using the dry spice mix and adding it to the chickpea pancake batter for more aroma.
Whole-grain mustard: Whole-grain mustard tastes similar to Dijon mustard but has a much more interesting texture. In the process of making, mustard seeds are only partially blended, resulting in a thick but coarse texture. It adds moisture and flavour to this chickpea pancake batter and a surprising crunch when you bite into the whole seeds. It makes a whole lot of difference to this recipe for chickpea pancakes, so try not to miss it.
For the wild garlic spread:
Wild garlic: Raw, chopped wild garlic leaves are the essence of this spread. They are pungent and herby, pairing perfectly with the avocado. If you’ve never heard of wild garlic or want to know more, check this out.
Avocado: Avocado is my favourite go-to breakfast ingredient, especially when paired with eggs. Use a ripe avocado that will mash easily and incorporate perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.
Firm yoghurt: A classic, firm, full-fat yoghurt is the perfect addition to this spread, adding freshness and a light, silky texture.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice beautifully contrasts the pungency of wild garlic leaves and enhances flavours.
Eggs: As the cherry on top comes the soft-boiled egg that completes this breakfast recipe. For perfectly soft-boiled eggs, try to use the freshest eggs possible. Their egg white will be nice and firm when cooked, while the egg yolk will stay runny and creamy.
How to make chickpea pancakes?
I simply love this savoury chickpea pancake recipe and am so happy to finally be sharing it with you. It may sound complicated, but you can’t go wrong when preparing them, especially if you read the next part.
Add chickpea flour, chimichurri spice blend and salt to a bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Continue by whisking water in until you get an even paste-like consistency.
Prepare another bowl and crack the eggs, carefully separating the egg whites and yolks. The egg yolks go to the chickpea flour-water mixture, and the egg whites go to an empty bowl.
Using a hand mixer, whip up the egg white until soft peaks. Start at a lower speed and increase the speed when the egg white becomes frothy and foamy. Whip them until they become white and hold their shape when the bowl is tilted. Another sign that you’ve reached the soft peaks stage is that the peak bends over when your beaters or whisk is lifted from the bowl.
Thanks to this step, the chickpea pancakes will become a fluffy delicacy. You really don’t want to skip it.
Leave the egg whites briefly on the side and add whole-grain mustard to the chickpea mix. Whisk everything until smooth and uniform.
Finally, using a spatula, fold in the whipped egg white and mix it gently until no white blobs are left behind. You want to do this step carefully to hold as much air inside. Now, your pancake mixture is ready to be cooked.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and brush it with some olive oil. Spoon in the pancake mixture and watch as it evens out and cooks. You don’t have to flatten it out or touch it too much; it is simple as that. Cook it on each side for 30 seconds until nicely browned. The heat should be high, but the oil shouldn’t be smoking. These chickpea pancakes cook incredibly quickly; you could easily dry them out by keeping them on high heat for longer.
From this mixture, I got 16 chickpea pancakes, each around 20 g.
What is wild garlic?
Wild garlic, also known as bear leek, bear’s garlic, ramsons or wood garlic, is a true spring superstar. It is a bulbous perennial flowering plant that covers woodlands and forests from late winter until the end of spring. Since it is closely related to onions and garlic, it grows from bulbs, but what we see above the ground are its beautiful long green, pointed leaves and white, star-shaped flowers blooming at the end of the season.
The leaves and the flowers are edible and can be eaten raw, cooked, fermented or pickled. They have a fresh, garlicky smell and a similar flavour to garlic and scallions. When eaten raw, they bring a pleasant tang, but when cooked, they mellow down.
Where can I buy wild garlic?
If you like foraging, you can find wild garlic growing at this time of the year in shaded, damp parts of the forests or near the rivers. Just be aware that it can be mistaken for a couple of poisonous plants like autumn crocus or lily of the valley. Therefore, if you are not an experienced forager, buying it at the farmer’s market is a safer option.
How to make wild garlic spread?
It doesn’t get much easier than this wild garlic spread, and that’s why I thought it could be a great addition to this breakfast recipe, apart from its unforgettable taste.
Wash and roughly chop wild garlic leaves. Add them to the blender together with lemon juice, avocado dice and yoghurt and mix until velvety and even.
When fresh, you can use wild garlic leaves like any other herb, such as coriander or parsley. But because of its pungency, you can add a little to get that garlicky punch.
This wild garlic spread has quite a solid garlicky kick, but you can add a smaller quantity if you prefer a less intense flavour.
How to soft boil an egg?
The two most fundamental things when soft boiling or boiling eggs, in general, are the cooking temperature and the cooking time. The water should never vigorously boil but instead constantly simmer. If the heat is too high, you risk the egg shells breaking or the egg cooking unevenly.
As for the cooking time, you are looking for a range from 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your eggs. For small eggs, 6 minutes will be enough, but for larger ones, the timing is closer to 8 minutes.
Heat a pot with enough water to cover the eggs. When the water is simmering, gently lower the eggs into the water by using a spoon. Simmer the eggs for 6-8 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water and transfer the eggs to the bowl when the cooking time is over. Refreshing the eggs will stop them from cooking and allow a more controlled result. Before you peel them, leave them to cool down slightly.
The easiest way to peel them is by tapping them onto the working surface to soften the eggshell. Peel the shell by holding the egg underwater in that same bowl.
If soft-boiled eggs are not your thing, here are some other delicious ways to prepare eggs that will fit this recipe:
