Green Pea Pancakes with Fresh Herbs, Dip, and Spinach
Green peas are versatile: perfect in a classic stew, for creamy spreads, and the perfect partner for yellow corn in salads. Unfortunately, despite all the many possibilities, I never really warmed to them. I found their floury-sweet flavor difficult and often too dominant in dishes. At the same time, peas are super healthy, full of fiber and plant-based protein, and have an unbeatable color that makes every dish look fresh and cheerful. So I looked for a way to incorporate green peas into a delicious meal without being noticed and discovered that mixed with leaf spinach, they're perfect for a green wrap!
With the peas and leaf spinach in the dough, the flatbreads are packed with tons of fresh vegetables, making them a super delicious, light lunch for the office or perfect for your first picnic of the year. I like to fill them with fresh parsley and mint salad, spicy chickpeas, tomatoes, and radishes. Top with a creamy sesame paste (tahini) dressing and crispy fried chickpea tofu!
You can also fill these wraps with whatever you like! Fresh cucumber, crunchy bell peppers, or chopped lettuce—the possibilities are endless. Instead of chickpea tofu, you can use regular (smoked) tofu or crispy fried seitan strips.
Frozen peas are ideal for this recipe: They stay bright green better than fresh peas after blanching and are also easy to store, allowing you to quickly mix the batter. You'll usually already have all the other ingredients at home, and the filling will depend on the rest of your fridge.
Green Pea Pancakes with Fresh Herbs, Dip, and Spinach
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 350 g (12 oz) frozen peas
- 50 g (1.7 oz) fresh spinach leaves
- 400 ml (1.6 cup) water
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cornstarch
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the filling:
- 200 g (7 oz) canned chickpeas (drained weight)
- 2 tsp ras el hanout spice
- 50 g (1.7 oz) fresh spinach leaves
- 50 g (1.7 oz) fresh mint leaves
- 50 g (1.7 oz) chives
- 50 g (1.7 oz) parsley
- 0.5 lemon (juice)
- 200 g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes
- 100 g (3.5 oz) radishes
- 1 red onion
- 2 avocados
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- 400 g (14 oz) chickpea tofu
- neutral vegetable oil
For the dip:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 100 g (3.5 oz) tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g (0.2 cup) water
- 1 lemon (Juice)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
To make the pancakes, bring water to a boil in a saucepan and blanch the peas for one minute, then drain through a sieve and rinse with cold water. Combine the peas, spinach, water, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a bowl and blend until smooth. The consistency should be creamy and runny, similar to crepe batter. If the batter is still too thick, simply stir in a little more water.
Heat a large pan with a little oil over medium heat and add a large ladleful of batter for each pancake. Swirl the pan slightly to spread the batter evenly, then cook until crispy on both sides. Cooking will take a while because the peas add a lot of water to the batter—cook for about 3-4 minutes per side. The batter will make about four to six large pancakes, depending on the size.
For the filling, drain and rinse the chickpeas, then fry them in a pan with a little oil, stir in the Ras el Hanout seasoning, and set aside. Wash the spinach leaves and set aside. Wash and finely chop the mint, chives, and parsley, place them in a small bowl, and toss with the lemon juice. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the radishes, peel the red onion and slice them into thin rings, and peel the avocado and slice them into wedges. Add the sesame seeds to a small pan without oil and toast them until golden. Cut the chickpea tofu into strips and fry until crispy on both sides.
For the dip, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Then, combine the tahini, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix with a fork until smooth. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
To serve, place a pancake on a plate and top with the spinach, mint, and parsley mix, tomatoes, radishes, onion, avocado, and chickpea tofu. Finally, top with toasted sesame seeds and the dip.
