I made this and it turned quite well. However there was a issue I had. The finished flatbread had a unpleasant aftertaste. I noticed the water was very cloudy and had tiny specs in it, possibly dirt. So I tried something a little different. 1. Thoroughly rinse your lentils. Get a colander or cheesecloth and rinse them until the water runs clear. 2. Place in bowl add water and let sit for 3 plus hours. Water will be much clearer now. 3. Before blending rinse again and add fresh water. Lentils will have absorbed much of the water so measure amount of water removed and replace with that amount. Go ahead and follow rest of procedure. Difference, aftertaste GONE. They are very flavor neutral now. I don't know what caused the aftertaste. Maybe residue or dust from the processing plant. I dont know. I know rinsing like this will eliminate 99% of the aftertaste.
Lentils are not cooked so easily and such low temperatures for so less time. Most probably it is uncooked till the end. Another thing is that fermentation of the batter overnight can help overcome the cooking problem and aftertaste.
This works with all sorts of lentils - split yellow lentils (moong daal chhila), chikpeas (besan chhila) and whole green lentils (peserattu, does traditionally contain rice flour too though) and mixed lentils (aadai, also tends to include rice) are all traditional in India. We generally add some spices to the batter too (ginger, green chillies and such) - they're all excellent! Funnily enough, now that I think about it, red lentils is probably the only one I can't think of a traditional flatbread recipe for. Edit: Oh also, when spreading with the ladle, I usually _don't_ spread it evenly. I end up with concentric circles of thin crispy bits and thick fluffy bits, which I prefer to an uniform texture
@@recoveringsoul755 He did not and I can see keeping the soaking water but I'd rinse them first until the water runs clear like any grain, just to get the dust off. YMMV
Wow this is the first recipe from Chef John that I've seen that I already make at home! For those that want to try, cutting up green onions into the batter is great
This is very similar to a South Indian flatbread called dosa which is made from soaked rice. The batter is ground & left to ferment for a bit, before cooking on the stove just like a crepe. It’s eaten with curries for breakfast & it’s great! ❤
Exactly what i was thinking! This is like a shortcut dosa. My mom makes the real thing with dosa rice and urad dal etc. Im going to try this flatbread because i feel i would fail at real dosa lol
@@meguma that is one version of dosa , there are lot of dosas some made only from lentils . What i am talking about the method of preparations which is unique to dosa
Just made this and used left over flat breads to cut into wide strips for mock lasagne noodles. IT WORKED! They don't let the sauce soak through and don't disintegrate!
Awesome idea, lentil pastas are so darn pricy, thank you! We used to eat a restaurant that made their manicotti rolled inside crepes instead of pasta tubes, and it was so good! I can't eat cheese anymore but seasoned mashed tofu or okara or even rice would work!
I came back to thank whoever said to add green onion or to make them sweet with adding maple syrup & cinnamon! I made my first batch and played around with all 3 variations, I'll make them again but add more herbs to some to use for wraps and I successfully sold my kids on the new "protein pancakes"! The maple flavor really shines through, I think it will be a great mess free alternative to grab running out the door!
I mix 1/4 cup red lentils, 1/4 cup green lentils, 1/4 cup brown rice. Soak overnight than drain and rinse. Into my high speed blender with water just a bit over the level of the grain mixture. Add 1 full sheet of seaweed, some dry onion, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, a bit of wasabi then blend until I have a pourable batter. Then I follow Chef John’s method for cooking. It makes 4 nice sized wraps - 2 for breakfast, 2 for lunch with cream cheese, whatever else I feel like. Delicious! Easy! I wrap my 2 lunch wraps with clear wrap until lunch.
What you've made is a variation of a Dal Utappam - it's a South Indian dish. The reason it thickened overnight is because you lightly fermented it. If you let it ferment longer, it'd improve in flavor and texture even more. A typical uttapam includes a mix of dal and rice flour, but can be done with dal alone.
It's like a non fermented dosa. Would highly recommend to thoroughly wash the lentils before pureeing them. Also if you leave the batter outside in a warm place there will be some fermentation which adds a pleasant tanginess and airiness to the final product
In India, they're made with a mix of lentils and rice, called 'dosas', or a crisp crepe. Variations are also made of a mixture of different lentils, as well as chick pea, - fresh chopped onion, cilantro, finely sliced ginger, green chillies, toasted cumin seeds, can all be added for flavor. Scrumptious with chutneys and vegetable stews.
Are the chickpeas cooked in some form before using them for the batter? I am worried about getting legume poisoning. I tried them with red lentils, but mine turned out to have a pungent red lentil taste, so I would like to opt for chickpeas or white beans, as they are way more neutral in flavor.
Pro tip: use a lid so it cooked nicely inside and also it leaves the pan much more quickly it will cook faster as you can turn up the heat a little more when its covered it won't burn or be raw in the center. Also you can make this from any daals you can also make it from whole mung beans it will stil come out good.
Finally, a quick bread for the under achiever. Breads, rolls, and flatbreads always sound good but I rarely want to fuss with all the measuring and mixing. No excuses with this one!
A while back on this channel he did an "Ancient Flatbread" that's just flour, water, and salt. They're pretty good for when I'm out of bread but it's too late (or I'm too lazy) to go to the store. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/6_cnGT0T7uU/v-deo.html
When I worked in an Indian restaurant many, many years ago they taught me the secret of making their special flat bread. Unfortunately, I am not able to divulge the recipe as I signed a naan disclosure agreement.
I tagged this several.months ago, and the recipe suggested that you could add Italian herbs, onions, garlic and onion powder, or for a sweet version, vanilla and maple syrup. So glad you posted this cuz I've been hesitating to take the plunge, and now I'm gonna just do it! I might even separate the batter and season it 2 or 3 ways to see what we like best. I also like your tip of putting in the fridge overnight to thicken
This looks similar to Ethiopian injera, a flatbread made with teff flour and water that's been fermented. Coincidentally (or maybe not) it makes an excellent serving base for lentil stew :)
"Ethiopian injera" My reaction as well. I think that the overnight stay in the fridge lets the batter start fermenting, hence the bubbles and change in taste and texture. I'm even guessing that longer in the fridge could sour the batter a bit and make it even more like injera.
Although it is best to soak and rest the batter, in a pinch, you can whip these up from dried lentils in a good blender and cook them right away. It still works well. I do this at my restaurant when someone requests a GF alternative to a bread sandwich. Into a lentil wrap it goes.
@@nancybeard812 I wonder if you could make it with cooked lentils. I have a bunch of leftovers in my fridge. I bet I could just puree them and cook them this way. They're green not red, but I'm willing to try.
I've been cooking with red lentils for almost a year now (since I learned that they are a great food for cutting cholesterol) and they are maybe the most versatile food I've ever cooked with! I've made flat bread, fritters, cookies, waffles, and even a nacho cheese substitute with red lentils. And they are all delicious!
@@catherinewilson1079 I recently got blood work to check my cholesterol, and I haven't gotten the results yet, but I can tell you that I've lost weight and feel better overall since I've incorporated lentils into my regular diet. I would recommend it. Many refer to it as a super food, and I've been beyond satisfied with the results.
@@armonwilliams4735 just cut the processed shit and your cholesterol will follow oh and forget about the goal of "lowering cholesterol", it's nonsense, your brain and body NEED cholesterol.
When I was a vegetarian I would make these for breakfast and have them with some hummus and raw bell pepper. It was honestly one of my favorites and so easy to meal prep
@@olawilkinson2742 I have kept similar stuff (made of a different type of lentil) in my freezer for a couple of weeks. I suspect they'll last pretty much forever in the freezer. In the fridge, they tend to dry out too much in my experience - freezing is a better bet.
As someone who loves curry lentils, all I can think of is “Yo dawg, I heard you like lentils, so wrapped your lentils in lentils so you can eat lentils while you eat lentils”
@@michaelrae9599 Why would you prepare chicken in the same way you sanitize dishes? Any other method of cooking chicken would taste better in these wraps than boiled.
In India, we call it cheela. It is super healthy and super amazing. You can make it out of multiple lentils(we call daal in hindi). You can make it our of besan(chickpea flour). Add some chopped vegetables to that and you add to tasted even further. when you are making it plain, add some cottage cheese filling made in a pan with some spices and veggies and you have an amazing snack. On a rainy day with a cup of hot ginger tea, make these cheelas and serve them in bite sized servings and everybody is going to love it.
I made these and they were great! After some trial and error, I started at mediumish heat and raised it as it cooked. Mine were more brown and slightly charred than the ones in the video, but that's how I want it--with some crispy parts. Went great with the curry in pav bhaji (I subbed these for the buns). Later edit: Also wanted to add, I stored the extras with parchment paper between them. Refried them and got them even crisper/chewier to warm them up--so they store well and reheat well if you refry them in a nonstick pan using almost no oil. Making another batch today to use as "tortillas." I'm going to experiment with other blends of lentils and rice and lentils, but this was a good, easy gateway to dosas for me, and works as a great option for people doing no grain or no wheat diets.
Loved this simple easy recipe. As well as healthy. I’m Mexican and I’ve been trying to replace corn and wheat tortillas so this is perfect Greetings from Los Angeles
This is very good. I added 2 tsp fenugreek seeds to the lentil-water soak and let it sit on the counter (covered with dishtowel) to ferment overnight (fenugreek helps fermenting and also adds some nice flavor). Next morning I blended it all up and added chopped cilantro and green onion. I had a little trouble with sticking so switched from oil to ghee and that seemed to do the trick. Very filling and delicious if you add some flavors. It is like a dosa. It's nice and crispy on outside and creamy in middle. Thank you.
I live in India and these are very common breakfast or snack items. We call it cheela most common one being besan cheela (chickpea flour flatbread) and mix of other lentils. We add some spices to the flour or the batter like turmeric, chilli powder or small chopped chillis.
Wonderful! Been scratching my hair away to find a low carb alternative to a tortilla as a vessel to carry food from plate to mouth. Would love to see more of these low carb alternatives!!
Once you subtract fiber, a cup of red lentils is about 100 carbs, so if you make 8-10 from these... more like 11 carbs each. Still not what would be considered keto, but not 30 each.
@@stefflcus I didn't do the math myself, I just went to the site for the recipe and if you scroll to the bottom, it has the nutritional values and states 30 carbs. Glad it is incorrect, but still too much for me @ 8 carbs.
You should also be able to ferment this batter in the oven with just the light on over night. It works with urad dahl (skinned black lentils) mixed with soaked rice for South Indian dosas.
I literally have a huge box of red lentils I have been looking to get through. I had absolutely no clue they could become *flat bread* of all things. Thank you so much for this video, Chef John!
I once bought a 4lb bag of red lentils from a local small shop a long time ago and I'm only recently seeing the bottom of the container lmao. I rinse them well first in a fine mesh sieve like you do any legume, and they cook on the stove in ~15 minutes so they are fantastic for a fast wfh lunch; and you can flavor them with pretty much anything savory (I like tossing in a broth cube and some nutritional yeast for simplicity if I'm low on energy spoons).
Made a stack of these and put leftovers in the fridge. Tried an experiment: put olive oil in the pan and toasted/fried these for a minute. ... oh what a good idea. Still soft inside, that little crisp outside.
I made the batter yesterday and fried some up for a pulled pork wrap today. Came out fantastic. I added a bit of turmeric and cayenne to the batter. Perfect.
yeah exactly, the Ethiopian flatbread my wife gets looks exactly like this. she'll be stoked when I make a batch myself. unless of course I mess it up, in which case she won't be stoked at all
A big thank you to chefs like Chef John, for helping us all it better and have more options in our life! I made these with chicken, i see no reason to buy real pitas ever again
its called a cheela in india, and we prefer to use split yellow peas for it, it tastes much better with that, also add a little bit of salt and chilllies to it
I did some for dinner, and it was amazing! I even think I could do this alone with some spices in the mix (like cumin seeds, or curry powder) and spread cheese on it
Variations of this are made in (mostly South) India with different types of lentils, ground with/without rice and/or millets, with some batters left out overnight to ferment and turn slightly sour (as in idli/dosa batter, which is eaten with chutney and sambar).
Thank you Chef John, as someone who makes rotis on occasion this would be a healthy change up. I think I would add a bit of canola oil to the batter and some Kashmiri chili powder or turmeric. Thank you for the healthier option to making rotis
Amazing! Thank you. ♡ Just an opinion based on a couple of comments I've seen related to the 'low carb' part. Keto diet is, for me, playing with numbers, in this case, with the amount of carbs per day (between 20 to 50 grs). So, yes, red lentils (and legums in general) are high in carbs, BUT if you eat just a fraction per day, especially the kinds that are complex carbs and high in fiber (like this dish for example), should be just fine. I think it's important to be more flexible and allow yourself to try different ways to play with keto, or any other diet out there. One cup of red lentils have around 40 to 60 grs of carbs, so make sure to not eat the entire cup in one serving. A couple of pancakes a day will be fine, especially if you'are craving them. Be smart and confident. Eat without fear and enjoy the process.
The texture looks similar to Injera; the spongy Ethiopian fermented flatbread. Really want to try this out! Looks like a great accompaniment to a lot of stews, soups, etc., and should make some lovely wraps!
Oooh I need to try these! I've just started a low carb diet and have been wondering what I can use in place of wraps or bread. So thank you for sharing this.
Any sort of legume will not be low carb so you want to be careful in eating these if that's your goal. I've used almond flour waffles in place of sandwich bread before. Doesn't hold together nearly as well and is quite heavy compared to the same quantity of white bread but worked well enough for me and was quite tasty too. There's also a pizza crust you can make using eggs, almond flour and melted mozzarella cheese that's actually pretty good too and you could definitely use those for wraps.
"How do you know they are vegans? Oh, you can tell." 😄👍👏 Thank you for this greatness, as a gluten-free person who loves wraps and flatbread and doesn't have any that work for me, I'm anxious to make this! I'm going to try different lentils & beans also, such channa dal (yummy tiny yellow split peas), mung, blackbeans, french green & tiny black lentils! We'll see how it goes. I think if you knead the legume paste longer, it kind of polymerizes it or something so it holds together better to make noodles or something like this flatbread? I long for a KitchenAid and a pasta machine to do things like this with and play around and see what I can make. I think this is going to be my kickoff for that!
Chef John, look up something called the Adai - a Tamil speciality. Lentils + spices. We make it a bit thicker than here, and we sometimes add onions or cabbages in the mix to change things up but very similar concept.
Yeah these are a staple in Sri Lanka, they are called "dosa" and they are incredible. They usually let the batter ferment a bit and makes them taste a bit tangy 💕💕💕😁
That's one thing I always find funny about western vegans and hipsters, they'll come across something that's actually pretty common and may be centuries old and act like they just discovered it or invented it. South Asia has a bunch of legume based flat breads.
@@arthas640 You are cringy, he literally said he had it from someone else, nobody is acting like nobody on the whole planet ever made something like that before.
@@arthas640 Loads of different cultures have similar things - it's completely fine to not know about those things, discover something for yourself, then learn another culture does something similar to what you just figured out. Don't gatekeep food - that's lame.
You said everything I needed to hear. I've known about this recipe for some time and was doubtful about the outcome. One can always change the flavor profile, but the texture and integrity are harder to deal with and you addressed that beautifully. I probably won't use the refrigerator when I rest the mixture overnight, hoping for a bit of fermentation, but whatever. I might try a filling of smashed potatoes, bacon, and browned onions. Thank you for such an interesting evaluation.
And my thoughts, particularly after hearing these "taste neutral" is low carb tortillas. I'm doing a low carb diet, so I'm rather excited to try this out for quesadillas and small burritos (particularly breakfast burritos :D ) Thanks Chef John
these are called "chilla" in western indian cusine. Can use chickpea flour/ soaked and grinded chickpea as well, can also put veggies in it to give it body/flavour (eg, chillies, cilantro, red onion finely chopped,etc) .. also we have something called dosa, when you mix it with rice flour/ soaked and grinded rice and lentils (3:1 part) .. really tasty as well.
There's an Ethiopian flatbread called "Injara", made with tef, in which they leave the batter to ferment slightly. Perhaps that is why your batter is better the next day?
I just tried the same thing but with split peas. It worked out well. I made one “flatbread” just after processing the peas. It needed salt so I added that to the batter. I also added some curry seasoning to it. I am now letting it sit in the fridge overnight to see how it turns out tomorrow.
Thank you, chef John, for the recipe! Just tried it this morning for breakfast and it was delicious! I made it with tuna, spinach & mayo, but I'm sure scrambled eggs with go along well to. Now I have your two go to recipes - pizzadilla and this one ! Thanks again :)
I just baked a coconut cake , for the frosting , 2 sticks butter room temp , 1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk whip untill fluffy , coat cake with shreded coconut , YUM
Thank you for featuring some gluten free recipes for once! I developed a full blown allergy to wheat in my late 20's and I am so grateful when I discover gluten free recipes that don't suck. So many of the recipes out there have a VERY low bar for what they consider good. Alton Brown has an amazing recipe for biscuits in his most recent book that are gluten free. They're ALMOST as good as KFC biscuits... at least my wife says so. I can't remember what they taste like. :(
We have been making bread from soaked lentils for ages. Glad the concept is here in US now. I even had finely chopped onions, cumin powder, cilantro or even garlic
The recipe is really super excellent and super easy to make! The 2:1 ratio of yellow split peas to water is also perfect! For anyone who needs to avoid carbs due to diabetes this super simple recipe is super awesome....! The REAL key is to let the pancake / flatbread brown at least double the time shown is your video. That way the flatbread gets a browner and crispier pancake-like outside which makes the flatbread firmer and crunchier in texture and taste! I let dried yellow split peas hydrate for 2 days and then used a hand blender to blend the split yellow peas and water mixture as that is all I had handy. However, that worked! I then let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight to let any small bits of the yellow split peas hydrate and in the morning I had (after a little mixing) I had a heavy cake batter like yellow split pea mixture. Cook in a non stick pan till the first side is light to medium brown and then flip. Let the other side brown the same and serve with hummus or any chip or veggie dip you have handy. Excellent low carb replacement for rice and breads! One could also easily experiment with other lentils as well as lentils are both inexpensive, low on the glycemic index, a good source of protein, and come in many different varieties.
I have an Indian friend who used to live with me, I have a lot of her recipes 😀. She used to make these But used Rice and water.soaking it just as you did here. And served them with curry or anything else she made. 😀 they are good too.
This is basically an unspiced south Indian flatbread called “Adai” . You can add spices, curry leaves, onions, green chilies, and even coconut chunks…and eat with a tomato based chutney .
I had done this before with the same recipe, but because the amount of the ingredients was not right, the bread did not turn out well. But today I saw your recipe and now I am going to make it this way.
I'm always looking for things like this, my wife was diagnosed with Hashimotos several years ago (similar to Celiac) so I've had to rethink making anything starchy in the kitchen. My first thought seeing this is adding a bit of spinach and making a chicken and feta wrap. Will DEFINITELY be doing some experiments.
I'm making these now! My granddaughter, age 2 has Type 1 diabetes. The protein content and fiber of the lentils will buffer the sugars and they should better for her. She likes wraps.
I made this and it turned quite well. However there was a issue I had. The finished flatbread had a unpleasant aftertaste.
I noticed the water was very cloudy and had tiny specs in it, possibly dirt.
So I tried something a little different.
1. Thoroughly rinse your lentils. Get a colander or cheesecloth and rinse them until the water runs clear.
2. Place in bowl add water and let sit for 3 plus hours. Water will be much clearer now.
3. Before blending rinse again and add fresh water. Lentils will have absorbed much of the water so measure amount of water removed and replace with that amount.
Go ahead and follow rest of procedure.
Difference, aftertaste GONE. They are very flavor neutral now. I don't know what caused the aftertaste. Maybe residue or dust from the processing plant. I dont know. I know rinsing like this will eliminate 99% of the aftertaste.
Insecticides
You need to rinse any lentils until the water runs clear before using.
Always rinse all grains, legumes, etc thoroughly before use.
This is a shortened version of the original recipe, where the batter is fermented. This was supposed to remove that taste
Lentils are not cooked so easily and such low temperatures for so less time. Most probably it is uncooked till the end. Another thing is that fermentation of the batter overnight can help overcome the cooking problem and aftertaste.
This works with all sorts of lentils - split yellow lentils (moong daal chhila), chikpeas (besan chhila) and whole green lentils (peserattu, does traditionally contain rice flour too though) and mixed lentils (aadai, also tends to include rice) are all traditional in India. We generally add some spices to the batter too (ginger, green chillies and such) - they're all excellent!
Funnily enough, now that I think about it, red lentils is probably the only one I can't think of a traditional flatbread recipe for.
Edit: Oh also, when spreading with the ladle, I usually _don't_ spread it evenly. I end up with concentric circles of thin crispy bits and thick fluffy bits, which I prefer to an uniform texture
When I saw the picture of the thumbnail I immediately thought of peserattu because of the rise, the texture, and the density.
Heterogeneity, as Adam Ragusea would say.
@@nosslived Loool. Exactly the comment I was looking for. Spot the Ragusea fans.
So you do NOT drain the original rinse water, as you would if you were going to cook them? That seems important to mention.
@@recoveringsoul755 He did not and I can see keeping the soaking water but I'd rinse them first until the water runs clear like any grain, just to get the dust off. YMMV
Wow this is the first recipe from Chef John that I've seen that I already make at home! For those that want to try, cutting up green onions into the batter is great
Absolutely! Green onions would be just right.🫑
Ever try using chives or garlic scapes instead of green onion?
That sounds awesome!
Put any herbs or spices you want. You could probably use sugar and cinnamon if you wanted something sweeter
This would give be another reason to use my crepe pan. I already use it for crepes and very thin omelets
This is very similar to a South Indian flatbread called dosa which is made from soaked rice. The batter is ground & left to ferment for a bit, before cooking on the stove just like a crepe. It’s eaten with curries for breakfast & it’s great! ❤
Exactly what i was thinking! This is like a shortcut dosa. My mom makes the real thing with dosa rice and urad dal etc. Im going to try this flatbread because i feel i would fail at real dosa lol
I love dosa and idli. :-)
This is not similar this is dosa 😂
@@fidaulfat589 not really - dosa is made of dosa rice, urad dal, fenugreek... this is an awesome simple lentil flatbread.
@@meguma that is one version of dosa , there are lot of dosas some made only from lentils . What i am talking about the method of preparations which is unique to dosa
Just made this and used left over flat breads to cut into wide strips for mock lasagne noodles. IT WORKED! They don't let the sauce soak through and don't disintegrate!
Thanks for the tip on the lasagna!
Great idea!
Great idea! Thanks for the tip
Awesome idea, lentil pastas are so darn pricy, thank you! We used to eat a restaurant that made their manicotti rolled inside crepes instead of pasta tubes, and it was so good! I can't eat cheese anymore but seasoned mashed tofu or okara or even rice would work!
Wow, thank you for that idea. I know this is late to the game, but wonderful suggestion.
I came back to thank whoever said to add green onion or to make them sweet with adding maple syrup & cinnamon! I made my first batch and played around with all 3 variations, I'll make them again but add more herbs to some to use for wraps and I successfully sold my kids on the new "protein pancakes"! The maple flavor really shines through, I think it will be a great mess free alternative to grab running out the door!
it's mostly carbs pancakes really.
@@fcsoldeu5338 Better, tho; because they have more fibre than usual pancakes made with white flour
thank you for naming them 'pancakes'. It was all I was thinking.
Then I'm here to thank you for coming back to think that person and share what you wrote! 😄👍👏
@@fcsoldeu5338 it says no carbs on many cooking sides , ideal for diabetics and people on slimming diets.
I mix 1/4 cup red lentils, 1/4 cup green lentils, 1/4 cup brown rice. Soak overnight than drain and rinse. Into my high speed blender with water just a bit over the level of the grain mixture. Add 1 full sheet of seaweed, some dry onion, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, a bit of wasabi then blend until I have a pourable batter. Then I follow Chef John’s method for cooking. It makes 4 nice sized wraps - 2 for breakfast, 2 for lunch with cream cheese, whatever else I feel like. Delicious! Easy! I wrap my 2 lunch wraps with clear wrap until lunch.
What you've made is a variation of a Dal Utappam - it's a South Indian dish. The reason it thickened overnight is because you lightly fermented it. If you let it ferment longer, it'd improve in flavor and texture even more. A typical uttapam includes a mix of dal and rice flour, but can be done with dal alone.
I came here looking and hoping for this comment. I was waiting for him to say something, anything about any of the dishes that this is similar to.
Fermented bean flatbread sounds so bomb I can’t wait to try making this.
These are literally dosas without the fermantation
This isn't uttapam. It's "Adai" in Tamil or Malayalam. "Attu" in Telugu or kannada.
This is Adai or pesarrattu
I made these last night and we filled them with greens and feta cheese with a side salad. They are delicious.
Thank you for sharing how they turned out!
It's like a non fermented dosa. Would highly recommend to thoroughly wash the lentils before pureeing them. Also if you leave the batter outside in a warm place there will be some fermentation which adds a pleasant tanginess and airiness to the final product
Agree with both the washing and the fermentation. I add a bit of kefir after blending, and leave it at room temp for about 6 hours.
In India, they're made with a mix of lentils and rice, called 'dosas', or a crisp crepe. Variations are also made of a mixture of different lentils, as well as chick pea, - fresh chopped onion, cilantro, finely sliced ginger, green chillies, toasted cumin seeds, can all be added for flavor. Scrumptious with chutneys and vegetable stews.
Actually this is what we call Chilla in Jharkhand (India ) . It can be made from variety of dals . Add spices to it.
Dosa needs both dal and rice.
Yes chilla from north India. And we have similar one but we add tomatoes or other veggies to it in Maharashtra, not just plain
@JA-kh2yi - Stop it! you are making me salivate!
Are the chickpeas cooked in some form before using them for the batter? I am worried about getting legume poisoning. I tried them with red lentils, but mine turned out to have a pungent red lentil taste, so I would like to opt for chickpeas or white beans, as they are way more neutral in flavor.
@@Mnbvcxzlkjhg1..Did you ever make those pancake wraps out of white beans?
Pro tip: use a lid so it cooked nicely inside and also it leaves the pan much more quickly it will cook faster as you can turn up the heat a little more when its covered it won't burn or be raw in the center.
Also you can make this from any daals you can also make it from whole mung beans it will stil come out good.
Finally, a quick bread for the under achiever. Breads, rolls, and flatbreads always sound good but I rarely want to fuss with all the measuring and mixing. No excuses with this one!
I recently have been making a lot of flat breads, and this is a great alternative to keep it up while cutting on the carbs
My guess you are under 35
@@graphguy Cute.
@@graphguy Nope! Just not a bread person.
A while back on this channel he did an "Ancient Flatbread" that's just flour, water, and salt. They're pretty good for when I'm out of bread but it's too late (or I'm too lazy) to go to the store. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/6_cnGT0T7uU/v-deo.html
When I worked in an Indian restaurant many, many years ago they taught me the secret of making their special flat bread. Unfortunately, I am not able to divulge the recipe as I signed a naan disclosure agreement.
Bravo!😆
😂😂😂
Hahahaha… good one.
That wins the internet for my day. Well done.
IF you tell us we won't tell! (:
I love this community. No one argues or makes snide statements. Everyone is fun and/or informative.
Food unites!
I actually made direct fun of someone that boils chicken for consumption. Muhahah
Do you mean the Food Wishes community or food UA-cam at large? There’s actually a lot of snark out there, but Chef John is great.
@@meizhou9279
I mean Food Wishes-Chef John.
I tagged this several.months ago, and the recipe suggested that you could add Italian herbs, onions, garlic and onion powder, or for a sweet version, vanilla and maple syrup. So glad you posted this cuz I've been hesitating to take the plunge, and now I'm gonna just do it! I might even separate the batter and season it 2 or 3 ways to see what we like best. I also like your tip of putting in the fridge overnight to thicken
This looks similar to Ethiopian injera, a flatbread made with teff flour and water that's been fermented. Coincidentally (or maybe not) it makes an excellent serving base for lentil stew :)
Yes, I thought of injera or dosa--dosa being fermented a bit and cooked very thin.
"Ethiopian injera"
My reaction as well. I think that the overnight stay in the fridge lets the batter start fermenting, hence the bubbles and change in taste and texture. I'm even guessing that longer in the fridge could sour the batter a bit and make it even more like injera.
Or South Indian Dosa. Dosa is typically made with rice and a type of lentils called Urad Dal ( ഉഴുന്ന് പരിപ്പ് )
was gonna say this..
I love injera. I’ve tried to make it several times and it never works. Maybe I need the cooking implement.
Although it is best to soak and rest the batter, in a pinch, you can whip these up from dried lentils in a good blender and cook them right away. It still works well. I do this at my restaurant when someone requests a GF alternative to a bread sandwich. Into a lentil wrap it goes.
Thanks for doing that! As a Celiac disease sufferer I wish more cooks were as sympathetic.
This is what I did. But the wraps tasted like raw lentils. I would not recommend doing it this way.
@@nancybeard812 I wonder if you could make it with cooked lentils. I have a bunch of leftovers in my fridge. I bet I could just puree them and cook them this way. They're green not red, but I'm willing to try.
I've been cooking with red lentils for almost a year now (since I learned that they are a great food for cutting cholesterol) and they are maybe the most versatile food I've ever cooked with! I've made flat bread, fritters, cookies, waffles, and even a nacho cheese substitute with red lentils. And they are all delicious!
Did they work? Has your cholesterol gone down?
@@catherinewilson1079 I recently got blood work to check my cholesterol, and I haven't gotten the results yet, but I can tell you that I've lost weight and feel better overall since I've incorporated lentils into my regular diet. I would recommend it. Many refer to it as a super food, and I've been beyond satisfied with the results.
@@armonwilliams4735 just cut the processed shit and your cholesterol will follow oh and forget about the goal of "lowering cholesterol", it's nonsense, your brain and body NEED cholesterol.
@@fcsoldeu5338 too much cholesterol will clog your arteries (and that's problematic). But go on and live out your angry, judgemental life. ✌🏿
Red lentils are great for diabetes and cardiovascular health but keep an eye on uric acid. Too much of it might affect it.
When I was a vegetarian I would make these for breakfast and have them with some hummus and raw bell pepper. It was honestly one of my favorites and so easy to meal prep
How long they last??
@@olawilkinson2742 I have kept similar stuff (made of a different type of lentil) in my freezer for a couple of weeks. I suspect they'll last pretty much forever in the freezer. In the fridge, they tend to dry out too much in my experience - freezing is a better bet.
Ugh I just made like a gallon of humus a few days ago! Ok now I have to make these.
@@olawilkinson2742 like 5 day at most
Now that youre not vegetarian anymore, what do you eat fro breakfast? New born babies?
As someone who loves curry lentils, all I can think of is “Yo dawg, I heard you like lentils, so wrapped your lentils in lentils so you can eat lentils while you eat lentils”
Why don't you add the curry flavors to the batter?
@@michaelrae9599Good dhal is quite intensely flavored I guess its better to eat with something that isn't.
@@Steve-Fish well yeah, but a flavorful lentilla with boiled chicken would be good as well.
"It's an older meme sir, but it checks out."
@@michaelrae9599 Why would you prepare chicken in the same way you sanitize dishes? Any other method of cooking chicken would taste better in these wraps than boiled.
Please more gluten free recipes chef John! Love this
check out Indian Dal or Gram flour breads like the Indian Dal Paratha, Chila, or Papadums if you like this
Celiacs unite!
In India, we call it cheela. It is super healthy and super amazing. You can make it out of multiple lentils(we call daal in hindi). You can make it our of besan(chickpea flour). Add some chopped vegetables to that and you add to tasted even further. when you are making it plain, add some cottage cheese filling made in a pan with some spices and veggies and you have an amazing snack. On a rainy day with a cup of hot ginger tea, make these cheelas and serve them in bite sized servings and everybody is going to love it.
What veg go best in the cottage cheese version?
I made these and they were great! After some trial and error, I started at mediumish heat and raised it as it cooked. Mine were more brown and slightly charred than the ones in the video, but that's how I want it--with some crispy parts. Went great with the curry in pav bhaji (I subbed these for the buns).
Later edit: Also wanted to add, I stored the extras with parchment paper between them. Refried them and got them even crisper/chewier to warm them up--so they store well and reheat well if you refry them in a nonstick pan using almost no oil. Making another batch today to use as "tortillas." I'm going to experiment with other blends of lentils and rice and lentils, but this was a good, easy gateway to dosas for me, and works as a great option for people doing no grain or no wheat diets.
Loved this simple easy recipe. As well as healthy. I’m Mexican and I’ve been trying to replace corn and wheat tortillas so this is perfect
Greetings from Los Angeles
This is very good. I added 2 tsp fenugreek seeds to the lentil-water soak and let it sit on the counter (covered with dishtowel) to ferment overnight (fenugreek helps fermenting and also adds some nice flavor). Next morning I blended it all up and added chopped cilantro and green onion. I had a little trouble with sticking so switched from oil to ghee and that seemed to do the trick. Very filling and delicious if you add some flavors. It is like a dosa. It's nice and crispy on outside and creamy in middle. Thank you.
I live in India and these are very common breakfast or snack items. We call it cheela most common one being besan cheela (chickpea flour flatbread) and mix of other lentils. We add some spices to the flour or the batter like turmeric, chilli powder or small chopped chillis.
Wonderful! Been scratching my hair away to find a low carb alternative to a tortilla as a vessel to carry food from plate to mouth. Would love to see more of these low carb alternatives!!
Not really low carb if you are Keto, these have 30 carbs each.
@@lmeade7401 Well, it's hard to find anything lower and still consider it food :)
Once you subtract fiber, a cup of red lentils is about 100 carbs, so if you make 8-10 from these... more like 11 carbs each. Still not what would be considered keto, but not 30 each.
@@stefflcus I didn't do the math myself, I just went to the site for the recipe and if you scroll to the bottom, it has the nutritional values and states 30 carbs. Glad it is incorrect, but still too much for me @ 8 carbs.
@@lmeade7401 Leave it to me to do it the hard way!
You should also be able to ferment this batter in the oven with just the light on over night. It works with urad dahl (skinned black lentils) mixed with soaked rice for South Indian dosas.
I’ve got to try that. Thanks!
I literally have a huge box of red lentils I have been looking to get through. I had absolutely no clue they could become *flat bread* of all things. Thank you so much for this video, Chef John!
it's a really common food in south asia like the Indian Dal Paratha, Chila, or Papadums
I once bought a 4lb bag of red lentils from a local small shop a long time ago and I'm only recently seeing the bottom of the container lmao. I rinse them well first in a fine mesh sieve like you do any legume, and they cook on the stove in ~15 minutes so they are fantastic for a fast wfh lunch; and you can flavor them with pretty much anything savory (I like tossing in a broth cube and some nutritional yeast for simplicity if I'm low on energy spoons).
@@theyoftheravens and also probably make them sweet .. halwa .. something worth trying i guess
Made a stack of these and put leftovers in the fridge. Tried an experiment: put olive oil in the pan and toasted/fried these for a minute. ... oh what a good idea. Still soft inside, that little crisp outside.
I made the batter yesterday and fried some up for a pulled pork wrap today. Came out fantastic. I added a bit of turmeric and cayenne to the batter. Perfect.
I am so happy that I saw this . They remind me of something that is served with Ethiopian menus. I will make this today! Thanks so much.
yeah exactly, the Ethiopian flatbread my wife gets looks exactly like this. she'll be stoked when I make a batch myself. unless of course I mess it up, in which case she won't be stoked at all
This is delicious and low calorie too! I added finely chopped garlic and spring onions to the batter for extra flavour. Fantastic!
low calorie? 🤣
These work well with oatmeal too. Equal amounts of lentils and oats soaked separately in water then blended together. 😋
Why both instead of either one?
And then you make the flatbread out of it, or do you make oatmeal?
@xtina0121 - Sounds good.
@@JasonCarney. Preference of taste/texture? Variety of nutrients? Experiment.
First the chocolate torte and now this. You're really making my wife happy (she's celiac, as I mentioned in a previous comment).
I absolutely love this idea! Thanks so much for teaching us how to do it!!
A big thank you to chefs like Chef John, for helping us all it better and have more options in our life! I made these with chicken, i see no reason to buy real pitas ever again
its called a cheela in india, and we prefer to use split yellow peas for it, it tastes much better with that, also add a little bit of salt and chilllies to it
I did some for dinner, and it was amazing! I even think I could do this alone with some spices in the mix (like cumin seeds, or curry powder) and spread cheese on it
Variations of this are made in (mostly South) India with different types of lentils, ground with/without rice and/or millets, with some batters left out overnight to ferment and turn slightly sour (as in idli/dosa batter, which is eaten with chutney and sambar).
I made these tonight just as you suggested.
It’s a perfect 10!
If made a bit larger, it’s a great wrap for any kind of lunch sandwich/wrap.
Yummmm
fantastico - healthy vegan recipies and GF are always welcome
Thank you very much Chef John!👍
Thank you Chef John, as someone who makes rotis on occasion this would be a healthy change up.
I think I would add a bit of canola oil to the batter and some Kashmiri chili powder or turmeric.
Thank you for the healthier option to making rotis
Amazing! Thank you. ♡
Just an opinion based on a couple of comments I've seen related to the 'low carb' part. Keto diet is, for me, playing with numbers, in this case, with the amount of carbs per day (between 20 to 50 grs). So, yes, red lentils (and legums in general) are high in carbs, BUT if you eat just a fraction per day, especially the kinds that are complex carbs and high in fiber (like this dish for example), should be just fine.
I think it's important to be more flexible and allow yourself to try different ways to play with keto, or any other diet out there.
One cup of red lentils have around 40 to 60 grs of carbs, so make sure to not eat the entire cup in one serving. A couple of pancakes a day will be fine, especially if you'are craving them. Be smart and confident. Eat without fear and enjoy the process.
The texture looks similar to Injera; the spongy Ethiopian fermented flatbread. Really want to try this out! Looks like a great accompaniment to a lot of stews, soups, etc., and should make some lovely wraps!
Oooh I need to try these! I've just started a low carb diet and have been wondering what I can use in place of wraps or bread. So thank you for sharing this.
Any sort of legume will not be low carb so you want to be careful in eating these if that's your goal.
I've used almond flour waffles in place of sandwich bread before. Doesn't hold together nearly as well and is quite heavy compared to the same quantity of white bread but worked well enough for me and was quite tasty too.
There's also a pizza crust you can make using eggs, almond flour and melted mozzarella cheese that's actually pretty good too and you could definitely use those for wraps.
I'm so happy for this healthy vegan recipe .thk you very much 1000 times
"How do you know they are vegans? Oh, you can tell." 😄👍👏
Thank you for this greatness, as a gluten-free person who loves wraps and flatbread and doesn't have any that work for me, I'm anxious to make this! I'm going to try different lentils & beans also, such channa dal (yummy tiny yellow split peas), mung, blackbeans, french green & tiny black lentils! We'll see how it goes. I think if you knead the legume paste longer, it kind of polymerizes it or something so it holds together better to make noodles or something like this flatbread?
I long for a KitchenAid and a pasta machine to do things like this with and play around and see what I can make. I think this is going to be my kickoff for that!
😻😜😜😜😜😜😉
Wo, wow, WOW! Just made it. Where has this recipe been all my life? Incredibly easy, versatile, with fantastic results!
Loving the vegan recipe! Thanks, chef!
We call it Chilla. It can be made from lentils, gram flour etc. You can also add ginger, onion etc.
These look delicious as always Chef John! Can't wait to try these out with all sorts of spices.
can you dehydrate one and tell me if it can pass for chips?
@@frankyflowers I will do my best!
@@WoWpreformer thanks.
I liked his voice, and the lilt with which he spoke, very calming, so much so that I think I'll take a nap now, make the recipe tomorrow 😴🛌
Chef John, look up something called the Adai - a Tamil speciality. Lentils + spices. We make it a bit thicker than here, and we sometimes add onions or cabbages in the mix to change things up but very similar concept.
Came here looking for this comment!
Thank you! I tried this and they were delicious.
Yeah these are a staple in Sri Lanka, they are called "dosa" and they are incredible. They usually let the batter ferment a bit and makes them taste a bit tangy 💕💕💕😁
That's one thing I always find funny about western vegans and hipsters, they'll come across something that's actually pretty common and may be centuries old and act like they just discovered it or invented it. South Asia has a bunch of legume based flat breads.
@@arthas640not the same as Dosa at all! This is MUCH simpler, though not as good tbh
@@arthas640 You are cringy, he literally said he had it from someone else, nobody is acting like nobody on the whole planet ever made something like that before.
@@arthas640 Loads of different cultures have similar things - it's completely fine to not know about those things, discover something for yourself, then learn another culture does something similar to what you just figured out.
Don't gatekeep food - that's lame.
You’re the best, Chef John!💕
That's pretty easy, can't wait to try it
You said everything I needed to hear. I've known about this recipe for some time and was doubtful about the outcome. One can always change the flavor profile, but the texture and integrity are harder to deal with and you addressed that beautifully. I probably won't use the refrigerator when I rest the mixture overnight, hoping for a bit of fermentation, but whatever. I might try a filling of smashed potatoes, bacon, and browned onions. Thank you for such an interesting evaluation.
And my thoughts, particularly after hearing these "taste neutral" is low carb tortillas.
I'm doing a low carb diet, so I'm rather excited to try this out for quesadillas and small burritos (particularly breakfast burritos :D )
Thanks Chef John
these are called "chilla" in western indian cusine. Can use chickpea flour/ soaked and grinded chickpea as well, can also put veggies in it to give it body/flavour (eg, chillies, cilantro, red onion finely chopped,etc) .. also we have something called dosa, when you mix it with rice flour/ soaked and grinded rice and lentils (3:1 part) .. really tasty as well.
This is eaten in Jharkhand,Bihar as well . Also known as Chilla only. Most popular is Besan one or Moong dal one
Those look absolutely yummy!
There's an Ethiopian flatbread called "Injara", made with tef, in which they leave the batter to ferment slightly. Perhaps that is why your batter is better the next day?
Awesome taco alternative!
I love your recipes, and I have certain food allergies, so recipes like this make me really happy. Thank you!
It kind of reminds me of injera a little, with the slight sponginess to it. Looks pretty neat.
I realised that frying with ghee and curry leaves takes it to another level yum yummm
Nice job Chef! 👍 I always use 3 frying pans,It's going 3 times faster..😂🤷♀️ TFS! ♡
Thanks, Chef John.
We make these with different batters.
Love from India.
I make your samosadilas and smashed potatoes very often.
I just tried the same thing but with split peas. It worked out well. I made one “flatbread” just after processing the peas. It needed salt so I added that to the batter. I also added some curry seasoning to it. I am now letting it sit in the fridge overnight to see how it turns out tomorrow.
Great recipe
Thank you, chef John, for the recipe! Just tried it this morning for breakfast and it was delicious! I made it with tuna, spinach & mayo, but I'm sure scrambled eggs with go along well to. Now I have your two go to recipes - pizzadilla and this one ! Thanks again :)
Thanks chef!🙌🏼🙌🏼
I just baked a coconut cake , for the frosting , 2 sticks butter room temp , 1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk whip untill fluffy , coat cake with shreded coconut , YUM
Unrelated. Who cares? 🤷♂️
This is perfect for Lent.
crazy that he's coming up on a billion views. I started watching in 2007.
Wow, so good. I tried these instead of my rice bowl with my veggie dinner.
Thank you for featuring some gluten free recipes for once! I developed a full blown allergy to wheat in my late 20's and I am so grateful when I discover gluten free recipes that don't suck. So many of the recipes out there have a VERY low bar for what they consider good. Alton Brown has an amazing recipe for biscuits in his most recent book that are gluten free. They're ALMOST as good as KFC biscuits... at least my wife says so. I can't remember what they taste like. :(
We have been making bread from soaked lentils for ages. Glad the concept is here in US now. I even had finely chopped onions, cumin powder, cilantro or even garlic
The recipe is really super excellent and super easy to make!
The 2:1 ratio of yellow split peas to water is also perfect! For anyone who needs to avoid carbs due to diabetes this super simple recipe is super awesome....! The REAL key is to let the pancake / flatbread brown at least double the time shown is your video. That way the flatbread gets a browner and crispier pancake-like outside which makes the flatbread firmer and crunchier in texture and taste!
I let dried yellow split peas hydrate for 2 days and then used a hand blender to blend the split yellow peas and water mixture as that is all I had handy. However, that worked! I then let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight to let any small bits of the yellow split peas hydrate and in the morning I had (after a little mixing) I had a heavy cake batter like yellow split pea mixture.
Cook in a non stick pan till the first side is light to medium brown and then flip. Let the other side brown the same and serve with hummus or any chip or veggie dip you have handy.
Excellent low carb replacement for rice and breads! One could also easily experiment with other lentils as well as lentils are both inexpensive, low on the glycemic index, a good source of protein, and come in many different varieties.
What if you want them to be flexible?
They are flexible using this recipe. If you want them more crisp just use a little higher heat.
I have an Indian friend who used to live with me, I have a lot of her recipes 😀. She used to make these But used Rice and water.soaking it just as you did here. And served them with curry or anything else she made. 😀 they are good too.
Oh man, stuff those with some hummus and falafel and you’ve got an insanely high protein / high fibre wrap
beef tongue and cilantro and onions
Wow, this looks great and easy. I'm looking forward to trying it! Great replacement for bread. Thank you.
This is basically an unspiced south Indian flatbread called “Adai” . You can add spices, curry leaves, onions, green chilies, and even coconut chunks…and eat with a tomato based chutney .
Did you mean you can add these things to the batter?
@@girlnextdoorgroomingyes to the batter. chutney on the side though.
They are real and they're spectacular - I loved that you threw that reference in. Instantly subscribed.
These look so good, I want to eat them with some raw honey and flaky salt 🍯🐝
OMG, I SO have to make these! THANK YOU!
Can you really call red lentils low carb? They are mostly carbs by calorie! Thanks for another delicious looking recipe, I can't wait to try it :)
They're not low carb but they're pretty good as protein (30% isn't bad)
Hello John good to hear from you again .Greatings from Istanbul - Turkiye
Very similar to South Indian dish named Dosa. Maybe you should start a series of similar crepe like flatbreads, Chef John.
I had done this before with the same recipe, but because the amount of the ingredients was not right, the bread did not turn out well. But today I saw your recipe and now I am going to make it this way.
I'm always looking for things like this, my wife was diagnosed with Hashimotos several years ago (similar to Celiac) so I've had to rethink making anything starchy in the kitchen. My first thought seeing this is adding a bit of spinach and making a chicken and feta wrap. Will DEFINITELY be doing some experiments.
The narration makes this video so much better
In India, this is called Dosa except there is also rice flour in the batter.
I was looking for this 😊
Its called cheela
What is the one that uses besan flour? I thought it was a dosa too.
Good idea to add some flour in the mix. Add grains to the lentils to create a complete protein
Dosa doesn't involve masoor dal. It's urad dal and rice
John,
I love to watch Your videos. You are fun and entertaining. Thank You for sharing this one with Us. Have a great week.BLESS YOU. 😊👍🏼👋🏼
Sort of reminds me of socca, but with lentils instead of chickpea flower.
I'm making these now! My granddaughter, age 2 has Type 1 diabetes.
The protein content and fiber of the lentils will buffer the sugars and they should better for her.
She likes wraps.
Love the cheeky Seinfeld reference 😉