Thai stuffed omelette is a classic street food, traditionally stuffed with minced pork. I decided to try a vegan version using a chickpea/gram flour batter and the results were utterly delicious and well worth sharing. Keep the batter mixture quite thin to make a more foldable pancake.
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 heaped teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 5-cm/2-inch trimmed roots from large bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for the omelettes
- 1 banana shallot, thinly sliced
- 3½ oz (100 g) vegan mince
- 2½ oz (70 g) fine green beans, thinly sliced at an angle
- handful of freshly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves, to serve
- soy sauce, to serve
- hot pickled chillies/chiles, to serve
To make the Gram Batter
- ½ cup (85 g) chickpea/gram flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- large pinch of black salt
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
How to Make It
- In a small bowl, whisk together the gram batter ingredients with 150 ml/⅔ cup water until smooth and then set aside for 5 minutes.
- Using a pestle and mortar, mix together the garlic, black pepper and coriander/cilantro roots to form a paste. Place a large frying pan/skillet or wok on a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and the shallot. Fry for 2–3 minutes until the shallot starts to soften and lightly brown. Then add the paste and cook for a few minutes. Add the mince and green beans and sauté over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes. Stir well and remove from the heat, then tip the contents onto a plate.
- Add a little more oil to the frying pan/skillet, then pour in half the batter mixture and tilt the pan to make a thinner even layer. Cook briefly until the batter starts to set, then pile a quarter of the mince mixture (about 2 tablespoons) into the centre. Fold one side in, then turn and fold the next side in, and repeat folding in the other two sides gently to make a square package. Cook for a further few minutes until the batter is completely set. Place on a baking sheet in a low oven to keep warm while making the second one in the same way. Serve with a scattering of coriander/cilantro leaves, and some soy sauce and hot pickled chillies/chiles on the side.