Tofu "Paneer" Pakora 

(Tofu Fritters in a Chickpea-Flour Batter)

I made these using the Pakora batter from My Tasty Curry's Special Paneer Pakoda Recipe. A few days ago, I baked some firm tofu before adding half of it to a noodle stir-fry (not pictured). I decided to transform the rest into Indian Pakora (fritters in a chickpea-flour batter), but wanted a recipe to guide me. This batter seemed the best candidate of those I found, and indeed, it ended up cooking nice and crispy. (I shallow-fried rather than deep-fried, but that seemed to be enough.)

The first pic is the Tofu Pakora. There was still batter left, so I fried that, too! That's the second pic. The third pic features everything together. The leftovers reheated nicely in a toaster oven, on a toaster-oven-safe tray, the next day. I just had to watch that some of the thinner pieces didn't burn. This certainly is tasty!

My Tasty Curry Website, Special Paneer Pakoda Recipe

Bonda 

(South Indian Potato-Veggie Dumplings)

I based this mostly on the recipe in Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. I used leftover instant mashed potato here. However, instead of just mashed potato, I also included frozen mixed veggies, defrosted and steamed in the microwave, and then put through a food processor. After the potato and veggies were mixed together, I dipped small portions in a chickpea-flour batter. These are usually deep-fried, but I cooked them in an ebelskiver pan. The dumplings were a little watery, so they weren't crispy, but I didn't care! I fried the leftover batter, too. Why not? 

Boondi Raita 

(Yogurt with Crunchy Chickpea Puffs)

The other day, at the Indian grocery store, I got some boondi for the very first time. They are crunchy little fried puffs of chickpea flour, and these were spiced. I wondered what I could do with them, and found recipes for this kind of raita. I made the simplest version: Put some yogurt in a bowl, and stir until smooth; add some boondi and mix in; scatter some boondi on top, and sprinkle on a bit ground cumin. As I was eating this with leftover cheelas from yesterday, I didn't think it needed any salt or additional seasoning. (For more information on the cheelas, you can see my recent post, if you like .) I really enjoyed this raita with my meal. I put some leftovers in the fridge, and I also liked it later in the day. Very simple and tasty! 

Besan Aur Pyaz Ka Cheela 

(North Indian Crepe-like Griddlecakes, 

of Chickpea Flour & Onion)

This recipe, from Archana's Kitchen, includes chickpea/garbanzo bean flour, chopped onions and green bell peppers (capsicum), fennel seeds, salt, water, and cilantro. I sometimes find Besan Ka Cheela to be heavy, so after I mixed the flour with water, I left the batter on the counter for 3 hours to ferment (before mixing in the other ingredients). That did seem to lighten the batter.

As I didn't have any green chutney to accompany this, I used leftover Healthy Greek Spinach & Kale Dip instead. (You can see the post for that from a couple days ago, if you like.) After both sides of the cheela were cooked, I spread some dip on the one side, and then folded it over. Normally, I prefer my onions and peppers very well cooked, but here, I found that I liked the stronger flavor, mixed with the fennel seeds. I'm glad I tried this! 

Archana's Kitchen Website, Besan Aur Pyaz Ka Cheela Recipe

Archana's Kitchen Facebook

Cheelas (or Theplas?)

The recipe I consulted said these Indian griddlecakes were called Theplas, but they seem more like Cheelas. They were made with a batter of gram/besan/chickpea and rice flours, with some seasonings. To doubly make sure they weren't too heavy for me to eat, I left the covered batter out on the counter for a couple of hours, and I also added a dash of baking soda. I don't know if that's what did it, but they were very light.

I topped the first few with some tomato and onion, but those fell apart and aren't pictured here -- though they were also delicious! My experimenting with the recipe gave the griddlecakes a strong flavor -- but I found that I liked it. I certainly have been looking forward to eating them for dinner, the last couple of days.

Here are a couple of recipes, which I haven't yet tried:

Archana's Kitchen Website, Gujarati Methi Thepla (Spiced Indian Flat Bread with Fenugreek Leaves)

Nisha Madhulika Website, Besan ka Cheela Recipe

Pudlas (Chickpea-Flour Griddlecakes)

The recipe is from Meera Sodha's Made in India, which contains several Gujarati recipes from India's west coast. A little baking powder in the recipe made these lighter. I have heard that pudlas tend to be thicker and more like pancakes, while the similar cheelas are thinner like crepes. 

Some helpful websites (whose recipes I haven't tried yet):

What is pudla & cheela? 

Pudla recipe: Besan chilla with vegetables 

Cheela | Pudla | My Style

Chickpea Fritter Puffs (Falafel)

These tasty bite-size "falafel" are made of chickpea/garbanzo bean flour, based on recipes of Fifteen Spatulas on YouTube, and Bob's Red Mill. You could call this a simplified version of falafel, as there are no actual whole chickpeas to soak and grind, and they aren't deep-fried. They do really puff up, and are simple to make. I think I'll have to make them again soon! Ooh, they could be a tasty veggie burger option, too!

Fifteen Spatulas Website, Chickpea Fritter Puffs (Falafel)

Fifteen Spatulas YouTube, Chickpea Fritter Puffs (Falafel)

Bob's Red Mill Website, Falafel Patties

Besan Khaman-Dhokla (Chickpea Flour Microwave Savory Cake)

A close-up view of the dhokla/khaman, cooked in 5 minutes in the microwave. A steamed savory cake made from besan/chickpea flour, lightened with baking powder, baking soda, and lemon juice (not Eno). Tempering mixture included mustard seeds, dried cilantro, sugar, and water. Recipe from 2014 for Dhokla, DHOKLA in MICROWAVE, Dhokla Recipe, Instant Dhokla, Besan Dhokla, Dhokra from Dr. Shalini on YouTube. 

Besan Khaman-Dhokla (Chickpea Flour Microwave Savory Cake)

Dhokla or khaman or khaman dhokla. A steamed savory cake made from besan/chickpea flour, topped with a tempering of mustard seeds, dried cilantro, sugar, and water. Cooked in microwave in 5 minutes. Doesn't contain Eno fruit salts. Uses mixture of baking powder, baking soda, and lemon juice to lighten the savory cake. Recipe from 2014 for Dhokla, DHOKLA in MICROWAVE, Dhokla Recipe, Instant Dhokla, Besan Dhokla, Dhokra from Dr Shalini on YouTube.