Mung Bean Quinoa Crepes – flavored with ginger, green chillies and cumin, they make the most exquisite protein-rich meal.
It was my room mate who introduced me to the magic of Pesarattu – a South Indian savory crepe/dosa made with rice and mung beans. 25 and yet unwise to the importance of a balanced diet and unskilled in the ways of making healthy taste delicious, I was apprehensive when she shoved a plate of green stuff in front of me. ‘It’s good for you, try it’ she said. I braved a taste, for the sake of politeness, but soon, found myself asking for another. She also was the one who made me fall in love with oats dosa and a few other ‘good for you’ things, but I’m going to save them for another day.
Today, we talk about the magic of lentil crepes. Since the beginning of time, the humble dosa has been a staple for South Indians, who are quite adept at having survived this long on a largely plant-based diet, a feat the meat-eating world today largely thinks impossible. But it’s not. Trust me.
There is also a prevalent prejudice among the global community that plant-based food is gross. I grew up on Indian food, where every dish has a minimum of 5-10 different spices. Flavor is paramount and I am a big proponent of dishes that tingle and tantalize your taste buds. Salt and pepper just doesn’t cut it for me, unless it’s french fries. Oh yeah, ground black pepper on french fries; if you haven’t tried that, you gotta get on that flavor train. Not only is it delicious , the pepper helps process the grease better.
So, when I tell you that these Savory Mung Bean Quinoa crepes (inspired by the traditional Pesarattu) are flavor bombs, you better believe me! The crepe by itself is delicious – ground with fresh ginger, green chillies and cumin, it’s quite aromatic. Then you slather it with the most glorious and my favorite – peanut chutney. Everything else you put into it is largely upto you and what’s in your fridge, but here’s what I’ve thrown in:
- Turmeric and Cumin roasted potatoes – Heat sesame oil in a heavy bottomed (cast iron, preferably) pan. Temper mustard seeds until it crackles, then add cumin seeds, sliced onions, asafoetida, cubed potatoes, turmeric, paprika and roast until crisp on the outside and molten soft on the inside. Season with salt.
- Sprouted black chickpeas (or any other sprouted lentil) – raw or slightly steamed, according to your preference and taste. I steamed mine. You could also add flavor to it like this.
- Greens – I used a store-bought mix of baby kale, arugula, mizuna and radichio.
- Nasturtium leaves and flower petals – a little fancy, tastes peppery, but it grows like a weed on my deck and I always have them at hand. Plus, look how pretty it makes everything!
- Fresh Cilantro – because I would rather die than eat a savory meal that doesn’t have some form of cilantro in it. If you’re a parsley person, be my guest and throw that in instead.
See, I wasn’t kidding about the flavor bomb.
It feels a little too snooty to eat these Mung Bean Quinoa Crepes a.k.a. dosa with a fork and knife (on par criminally with pizza and cutlery), but maybe it’s the nature of the fillings, or the overall feeling of being superior (health-wise), but this dish makes you want to be a little more refined than probably necessary. So, I steered into the skid and set the table and everything – candles, flowers, linen tablecloth, the works.
And you know what I realized as I was sitting at a grown-up table of my own choosing and making? I am no longer the girl that was appalled at a plate of green stuff shoved in her face. I seem to have finally matured. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing to be.
When you make this delicious Mung Bean Quinoa Crepes (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!
Pete C. says
I love this recipe so much! I will make it again and again!
Tina Dawson says
Thank you so much for letting me know! Happy New Year!
Anjali Mathur says
wow loved every thing about this final product looks really good and the pictures are pretty amazing too and although this is not relevant but there’s a brand called elegante india they make cutlery and stuff and have got some really amazing collection if anyone is looking to add more drama and character to their dinnertable then they should definitely check them out.
here: eleganteindia.in
Anu says
HI,
I’m very into fermenting different combos of crepe/dosas. Have you tried fermenting it after adding the ginger, cumins, chilli in? I’m fermenting my batter, but didn’t grind these in, since I was unsure if it would hinder fermentation, I added a few methi seeds to start the process, hopefully it works…will add in the the rest after it ferments.
Tina Dawson says
Oh I’m sure this would ferment well, just like any other dosa. Let me know about your results, I’m curious myself and will add it to the post to help others (crediting you, ofc!)
Riley says
I absolutely love that you use quinoa instead of rice flour as other recipes do. Also, your photos are incredible! I made the batter over the weekend and then tried to cook the dosas tonight and had a lot of trouble with getting them to not stick to the pan. I didn’t see in the recipe how much water to add to the dosa batter- so I eyeballed it- which might be part of the problem, but I made it crepe-like in consistency. Also, I only have stainless steel pans and am wondering if a cast-iron or other non-stick is necessary to make these work? The flavor was amazing, but unfortunately half of each dosa stuck to the pan ?
Tina Dawson says
This one is probably my fault, as I did not list the amount of water needed for grinding. I’ll edit the recipe with that information – this is an Indian crepe – the batter is slightly thicker than traditional European crepes and it would need to be spread over the skillet with a flat bottomed ladle. I am so sorry that this attempt failed, but I do hope you will give it another try with the right amount of water. It is such a delicious, nutritious thing that I’d be completely remiss if you’d never tried it again. As to the kind of pan, yes, you’d be better off with a non-stick pan or a well seasoned skillet for these crepes. Editing the post with all this information. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Anvita says
OMG, these Mung Dal Chillas look so delicious. I like how colorful your pictures are.
Tina Dawson says
Thank you very much!
Janette | Culinary Ginger says
My love of Indian cuisine stems from my growing up in England and I’m always excited to find new recipes. I’ll be giving this one a try.
Tina Dawson says
I hope you like it, Janette!
linda spiker says
Wow! Stunning presentation! Gorgeous recipe:)
Tina Dawson says
Thanks linda!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I’ve never made crepes, but this is certainly inspiring me to do so! Love the savoury twist. This would be lovely for dinner tonight! YUM!
Tina Dawson says
Yes, it definitely would make a lovely dinner!
Lisa Huff says
I don’t think I’ve ever had mung beans. So intriguing! Loving all the flavors going on!
Tina Dawson says
Never too late to try new things, I always say!