Arthritis Friendly Recipe: Gluten-Free Savoury Pancakes

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday here in the UK, more commonly known as pancake day. Growing up this meant rushing home to try and flip and scoff as many pancakes as possible. Some people love lemon and sugar but for some reason I have always liked mine with just a little salt so I'm giving you a savoury pancake recipe today (if you want to try one of my sweet recipes, this one is good). I've also noticed that my gluten-free recipes are amongst the most popular so this recipe use gram or chickpea flour. Both Italy and India have their own versions of these: make them with a little olive oil and rosemary and you have Italian socca. Add a few curry spices and serve them in place of naan or chapati and you have besan cheela. They also make great wraps with a dollop of houmous, some chicken and salad. 

Now for anyone with arthritis making and flipping pancakes is not the easiest of activities but this recipe is a doddle. There is no egg breaking or beating and as long as your pan is good and hot, they slide right out with a spatula - no frying pan heroics required unless you and your arthritis feel like it! 

Ingredients:
150g chickpea flour
250ml cold water
A little olive or rapeseed oil for greasing

Makes about 6 - depending on the size of your frying pan

Use a good non-stick frying pan for these and add the oil and wipe it around with kitchen paper before starting.

Tip the flour into a jug and then slowly add the water, stirring as you go until you get a smooth batter. Add any spices or flavourings you like and give another stir. Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes.

Place the pan on a good high heat and let it get hot for a minute or so. Pour enough batter in to coat the bottom of the pan - it should sizzle as it hits the pan. When bubbles start forming on the surface and the edges are curling slightly, flip the pancake over with a spatula.

Arthritis diet notes:
Chickpea flour is a lovely ingredient. It's gluten free, high in protein and has a lovely nutty taste. There is no direct link between gluten and arthritis (and I've posted on the evidence here) but I know that many of you prefer to eat a gluten-free diet and this makes a change from the usual gluten-free fare.

These pancakes are very low in inflammatory saturated fat compared to the traditional recipe and as you aren't smothering them in golden syrup or chocolate sauce they won't load you full of sugar either. For added arthritis benefits, try them Indian style with a pinch of anti-inflammatory turmeric, ginger and curry powder in the batter and serve alongside a curry.

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