Carrot and chickpea pancake with lemon-spiked dressing

This is a light but hearty pancake made from chickpea flour and grated carrots. I made these a lot while staying with my sister in California, and they are what Californian cooking is all about for me – delicious, nourishing, light and bright. Chickpea flour is cheap and easy to find; it will be in the Indian section at the supermarket and may be called gram flour.

The batter can be easily doubled or tripled for more pancakes. It keeps well in the fridge until the next day, if necessary, though you may need to loosen it to pancake-batter consistency with a little more water or milk. For a vegan version, make the sauce using soaked and blitzed cashews in place of the cottage cheese

SERVES 2

FOR THE PANCAKE
150g chickpea flour
230ml milk of your choice (I use unsweetened almond)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots ghee or coconut oil

FOR THE SAUCE
8 cornichons
1 green chilli
a few sprigs of fresh parsley
a few sprigs of fresh dill
4 tablespoons cottage cheese or Greek yoghurt
1⁄2 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
a splash of chilli sauce
the zest of 1⁄2 an unwaxed lemon

TO SERVE
a couple of handfuls of sprouted seeds and pulses
a few handfuls of baby salad leaves

First, make your batter. In a large bowl, sift the chickpea flour and add a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in the almond milk and olive oil and let the mixture sit, covered, while you make your sauce.

Finely chop the cornichons and the green chilli. Chop the leaves of the parsley and dill. Put all this into a small bowl with the cottage cheese, Worcestershire sauce, chilli sauce and lemon zest. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and grate the carrots and stir them into the batter. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat and add a teaspoon of ghee or coconut oil. Add the batter and allow it to cook for 4–5 minutes, until the pancake is set around the edges and starting to brown and crisp. Place a plate on top of the pancake then cover your hand with a tea towel and flip the pancake onto the plate. Slide off the plate back into the pan and cook on the other side for 4–5 minutes.

Cut the pancake into slices and top with sprouted seeds, salad leaves and spoonfuls of the sauce.