tomato ‘omelette’

I have no idea how the name came about, but tomato “omelette” is what I have always known these as.  And since I have eaten it at places other than my home, including the Udupi restaurants, I am certain it wasn’t a name coined by my family:)  Tomatoes, fresh ginger, green chilies and besan (gram/chickpea flour) thrown into the blender to make a smooth batter and then spread on a hot skillet to given absolutely delicious savory crepes.  As with so many Indian dishes, plenty of variation depending on the hands making them.

While most of my childhood memories of our kitchen is about my mom and her amazing cooking, there are a couple with my dad.  One is of him roasting coffee beans in a cast iron wok and then grinding it in a beautiful old iron grinder that was screwed onto the counter….very much like a meat grinder, and the other of him whipping up these “omlettes” for us three kids.  His version also had some onion, cilantro and sooji (cream of wheat) thrown into the blender

And this is such an easy dish to make.  A variation of it would be to first make a pourable batter with some chickpea flour/besan and then add chopped tomatoes, ginger, green chilies and finely chopped cilantro.  Although between us, I prefer this version 🙂 The tomatoes give it a really wonderful tangy flavor and I also added some carrot to give it some natural sweetness.

There’s no real prep required either; the beautifully-hued batter coming together in just a few minutes and upon heating, the red taking on a lovely orange.  There are just a couple of things to keep in mind while making these.  Make sure you are using a very well-seasoned cast iron griddle or else use a non-stick one.  Also, make sure that you don’t heat the griddle on very high heat because it will make the batter seize.

If you are not able to spread it with a ladle, don’t worry because you can twirl the pan and coat the batter – similar to a crepe.  Even a thicker layer makes for a very tasty dish.  I would imagine one could add a tbsp of two of rice flour to it too. Also a great option for anyone on a vegan or gluten-free diet.  I served these with some cashew cream and micro greens from my garden but you can let your imagination come up with even more exciting accompaniments 🙂

Makes approx. 8 crepes

3 medium tomatoes (approx. 1 3/4 cups chopped tomatoes)

1/2 medium carrot

1 1/2 cups besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1 green chili (thai or serrano)

1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

salt to taste

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

canola, peanut or vegetable oil

Chop the tomatoes, carrot, ginger and green chilies very roughly and put in the blender jar.

Add 1/4 cup water and salt to taste and blend to a smooth batter.  It should be of a pouring consistency.  If it is too thick, add more water, a few tablespoons at a time and blend until smooth.  Make sure that the batter does not become too watery. *The amount of water also depends on the tomatoes…it can vary depending on how juicy they are.

Heat a griddle on medium high heat.   Then lower the heat to medium and pour a ladleful of the batter in the center.  Start spreading it into a circle with the back of the ladle …like you would for a dosa.  There are many youtube videos like this one that show the technique.  If spreading with  a ladle is getting too difficult, you can tilt the gridlle and spread like you would for making crepes.

Add a few drops of oil around the entire periphery and in the center.  When the edges get golden brown and start to lift off the pan (about a minute) , slide the spatula under the crepe and flip it over.  Cook for a few more seconds until brown spots appear and transfer to a plate.

Repeat with the rest of the batter.