Carrot Pancakes with Houmous

Ingredients

For the pancakes

• 150 g carrots, grated
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 100 g chickpea flour (or beesan or gram flour)
• 50 g semolina
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 150–200ml water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

For the houmous

• 200 g carrots, peeled
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 200 g chickpeas, cooked (tinned will do)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

For the salad

• bunch of watercress, thick stems removed
• 1 orange, peeled and pith removed, cut into segments
• 1 punnet shiso (or any micro) sprouts
• 1 punnet coriander sprouts (or coriander leaf)
• 12 mint leaves, torn
• 50 g alfalfa shoots
• 25 g flaked almonds, toasted
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• 50 g plain firm tofu, crumbled

For the dressing

• 25 ml sherry vinegar
• 25 ml water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

To make the pancakes, mix all the ingredients, except the olive oil, together to form a thick batter. Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan until hot, then spoon in a quarter of the batter and fry until golden on both sides. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make 4 pancakes in total. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Cut the carrots into thin slices, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast for about 20 minutes or until softened. While still hot, put them in a blender with the remaining ingredients and whiz to a smooth purée, adding a little water if too thick. Season again if necessary and refrigerate until needed. If you prefer, you can boil the carrots instead; just cook until tender and follow the recipe as above.

To make the salad, mix all of the salad ingredients and toss together well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and season to taste. To assemble the dish, reheat the pancakes in a warm oven, place on individual plates and top with the carrot houmous. Dress the salad with the sherry vinegar dressing and place on top of the houmous.