Red Lentil Savory Lace Pancakes
Cascading Kitchen Notes
These tasty, filling and nutritious pancakes won't require much of your time to make but you will need to plan ahead.
Think about starting these in a spare 1-1/2 minutes on Sunday evening. Take 4 minutes to blend them on Monday sometime. Look in on them as your go through your week as per the instructions.
Along about Wednesday,Thursday or Friday, after you've accumulated some left overs from the weeks' meals; you've got some minces from bits of veggies from your CSA box earlier in the week, pour yourself a glass of wine and fill the house with the lovely nutty flavor of these lacy pancakes sizzling on the griddle getting nice and crispy. Top them with any number of savory items for an easy and distinctive meal.

Red Lentil Savory Lace Pancakes
Day 1
Soak overnight:
- 1 qt. Red lentils
- 10.5 cups boiling water (pour over)
Day 2
- Blend soaked lentils in blender or food processor
- Pour in a large bowl and cover with a towel.
- Leave on the counter (unless your house is really hot-above 70 degrees)
If you keep your house hot, you might have to put it in the fridge but it will take longer to ferment.
Day 3
Still on the counter. Stir occasionally. It will begin to smell sour. Remember that you're working cooperatively with beneficial bacteria in your home. Be very careful to not add less than beneficial bacteria from dirty hands, sneezes, eggs, meat, etc.
Day 4
By now you should have the beginnings of a ferment. They are ready to cook.
Add 1-2 cups of cold water to the fermented red lentils right before you start cooking. You’ll want the batter thin enough to spread out and create a “lacy” edge. It takes some time to cook all of the red lentil pancakes so don’t be afraid to add even more water to the batter, toward the end, if they’ve soaked it up.
- Cook on a medium high setting (a griddle works best)
- Use plenty of oil. When the water in the batter hits the hot oil it will bubble up through the cake and make a lot of holes.
- 1/3 cup of lentil ferment per pancake
- Cook about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side. If you try to flip them early, they'll stick and make a mess. They will release somewhat when they're ready to turn.
- Cool on a cookie rack.
- Sometimes I give each pancake a tiny sprinkle of salt and a fresh grating of black pepper when I first put them on the griddle. It depends on what I’m going to put on top once they’re cooked.
- Make sure to use a wide metal spatula to turn the pancakes. You'll need the sharp edge to loosen the pancakes. Plastic spatulas won't work.
These don’t freeze well but we’ve found that letting them cool on a cookie rack and storing them in a tight container so they don’t lose moisture helps. They’ll store for about 3-4 days though they’re best fresh.
To reheat:
- Preheat a cast iron skillet to med. heat,
- Brush with a small amount of oil and cover.
- Turn over after 3-4 min.
- Cook until soft again. Don’t dry them out. Serve immediately.
Toppings:
- Scrambled eggs w/ parmesan sprinkled on top
- Top with Pumpkin Bolognese. Great for a fall gathering.
- 3 Tbs cabbage slaw (basic recipe w/ lime & salt) heated up bits of meat, like leftover burrito meat, bits of left over stew meat, hamburger, or bits of chicken, topped w/ Ethiopian green sauce. YUMMY
- Left over bit and pieces in the fridge.
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