This delicious kuku created by Miggs McTaylor is plant-based and, served hot or cold, a wedge of it makes a delicious addition to a spring picnic.
This savoury, eggless mixture binds together layers of seasoned potato, caramelised red onions and roasted smoky paprika chickpeas to make a tasty baked dish. It’s my plant-based version of Persian kuku sabzamini, similar to a Spanish tortilla de patatas or an Italian frittata.
The caramelized onions and roasted chickpeas can be made ahead of time. The chickpeas are also a tasty snack. Save/freeze the aquafaba (chickpea water) for egg-free meringues.
This mixture fits a 23-25cm heavy-based frypan.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 120g chickpea flour
- 120g gluten-free flour
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt and ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 medium red onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 400g tin chickpeas drained or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 420ml cold water
- 600-700g thinly sliced potatoes, washed
- 2-3 tsp canola or sunflower oil
- Himalayan sea salt and ground white pepper for seasoning
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.
Batter: mix chickpea flour, gluten-free flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ground white pepper with water to make a smooth batter then set aside.
Potatoes: bring a large pot of well-seasoned water to the boil. Blanche thinly sliced potatoes for 3-4 minutes, they need to be just cooked. Drain and set aside.
Roast chickpeas: put oil, paprika, chilli flakes into a bowl and mix. Add chickpeas, stir to coat with mixture. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray, season to taste and bake for 15 minutes.
Caramelised onions: heat enough sunflower or canola oil in your pan to coat the base over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt to help them release water. Stir frequently so they don’t stick or burn. Add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and cook until the onions are soft and lightly coloured. Season to taste.
Add enough sunflower or canola oil to coat the base of frypan, make sure you coat the sides, too. You need your pan hot so the batter forms a crust immediately, the oil should be beginning to simmer.
Stir baking powder into the batter, pour enough batter to cover the base of the pan, sprinkle with about ¼ mixture of caramelised onions, a layer of potato, batter and repeat until the pan is full. Finish with a layer of batter, sprinkle with caramelised onions and roasted chickpeas.
Turn down the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes. When the mixture is set around the edges, put into the oven until it is cooked through. Let the kuku cool in the pan before removing it.
