There are a bunch of restaurants and cafes in Tel Aviv that I like very much. One of them is Cafe Anastasia, which is vegan, refined sugar-free and mostly gluten-free.
I go there occasionally for their vegan cheese plate or Israeli breakfast; chopped salad, an assortment of cheeses, tapenade, tahini, bread and “eggs”. They make their delicious “omelet” with chickpea flour and herbs. As if Kuku, the Persian green omelet and Socca, the French flat chickpea bread had a baby.
One of the dips that comes with the breakfast is labane, which is made from cashews and tastes so much like traditional labane. Their gluten-free sourdough bread is as good as mine or better.
Even though I’m a regular there, I never ask for recipes. For some reason it feels rude. I sometimes ask what’s in a dish, then recreate my own version at home. Perhaps that’s the real reason I don’t ask is that I like the challenge.
Plant based Omelet
Ingredients
For the batter
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- Pinch of baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black or white pepper
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion - sliced thinly
- A handful in total: cilantro, parsley and dill, or only one of them, finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the chickpea batter first and let it sit for minimum 15 minutes. Mix the chickpea flour with the spices and salt then add the water gradually until you get a smooth batter. Add the olive oil and stir.
- Put the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent. Add the herbs and mix. Pour half of the batter in and rotate the skillet to spread the batter on. Wait until it bubbles and firms up along the edges, approx. 2 minutes then gently flip it over. Lower the heat and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Fold it in half and serve.
