This isn’t presented as a strict recipe — it’s inspiration. I love how cooking invites creativity, and this post is the first of what I hope will be many “inspo” pieces encouraging you to improvise in the kitchen. Use this idea as a starting point and adapt it to what you have on hand.
Here’s how this all began: I woke up to a large pot of leftover soup. Part of it was already frozen for an easy dinner, but there was still a portion I needed to finish. After eating several bowls I wasn’t excited to have the same soup again, so I wanted to transform it into something different. I’d already had one bowl for breakfast, and wanted to avoid wasting food, so I started thinking about alternatives.
At the time I was avoiding gluten and craving something flat and savory — a bread, tortilla, or pancake would have been perfect to pair with my leftover curry. Then it occurred to me: make a savory flatbread using gram (chickpea) flour, and use the leftover soup as the “wet” component of the batter. Eureka!
Turning leftover soup into a tortilla-style pancake is simple. You need leftover soup, chickpea flour (gram flour), flax seeds (for a binder), and your preferred spices. The technique is flexible — adjust seasoning and thickness to suit your taste.
- Prepare a flax “egg”: combine ground flaxseed with water and let it sit until slightly gelled.
- Blend the leftover soup until smooth. If it contains whole ingredients like chickpeas and spinach, blitz them so the liquid is even. Add a little water if it’s too thick. Season the blended soup with spices — I used ground cumin and coriander and salt to taste. Mix this with the flax “egg.”
- Note: taste the blended mixture before adding chickpea flour. Raw gram flour has a strong flavor, so seasoning the wet mix first helps you balance the final batter.
- Add chickpea flour gradually until you reach a thick but pourable batter, similar to pancake batter.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Pour the batter into the pan and, depending on thickness, spread it from the center with the back of a spoon to form an even circle.
- Cook until the top looks set and slightly drier, then gently flip with a spatula and cook the other side for another minute or two. Adjust heat as needed so the pancake cooks through without burning.
I like to serve these savory chickpea pancakes with leftover curry, lots of greens, avocado, hot sauce, and fresh vegetables. They’re very forgiving: try different spice blends, fresh herbs, a dash of hot sauce, or a sprinkle of vegan cheese if you like. The point is to experiment and make something delicious from what you already have.
If you enjoyed this kind of post, let me know in the comments. If you turn your soup into pancakes, tag me on Instagram — I’d love to see your creations.
One love,
A.J.