Have you missed me? I have almost missed me. Life has been so busy since the end of summer. And then…we had the wildfires here in Santa Rosa. We are fine but had to evacuate at 3 a.m. which meant that our entire routine has been upset. But I could not be more grateful that we are safe and still have a home. Many that I know were not so fortunate regarding the home but all are safe somewhere.
Now back to the fermentillas which I promised in September sometime…
Don’t know what a fermentilla is? It is my name for a food that is like a tortilla but made with fermented beans and grains. It is similar to the Indian dosa but different as it is heartier and mine do not contain any processed grains such as white rice. So these are “good for you”.
They require time and patience but I find it worth it to make them. Making one batch takes me about 1 hour after the initial 1 to 2 day fermentation. When doing this for the Sonoma County Fermentation Festival, I usually end up with a couple dozen of my experiments hanging around in my freezer and those will last me a few months. I freeze them with waxed paper between each fermentilla.
They aren’t very photogenic but they make up for that with their slightly sour flavor and firm texture. Even my somewhat particular husband likes them occasionally. I have even used them instead of injera (although they are a poor stand in) for my Ethiopian food and instead of naan for my Indian food. They make good wraps and also taste great on their own. I hope that you will consider making them. (If you already have, please feel free to post a comment – or just post a comment if you have anything to say…)
The Veggie Queen’s Not Yet World Famous Fermentillas: Fermented Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils of any kind mung beans, split peas or other legume, soaked overnight
- 1 cup gluten-free grain soaked overnight
- Filtered water
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak the legume in a jar or bowl on the countertop for at least 8 hours or overnight. Soak the grain for the same amount of time.
- Drain each of them and add them to a high powered blender with ½ to 1 cup filtered water. Blend until smooth and liquidy. If you need more liquid, add it. Pour into a bowl and cover with a cloth. Leave for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- At the end of that time, stir well. Add salt and more filtered water until the batter is like pancake batter consistency.
- Use about ½ to 2/3 cup batter and pour in a circle in a medium hot nonstick pan that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Let batter sit, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes until it is easy to lift it off and turn it over. Let sit, covered, for 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove and put on a plate.
- Continue, adding a bit of oil to the pan as you go along, if necessary.
Notes
I also discovered that if you leave the batter on the counter top too long that it can get quite funky looking but if you can peel off the gross top layer, you can still use the batter underneath. However, my rule of thumb for this ferment and others is "if it smells funky, looks funky and tastes funky" throw it out.
Partha Srinivasan says
Fermented pancakes using lentils and a grain (usually rice) has been standard recipe and everyday breakfast in southern India for thousand of years !!
Jill Nussinow says
I believe you Partha. However I doubt that many Indians have tried making these with teff and quinoa or other combinations which I have. This fermentation is not unique but the combination of ingredients is. I love making them but even more , I love eating them.
Thank you for your comment.
Terri says
I have recently become obsessed with fermentation thus I am knee deep in reading and learning all about it. Your August 202 newsletter mentioned the magic word and included helpful resources about fermentation. So here I am, reading every one of your blog posts about fermentation. I did not hesitate to try the fermentillas. They were a success so much so that I am ready to make another batch. I used red lentils and brown rice which I had on hand. I eliminated the salt because I used a few tablespoons of brine, from a red onion ferment, to thin the batter. I was happy to see that the red lentils sprouted during the soak, offering a nutritional benefit. I let my batter ferment close to 24 hours to encourage a more sour taste. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Jill Nussinow says
Terri,
I am a bit late in my reply but I am so happy to hear that you are fermenting. Winter is a great time to get full-bodied ferments.
Dawn says
Jill, I have made these before and loved them, so today I tried to make them from memory (never a good idea) just now.
So, I put a cup each of lentils and brown rice (rinsed but not soaked) into my Blentec with 2 cups of filtered water and blended it. Then I figured I better find the recipe, just to be sure… and I see the soaking step got missed.
So can I just go from here, letting the mixture soak over night and then blend it again (since the water has already been added) in the morning? Or should I just start over??
Thanks in advance for your help and advice, and for the recipes!!
Dawn
Jill Nussinow says
Dawn,
I am so sorry that I could not get back to you in time for you to let you know that all you had to do was let your batter sit overnight. I am now so curious as to what you decided to do with it.
I am sure that there are plenty of ways to make these turn out right. If you decided to ferment overnight, I would like to know so that maybe I can experiment with preparing them that way.
Heidi C. says
I can’t wait to try making these! They really remind me of a breakfast item served daily in the state of Kerala, India. They are called Idli and are usually served with a Sambar, which is a spicy and serious try of curry. It’s vegan and delicious! Just for fun here’s a recipe/blog post you might enjoy reading about them:
https://malayali.me/special/easy-recipes/idli
Jill Nussinow says
Thank you for the link. I love most Indian cooking, especially all that is fermented such as dosa and idli.
dj says
I made a half batch with mung beans and cheap white rice. As soon as I cooked the first one I immediately regretted not making a full batch. Soft and pliable and useful for so many things and so easy! This changes everything for me in my food world. I cooked more and further thinned the batter to make a thinner tortilla and it was still soft and pliable, no cracking or falling apart when I used it. Thank you!
Jill Nussinow says
So happy to hear this. I am getting ready to make more now. Next time you might want to make a whole batch as they freeze so well for up to 6 months.