They’re gluten free, vegetarian and taste pretty darn good sidled up with a little sweet chilli sauce number. The thing is could I make them as well as I had at home, and successfully take them to a big group lunch time gathering?

First up I’d like to make a confession. It’s rather a ridiculous one, and I’m the first to admit that, but it’s there all the same, so here goes.

I have food making-taking anxiety.

Say what?

I hear over rolled eyes and crinkled brows. Food making-taking anxiety? What the hell does that even mean? 

Please. Grab a coffee (it’s Sunday after all) push the snoozing dog off the arm chair and get weekend comfortable while I explain.

I cook a lot. No surprises there. This blog over the past nearly 7 years has it’s foundations fairly rooted into food and cooking, we are familiar with that.

Ok, yeeesss…keep going.

So I like cooking, and I like thinking about cooking. The planning, the putting together and deliciously, the eating. However when it comes to taking food to someone else’s house, or perhaps as a gift, passing it on to someone else etc. Well, I slightly fall apart.

Sure it doesn’t stop me from doing it, and yes, I still do it allll the time, but each time my brain goes into slight freak out mode whenever someone says, (especially these words) “bring a plate”. In a 10 second spasm I’m saying in my head….but I can’t cook, what will I take, WHAT will I take!…

And exhale. Yes, I could buy something. (Actually on second thought, well no, I can’t. That’s just not going to happen, I have my own standards to live within remember.)

So the brain now does a few epileptic jumps from one food to another, trying to think of the ‘right’ one. It’s like sorting through files on files within a computer system looking for a file that might or might not exist, you’ll only know for sure, when you see it.

What usually happens now, and yes I know it’s ridiculous. I generally decide on something I’ve never made before. But why would I start on something I’m yet to trial and truly nail I hear you say? Beats me, no idea, not even the slightest. But yes, yes that’s what I often do.

Alternatively, there is a slightly different version to this tale when I’m taking something and this time I have actually made it over and over again. This time the dish-bread-meal is truly nailed to the the last detail, all within the confines of my own home. And yet when I go to take the trusty…[insert dish, bread, meal] it’s just not quite there. Not bad enough to go, oh crap, that’s horrendous, wow, never bring that again. But just enough to go, mmm, well thanks for the thought Brydie, you gave it a crack, and it was very NICE of you to think of us. (Quietly scraping food into compost, chook bucket, bin.)

Now I’m not that much of a duffer that this would happen all the time, sometimes I really can deliver on something that is quite delicious! But if I was a betting woman, I’d say the money is pretty fairly divied up and a 1:2 chance of you having to smile politely as your poor teeth have to try and sink through the hard crusty thing I’ve just offered up at your table is a good one. Combine that with the chance of me making something I’ve never made before, and might or might not be a bit of an experimental flop, I’d say there was room for a little food-making-taking-anxiety.

(I tell you, it’s totally a thing.)

***************

These were delicious and super easy (when made at home.) Also a natural follow on after playing with buckwheat pancakes from a few posts previously.

Chickpea Pancakes

2 cups besan flour (chickpea flour)

2 beaten eggs

250mls cream

125mls water

1 finely diced brown onion

3 cloves garlic finely diced

1 knob of ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp dried cumin

2 tsp salt

Vegetable oil

In a pan add a good slug of your favourite vegetable oil, add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until onion is translucent. In a bowl add besan flour, beaten eggs, salt and cream. Whisk together, also adding in your onion mixture.

Cook up in batches in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil.

Optional extras– jazz these up with some kimchi, spinach or anything else you have going.