In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, and egg yolks.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder cardamom, and salt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until everything is just moistened.
In another medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the batter.
Lightly butter the hot skillet and ladle batter into small circles. Allow to bake 1-2 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove from the skillet and repeat as necessary. Top pancakes with strawberry chia jam and/or pure maple syrup if desired.
To make the jam
Place the strawberries in a medium pot over medium heat and allow to cook down, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. The strawberries should release a lot of liquid and become soft.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and maple syrup. Add the chia seeds and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. It should thicken up and look like jam. Serve immediately or transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.