Besan is one of the versatile flour I know of. It may sound unfamiliar to some of you until you hear the name chickpea flour. Its been a staple in my kitchen and I relish it in one form or another. Besan flour is ground from Bengal gram daal also called chana daal. It is the split and skinned version of kala chana (small dark brown chickpeas). It can be mixed into the flours for flat bread and pizza crust, used like eggs to make cheelas, as a binder for koftas, batter for deep frying, thickener for curries, base for exotic sweets, crunchy drops for flavored yogurt and many more.
Remember, when I posted gobhi paratha I wanted to test your knowledge in guessing the curry that I served with it. Some of you skimmed through the post and missed that part however, a couple of you and and some on google+ guessed it as paneer, tofu and potatoes. None of this is right but big thanks to those who tried to guess. The curry, in fact was made with besan, yes BESAN. The square pieces that you thought was paneer, tofu or potatoes were made from besan flour.
In some dry land areas of India when it gets very hot to grow vegetables people cook with the vegetables that are dried in winter months or use grains and pulses in many imaginative ways. My recipe is just one version. It is a UP specialty, though. I learnt it from my mother and she learnt to make it from Kusum aunty, our neighbor in Kanpur (UP). By the way, I ‘m a Kanpur born Punjabi.
For this curry, besan is prepared like polenta, allowed to set, cut into squares and then shallow fried. It is usually cut in thin diamonds and the dish is called besan katli ki sabji but I like small square pieces that are easy to scoop with paratha or chapatti. I cut in diamonds when I make it as a snack with (wet) ground chana daal. You can prepare the besan squares in advance and refrigerate for up to 3 days. This is really an easy dish to make when you want something different with no vegetable.
A tasty and rustic curry prepared with besan flour.
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (bengal gram flour) or chickpea flour
- 1 1/2 cups water (it's totally fine if you put little more)
- 1/8 tsp kasoori methi ( dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/8 tsp ajwain (carom seeds) (optional)
- 1/8 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 pinches of garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3/4 cup onion ground with 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stem
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 3/4 cup cauliflower stalks (optional)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tomatoes, blend or use 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 cups water ( more if required)
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with foil, grease, set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients of besan squares in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a non stick pan on medium low. Pour the besan mixture slowly in a stream and stir continuously so that there are no lumps in it.
- It will thicken quickly but does not need to boil.
- Cook and keep stirring until the mixture turns thick (like a lump) about 3-5 minutes.
- Dump it on greased cookie tray and quickly put a greased plastic wrap on top and pat it with hand or spatula to make it flat about 3/4" thickness (don't need to be perfect).
- Let it set for 10-15 minutes, Cut into squares.
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in a pan. Shallow fry the squares in batches of 7-8 until slightly golden.
- Remove on paper towel.
- In the leftover oil add ground onion, fry for a minute
- Add ginger garlic paste and fry till it gets golden brown.
- Throw in turmeric, red chilli powder and tomato puree and mix well. If at anytime your masala starts to stick, add a big splash of water and keep cooking.
- Pour in water and gobhi stalks. Bring it to boil.
- Reduce heat, cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Slide in besan squares. Cook for another 1 minute and it is done.
- Serve hot with paratha or chapatti.
Sugar et al
I have eaten besan for as long as I can remember but I didn’t know many of things that you have shared. The curry looks fantastic…you have taken me back home again. I will have it with rice please!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I first thought they were tofu…..the gravy sounds really flavourful.
Laura Dwight
This is so interesting! I make socca from chickpea flour, which is Italian. It is unseasoned, though, and I serve it with a tomato sauce, sometimes putting some grated Parmesan cheese on top for the family members that eat cheese. You whisk the flour with water and a little oil and cook it in a hot oven until it sets, usually about 20 minutes in a 500′ oven. The thickness depends on the size of the pan.
I am eager to try the this version. Thanks for sharing.
Balvinder
Thank you so much Laura for finding time to comment. I have also heard about socca but never got around to try it. Will do it sometime. And if you make this curry, keep me informed. You can even make them thin, cut into diamonds, fry them till crisp and eat it with salsa, ketchup or mint chutney.
Monica
I never would’ve guessed in a million years. I have so much to learn and I do love learning about all these dishes. So interesting that you prep it like polenta and slice it to cook. I really like the do-ahead part too. Your family is very lucky!
Coffee and Crumpets
My mother always made besan in the solid form for my dad who loves it. I too began to enjoy this form of besan. I already love dahi Karhi and pakoras and even the boondi in the yoghurt!
I never thought of cutting chunks of besan and putting into a curry. Quite genius!
Nazneen
Balvinder
Nazneen, not me but the person who invented this recipe is genius. Thanks for liking it.
Juliana
Wow, at the first glance I thought it was paneer…besan…so interesting and must really delicious with all the spices that you add in the little squares…yum!
Balvinder, thank you so much for the kind words, I very much appreciate…
Have a great weekend 😀
Balvinder
It is really delicious Julianna, Good Luck for your new website.
yummychunklet
Oh, how delicious sounding!
Vicki Bensinger
This looks very flavorful. I’ve never heard of besan flour but it sounds like something I should seek out at Whole Foods or the specialty markets. I always look forward to seeing the recipes you share. I have much to learn about Indian cooking.
Tell me do you have a favorite book you recommend?
Balvinder
Vicki, I don’t buy any cookbooks nor do I have any Indian cookbook. I learnt cooking from my mother and she learnt it from the neighbors where ever my father was posted. I would suggest Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s video if you can find them in English or you can look up his and Madhur Jaffer’s book in library.
Laura Dwight
I use and like Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran. We are gluten free, and there isn’t much in there to modify, except, of course the samosas, etc.
Balvinder
Laura, I have heard about Suvir Saran and also might have seen his book in the library, but really I don’t have interest in reading cook books and I never bought any. I usually love reading magazines or on the internet for recipes if I wanted to use a particular ingredient. You said you are gluten free, so how you are doing? What Indian food do you like?
Laura Dwight
We have been cooking gluten free at home since my daughter and I were diagnosed with celiac in 2008. I, too, have come to rely increasingly on blogs and the internet for recipes but some gluten free ones just don’t seem to match the magic of the blog post. It is either the testing is more rigorous in some cases, or there is just some unknown factor, or my expectations are too high! Indian recipes generally work very well, and we tend to like the bean, lentils, vegetables, and lemon rice. I would like to do more with gluten free versions of Indian breads, but wonder if I will ever have the time. With regard to your comment about being careful in Indian restaurants we have had a few mishaps. One was when a restaurant owner assured me that the Maida flour they used was gluten free….but I think it is just a finely ground wheat flour. You just have to be sure that you are communicating because some people do not realize that semolina is made from wheat, etc.
Balvinder
I do agree some recipes do not work for different reasons. When I make bread using my own recipe, it does not rise the same every time but the texture is always fine.
Semolina and maida (all purpose flour) which are used in making Indian sweets or naan are made from wheat, which I believe the restaurant owner should have known but i wonder why he said it to be gluten free. Any way it is nice knowing you. If you want to try gluten free version of Indian breads, do check my skinny panini and pizza. The recipes I have posted are not one time, I regularly make them. If you have any question regarding anything you can ask on the blog or email me balvinder_ubi@ysimpleglutenfreekitchen.com
anne
Bal , I really thought it was paneer 😀 Your besan squares on its own sounds really good and with that flavorsome gravy I bet it taste wonderful together !
Nammi
Hello, love your blog :), learnt something new today , making besan squares, at first I thought they were tofu 🙂 , have a nice day!
Balvinder
Thank you Nammi, it looks and are soft like tofu.
Blackswan
Such a rich dish, perfect with a plate of rice! I’m sure your family cleaned it up without a trace. Lol!
Bam's Kitchen
Thanks for introducing me to a very fun and versatile gluten free product and lactose free too. Does it have the consistency of polenta when it is fried? I can think of a million different ways that I would like to try this for a gluten free substitute. I am blessed to have an Indian Provisions store here in Hong Kong and it sounds like I need to give this store a visit. Have a super day! Take Care, BAM
Balvinder
Bobby, I make polenta as well as these squares. They both have different textures. Besan is finely ground flour and polenta is coarse. It is slightly hard to cook as besan sticks to the bottom and sides of the pan, but you don’t have to scrape. Once there is a coating of besan around the pan the remaining besan will not stick as much if you stir continuously with a ladle. You can do many things with besan. Have a good day!
Culinary Flavors
I think blogging has placed gluten free food to a completely new dimension. So many delicious choices, you don’t know which one to choose! Beautiful curry Balvinder!
Balvinder
Besan has been used in Indian cooking from ancient time. In fact Indian food is very safe to eat when you are gluten free, you just have to be careful when you eat in restaurants.
Sonal
I loved this. It is very similar to gatte ki sabzi. Another one addd to my list :).