A SAVORY BESAN POODA WILL ROCK YOUR MORNING ROUTINE. Besan is the Hindi phrase for chickpea flour. It is a widespread ingredient in quite a lot of Indian dishes. In Rajasthani delicacies, the finely-ground flour is dry roasted and mixed with greens as a base for dry sabzis. In Gujarati delicacies it’s deep fried into savory snacks. In Punjabi delicacies, we have grown up consuming them in fritters referred to as pakoras and in savory crepes, or a pooda. (The ‘d’ has an ‘rd’ sound to it.) We additionally flip it right into a dessert referred to as besan ki barfi. There’s nothing extra satisfying or tasty than a beautifully-spiced chickpea flour batter with the added crunch of minced pink onion and contemporary chiles served with a spicy pickle on the facet and a sizzling cup of steaming chai.
Besan has entered the mainstream market as effectively. Chickpea crepes have been displaying up on high-end restaurant menus over the previous couple of years and within the grocery store as egg alternative. Besan is a binder and it is naturally gluten-free, which makes it an ideal ingredient for a lot of with meals allergy symptoms and/or plant-based eaters. The one factor to remember is that it does have a definite taste profile, so it’s worthwhile to watch out when utilizing it in recipes.
The kind of chickpea used to make besan historically is the black chickpea – not the white. You should purchase the flour from any Indian grocery retailer. Or, if you’re feeling formidable, grind your individual from uncooked, dried black chickpeas within the dry jug of a high-powered blender like a vitamix, similar to espresso beans. The chickpea flour from a mainstream grocery retailer is historically constructed from white chickpeas. The colour is barely lighter and when cooking with it, you usually do not want as a lot water. My recipes are at all times constructed from black chickpea flour, in order that’s one thing to remember.
In case you are in search of chickpea flour since you are actually GLUTEN FREE for medical causes, that is the place issues get difficult. Whereas the flour is of course gluten-free, not all Indian meals processors assure their amenities are free from allergens together with gluten. Thus, if it is essential that your besan be actually gluten-free, head to a mainstream marketplace for it. Now let’s get going and make the recipe under – you’ll like it! I like utilizing 2 cups as a result of it makes sufficient for my household of 4 and if I’ve any additional I can simply put it aside in a container within the fridge. It can hold for as much as two weeks. Be happy to freeze it as effectively. I desire to retailer the batter fairly than the crepes in order that they’re contemporary each time I make them, although they are often saved and transport effectively for street journeys.
Stovetop: Savory Besan Pooda, Spiced Chickpea Crepes
2 cups besan (black chickpea flour)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon pink chile powder or cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 small pink or yellow onion, finely minced
1-inch piece ginger, minced
1/2-3 Thai or Serrano chiles, stems eliminated, and finely minced
oil, for pan frying
1. In a deep and roomy bowl, combine the besan and water till clean. I take advantage of a whisk. Break down the clumps of flour with the again of a spoon. You too can course of the combination in a blender till fully clean after which switch it to a bowl.
2. Add the turmeric, coriander, garam masala, pink chile, and salt. Stir.
3. Add the onion, ginger, and contemporary chile. Stir once more.
4. Warmth a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high warmth. With a ladle, pour 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the batter within the pan, and dealing from the within in direction of the skin in a round, clockwise movement type the batter into a skinny crepe. Prepare dinner till browned on one facet after which flip and prepare dinner the opposite facet. As a result of the onion and chiles fall to the underside of the bowl, be sure you stir the batter to extra evenly dole out the components. Eat with a facet of achaar or Indian spicy pickle. For the thinnest attainable crepe, add the onion, ginger, and chiles over the batter after doling it out within the pan and cooking one facet. Add it to the raw facet earlier than flipping.
The consistency of the batter is essential. For a great pooda, it needs to be skinny and comparatively watery. This can be a contact counterintuitive, accurately thicker when making pakora or fried fritters in order that the components clump collectively for higher frying.
Right here is an instance of what you are able to do along with your crepe. It was my ‘vegan egg’ possibility at our resort in Tahiti again in December 2022. It is stunning and appears scrumptious, the one factor I’d advocate is getting it good and skinny. As a result of chickpea flour can prepare dinner up barely thick it is higher while you get it as skinny as attainable.
Notice: This can be a variation of a recipe I shared in my third e book Vegan Indian Cooking. In that recipe, you may discover that I used extra spices, together with dried fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi. Be happy to seize a replica of that e book and boost your crepes any means you want.