Gram flour (besan): what it is, how to use it and what it is called in Poland

Gram flour, called besan in India, is flour made from chickpeas. It is pale yellow with a slightly nutty taste, and it is the base of Indian pakoras, bhajis and batter for frying vegetables. In Polish it is "mąka z ciecierzycy" (chickpea flour); Indian packs in Poland usually keep the names gram flour, besan or beson.

What gram flour is

"Gram" is an old English word for pulses, used in India. Gram flour is usually made from chana dal, the split, hulled halves of small brown desi chickpeas. It is very fine, smooth and slightly yellow.

In Polish health-food shops and supermarkets you will also find flour from large, pale chickpeas ("mąka z ciecierzycy"), used for example for Italian farinata. The two are similar, and in most recipes you can swap one for the other. Besan from chana dal is usually finer and tastes a little different.

Raw chickpea flour is slightly bitter and tastes of raw peas. That is why it is always fried, toasted or cooked.

How to use besan

• Pakoras and bhajis. Slices of onion, potato, aubergine, cauliflower or spinach leaves are dipped into a thick besan batter and deep-fried.
• Cheela. Thin pancakes of besan, water, onion, tomato and coriander, cooked in a frying pan.
• Kadhi. A yoghurt sauce thickened with besan, often with pakoras in it.
• Dhokla. A fluffy Gujarati steamed cake.
• Sweets. Besan laddoo and Mysore pak are made from chickpea flour toasted in ghee with sugar.
• Coating. Dust fish or paneer in spiced besan before frying.

A simple recipe: onion bhaji (onion pakoras)

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced into half-moons
• 150 g gram flour (besan)
• 2 tablespoons rice flour (for crispness, optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• a handful of chopped fresh coriander
• about 80–100 ml cold water
• oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix the onion with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. The onion releases its juice.
2. Add the besan, rice flour, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder, green chilli and coriander. Mix with your hands.
3. Add the water a little at a time until you have a thick batter that coats the onion. Do not add too much water, or the pakoras will soak up oil.
4. Heat the oil in a pan to about 175°C. A drop of batter should rise to the surface at once.
5. Drop small spoonfuls of batter into the oil and fry in batches for 4–5 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp.
6. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve at once with mint or tamarind chutney.

When you are short of time, you can use a ready pakora spice mix.

What to use instead of gram flour

• Flour from pale chickpeas ("mąka z ciecierzycy" from a Polish shop): a one-to-one swap.
• Pea flour ("mąka grochowa"): a more pea-like taste, but similar use in batter.
• Wheat flour: the batter will work, but the taste and colour will differ. In sweets such as laddoo the swap does not work.

Store besan in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Pulse flours attract pantry moths, so do not keep an open bag in the cupboard.

Where to buy gram flour (besan)

Gram flour is on the TRS gram flour 1 kg page. There is also Fortune Beson chickpea flour 1 kg and a larger pack, TRS gram flour 2 kg. For pakoras, try MDH Pakora Masala. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships online orders.