Besan (Indian Chickpea Curry, Gluten Free)

So the great thing about being home--amazing Indian food. There's nothing like what Mom makes. No Indian restaurant can compare...although that makes sense since most Indian restaurants are have north Indian cuisine. 


Actually it's really interesting--the different regions of India have lots of different types of cuisine. The ones represented in restaurants are usually north indian (Naan, Palak Paneer, Curries, etc) or south indian (Dosa, Idli, Masala Dosa, Sambar, etc.). I eat none of that at home usually. My family is Gujurati and Jain, so we eat only vegetarian food, usually consisting of RDBS...Roti, Dahl, Baat (Rice), Shak (vegetables). 


Today I had a really strong urge for Besan, it's a super quick, super easy chickpea dish that is actually quite healthy, and versatile. 


As vegetarians, we have to think about protein a lot, and this is a GREAT dish for that. Chickpeas have tons of protein in them and some carbs, so you can get a complete meal! 


Feel free to add in any veggies you want to as well...bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, corn, cilantro, and cooked potato cubes! 

Besan Flour-Water-Spices Mix

Oil in the pot with mustard seeds!

Cooked Besan! 

Indian Besan a la Maa
0.75 cup chickpea or Gram flour (Besan flour if you get it from an Indian store) 
3 cups water (the rule of thumb is 4x as much water as there is flour) 
0.25 tsp sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
0.75 tsp salt
0.25 tsp turmeric powder (Hulthur if you get it from an Indian store)
0.25 tsp Asafoetida powder (Hing if you get it from an Indian store)
0.75 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp canola oil
0.5 tsp mustard seeds
Any veggies you want, chopped 


In a bowl, whisk together the Besan flour and the water, make sure there are no clumps! Add in the salt, sugar, lemon, and turmeric powder. Add in the grated ginger after that, and let it sit for a minute or two. 


In a medium sized sauce pan, add in the oil and the mustard seeds over medium-high heat. When the mustard seeds starts popping, the oil is ready. Add in the Asafoetida powder, and then quickly add in the besan flour mixture. It will start to cook right away, so make sure you're stirring constantly for the first two minutes. After that it should start to slightly pull away from the sides of the bowl, so turn down the heat to medium-low. Add in the veggies you want, mix well. Cover for about a minute. Taste for seasoning, add whatever you think you need, and it should be done! 


Eat over a bed of brown rice!