This morning started with a 5.00am wake-up call and a pre-work weights session at the gym. I focused on upper body / abs - and my arms sure loved me for it. As I missed out on my run yesterday (in place of an impromptu baking session), I also jumped on the treadmill for a 5km run. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am not a treadmill person......but it has its purpose ... I suppose.
Work-wise, today actually flew by which was really nice for a Friday.
And I knew I had a special meal in the works for dinner tonight owing to my Mystery Box ingredient selection....
Besan!
Did you know? Besan (also known as chickpea flour, chana and gram) is commonly used in Indian cooking. It is produced from dried ground chickpeas, is gluten free and rich in protein.
My dining companions (aka the family...) were not going to be home until 7.30pm or so, providing me with the perfect amount of time to get a curry (or two) on the stove to slowly simmer away.
But first, the besan.
One thing I miss since finding out that I am wheat-intolerant, is bread. You know the type. The soft and chewy bread that you get alongside your meal in restaurants, or that you fill with loads of salad at lunch. Let's just say that the all to common crumbly dry GF bread just does not compare....
However, Indian food is actually one of the few cuisines that does not rely heavily on wheat flour, and has a vast array of allergy friendly dishes.
Take this wonderful besan flatbread for instance.
I found this recipe and just knew that it had to make an appearance this evening.
I combined the besan, salt, yeast and sugar.
Added the water and oil and kneaded until smooth. Covered and proved for 1 hour.
Divided into balls and rolled flat.
And fried until slightly risen and golden.
Meanwhile, I had a couple Indian curries on the stove in what was fast becoming an Indian extravaganza.
Served all together.
Lentil and sweet potato curry… 
Fragrant beef curry…
And of course, the besan flat bread…
Crunchy yet fluffy. These will be making an appearance again. Oh bread, how I have missed you….
What about you? Have you ever cooked with besan flour?
Happy baking :)
Posts
wow, you're so good! I had never heard of besan until reading this post!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Besan until now either! Is the bread chewy?
ReplyDeleteBob's Red Mill GF AP flour has some chickpea in it--and I find it tastes a bit sprouty. I've baked GF a fair bit, and once in particular for some friends (one of whom was a celiac). The other wanted to lick the bowl while I was baking... he gagged on the sprouty taste! It all came out in the oven, though, and the final product had a different texture than usual but was still ab fab.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Besan flour. I'll be on the lookout for it though!
ReplyDeleteNever cooked with Besan flour but now I can not wait to try! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYUM!oh, Indian cuisine is my FAVORITE :) Looks so yummy.
ReplyDeleteI also had never hear of Besan, but neat!
Holy crap you have no idea how excited I am to see this recipe for "GF naan" I love Indian food and like you, I miss the bread too. You have put the idea in my head and I will be making this soon! Thanks!!
ReplyDeletewow this is so exciting!! ive never hear of that before!!! <3 thanks for the feature, i wanna see if we carry Besan here!
ReplyDeleteUm... I might have to be a total nerd and make this tonight for dinner. It just looks SO good and I have all the ingredients!!!
ReplyDeletenope, never, but this looks awesome!!
ReplyDeletei was considering using Besan to replace the almond flour in the french macaron recipes.. we have a big indian/mediteranean population here in toronto so Besan is pretty easy to find.. love the blog!
ReplyDeleteYou are quite the chef! This looks wonderful. And now I know what besan is! :)
ReplyDeleteYum! I had indian last night too but mine wasn't homemade....
ReplyDeleteI haven't used Besan before but I like to experiment with different flours, I might grab some when my spelt runs out.
I have besan flour in the pantry (although granted I didn't know that was a name for it) and that flatbread looks delicious! Haven't opened the bag yet so maybe that's what can get me started :).
ReplyDeleteI love besan flour! It is perfect for flatbreads! Your meal looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteYum! I've never used besan flour, but now I'm tempted! I don't know if they have them in Australia, but have you ever tried Enjoy Life cookies? They're GF, super soft and delicious! =D
ReplyDeleteI've never cooked with besan flour (or admittedly, even heard of it before!) Your meal looks fantastic though, so I am definitely tempted :)
ReplyDeleteI like to use besan flour to make spicy vegetable puffs and recipes where its uniquie flavour is a bonus. I once used it for cupcakes...please don't try this at home!
ReplyDeleteThat turned out fabulous! Awesome job at the 5am workout too, I am impressed. I haven't heard of besan flour but am intrigued. Your Indian meal looks delish.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I can't believe you made this! I've never even heard of besean flour, but this all looks so amazing I would love to try!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had seen this recipe before I had thrown out my packet of Besan flour. I used it to make ladoos which ended up being rather terrible :(
ReplyDeleteI love besan flour - great in pudla (besan pancakes), replacing wheat flour in brownies and in these sort of flatbreads (have you heard of socca which I think is italian?) I have never proved this sort of flatbread - will need to try this one!
ReplyDelete