Hello,
I am VERY excited about this week’s issue. Gram Flour has been requested multiple times and I am not surprised, I have a barely used bag in my kitchen cupboard. And I’ll be honest, I don’t even know why I bought it. But writing this has really opened my eyes and I am sure this bag will be used up VERY soon.
About Gram Flour
What is gram flour? Gram flour is pulse flour made from chana daal or brown/kaala chana, a chickpea. Naturally gluten-free, it’s perfect for those who can’t digest gluten. Extra bonus, it’s also higher in protein than other flours (feeling fuller for longer).
What does it taste like? I hope you don’t try it raw as it is sharp and bitter and doesn’t have much of a pleasant mouth feel. When cooked, however, it has a nice earthy nuttiness. A flavour profile really well suited for savoury dishes (but not only!)
Can it be substituted? It is possible, you will use the unique flavour profile but there are other great gluten-free alternatives - lentil flour, rice flour, oat flour, and sorghum (millet) flour. And if you’re not fussed about gluten then just go for plain or wholemeal flour.
History of the ingredient A bit more about the ingredient
This deep dive didn’t take me down the Silk Road this week but also, it’s not a spice or a herb or even a condiment.
Gram flour is native to the Indian subcontinent, and it’s a popular ingredient in Indian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Italian, French and Caribbean cooking.
Note on different types of Gram Flour (source Daisy Flour):
Black Gram Flour is made from ground black gram lentils or urad dal and has a fine powder-like consistency. Once blended into flour, it is typically golden brown.
Bengal Gram Flour is another name for Indian black chickpea. Much like other chickpeas, the Bengal gram is packed with nutrients and is rich in protein, vitamins, and fibre. It is small and ranges from light to dark brown.
Green Gram Flour is created using green garbanzo beans. They are a fantastic source of folic and iron and provide the same nutty flavour as other gram flours but with a slightly sweeter taste to them.
Chickpea flour has become more mainstream in the Western world, thanks to hipsters. Remember, when everyone avoided gluten not because they couldn’t digest it but because it made them sleepy and tired and it was therefore decided that gluten is evil? Well, they may have hated gluten but they still wanted delicious vessels for their organic veg and fermented hot sauces. Chickpea flour is an accessible and inexpensive alternative to plain flour so voila, more and more supermarkets started to stock it, and more chefs and cooks adopted it into their cooking. And thanks to the growing popularity and interest in South and Southeast Asian cooking across the globe, chickpea flour is here to stay.
You can replace flours like rye or buckwheat with chickpea flour in a 1:1 ratio. This swap offers added protein, subtle flavour, and binding properties. However, keep in mind that chickpea flour won't provide the same rising effect as plain flour. Therefore, it's not suitable for substitutions in recipes involving flaky pastries, cookies, or fresh pasta.
Chickpea flour is also used in beauty treatments, it has gentle exfoliating and cleansing properties so is used by some cultures in face masks and scrubs. It’s also used as an alternative to shampoos.
QUICK SUGGESTIONS FOR USE:
It’s really great for binding things together and creates a smooth pourable batter. So yes, there will be a lot of pancakes/crepes and fried things. And when it comes to baking, chickpea flour is very good at holding air bubbles and retaining moisture.
All of the chickpea pancakes come under a variety of names - socca, farinata, cecina. Names vary by region, which means flavourings and toppings will also very, so yes, the recipe rundown is very pancake heavy but they’re all very different.
Savoury
Ottolenghi introduced the U.K. to Socca in the early 2000’s. We never looked back and yes, I know that SO MANY people knew and ate soccas before Ottolenghi, but he made them a little more mainstream and what’s wrong with that?
Roasted gram flour (Pe Hmont) is a popular addition to Burmese salads, start with this Tomato Salad
Couldn’t leave you without a Dosa recipe
Great suggestion from Xinyue, I had to Google what Panisse is and now I want Panisse ASAP
Make gluten-free batter and then fry everything and anything
And a little side of Spiced Okra
Chickpea fritters from Palermo, try this Panelle recipe
Mix with equal parts water, it can be used as an egg replacer in your recipes (2 tbsp chickpea flour mixed with 2 tbsp water = 1 egg)
Add some when you’re roasting your veggies for some crunch
Okay, I think I know why I have the gram flour, Bhajis!
The first time Pete and I hosted a supper club, these were on the menu, the Italian cousin of chickpea pancake variety- Rosemary Farinata
Alison Roman’s Chickpea Pancake w Leeks, Squash and Yoghurt
I want these RIGHT NOW, Kadhi Pakoras
Popular in Algeria and East Morroco, try Karane, not too dissimilar to a flan
Perfect dairy and gluten-free for those that love anything crepe-like, Pudla
Think savoury spicy porridge Zunka/Jhunka, native to Maharashtra, India
And just one more Spicy Pancake for the road
Sweet
If you’re going to make one dessert with this ingredient, make it a Ladoo
And some people did make some cookies using chickpea flour - Chocolate Chip & Double Choc
A classic brownie but make it chickpea
I’ve made halwa before using semolina, but there are also gram flour variations, give it a go
A must-have for every baker/patisserie enthusiast - Vegan Custard
More cookies - Lemon Tahini this time
And the final cookie, a Persian cookie - Nan Nokhodchi, flavoured with cardamom, rose water and pistachios
Drinks
This flavour/ingredient combo is so new to me and I can’t even imagine how it’d taste, but I will be trying Sattu
Even more recipes to get creative with:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN
It’s really easy to make your own, as long as you have a very powerful kitchen processor. Read here how to.
WHERE TO BUY
Anywhere. Literally, anywhere. Your local supermarket stocks it, your local South Asian grocers stock it, and your local Italian deli probably also stocks it. Go nuts.
Something to watch: Remarkable Places to Eat has migrated to Channel 4 and started on Monday with a trip to Puglia
Cookbooks to explore: couldn’t pick just one this week
Mandalay - I adore this cookbook by MiMi Aye, so much family history and so much history of Burma. Full of exciting, vibrant recipes. You’ll be using a lot of your cupboard ingredients with this one.
Indian-ish - This colourful, lively book is food writer Priya Krishna's loving tribute to her mum's "Indian-ish" cooking - a trove of one-of-a-kind Indian-American hybrids that are easy to make, clever, practical, and packed with flavour
Something to read: Nifty little article on why it’s called chickpea in some places and garbanzo in others. And also this from Vice on the difference between Indian sweets, education for me
Let me know what you’ll be making! And as always, get in touch if you have a suggestion for me.
Anya xx
Coming up next week: humble cinnamon, an early segway into Autumn