Tlisted below are a number of (very virtuous) causes to like chickpea flour, AKA gram flour, Bengal gram, and besan flour – to say just some, it’s increased in protein than different flours, full of fibre, wealthy in minerals and nutritional vitamins, and naturally gluten-free. Nonetheless, the rationale I preserve it so shut handy within the kitchen is reasonably much less righteous: I simply love its nutty, earthy, barely “bean-y” style. I take advantage of it to thicken soups and heat yoghurt sauces, to make fast flatbreads – Italian farinata or French socca, as an example – and thick savoury pancakes. And it makes for a extremely distinctive batter, fritter or cracker, as immediately’s recipes hope to indicate.
Chickpea flour prawn toasts with inexperienced apple relish (pictured high)
It is a hybrid impressed by Indian besan toast and Cantonese prawn toast. Pre-sliced white bread works completely right here: simply be certain that it’s stale (or toasted), to keep away from any sogginess.
Prep 30 min
Marinate 20 min
Prepare dinner 50 min
Serves 4 as a starter
5 slices stale (or toasted) medium-thick white bread, crusts eliminated and discarded, then lower in half into roughly 8cm x 3cm rectangles
150ml vegetable oil
For the batter
105g gram flour (AKA chickpea flour)
For the prawn combine
200g peeled sustainably-sourced uncooked prawns, roughly chopped into ½cm items
2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (20g)
1 purple chilli, stem, pith and seeds eliminated, flesh thinly sliced (10g)
2½ tbsp (10g) coriander leaves, roughly chopped
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
10g piece contemporary ginger, peeled and finely grated, to get ½ tsp
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt
For the relish
50ml apple cider vinegar
40g mild brown sugar
1 granny smith apple (130g)
1 tsp lime juice
½ jalapeño chilli (5g), roughly chopped
2¾ tbsp (10g) coriander leaves, roughly chopped
For the spicy crust combine
35g desiccated coconut
1½ tbsp coriander seeds, flippantly crushed
¼ tsp nigella seeds
Put the chickpea flour in a big frying pan on a medium-high warmth, and toast, stirring, for 5 minutes, till nutty and properly colored. Put aside a teaspoon of the flour, then put the remaining in a bowl and progressively whisk in 200ml water, till you may have a easy batter.
To make the prawn combine, put half the chopped prawns in a meals processor with all of the remaining substances, the reserved teaspoon of toasted chickpea flour and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Blitz for 30 seconds, scraping down the perimeters of the bowl as you go, to make a paste, then scrape right into a medium bowl with the remaining chopped prawns, combine properly, then depart to marinate for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the relish. Put the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and convey to a boil. Flip right down to a simmer and depart to cook dinner for 4 minutes on a medium warmth, till barely syrupy. Take off the warmth, then depart to chill and thicken for 20 minutes.
Coarsely grate the apple, add it to the pan with all of the remaining relish substances and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then blitz with a stick blender for 30 seconds, till pureed. Spoon right into a bowl and put aside.
Mix all of the crust substances in a small bowl.
Now to make the toast. Use a spoon to unfold prawn combine evenly over one aspect of every piece of bread, pushing it proper to the sides, then, working one piece of bread at a time, absolutely submerge every bit into the batter. Carry out with a slotted spoon, draining off the surplus batter, then put the bread prawn aspect up on a tray. Repeat with the remaining prawn-coated bread and batter. Sprinkle the spice crust all around the tops of the battered bread, urgent it down to make sure it sticks.
Warmth the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/fuel 2. Put the oil in a big frying pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as sizzling, fry the toasts spice aspect up in three batches for 90 seconds. Flip very fastidiously, cook dinner for an additional 90 seconds, then take away with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper, then switch to an oven tray and preserve heat within the heated oven whilst you repeat with the remaining bread.
Organize the toasts on a platter and serve with the relish alongside.
Chickpea flour and parmesan crackers
These addictive, gluten-free crackers will look proper at dwelling on a cheeseboard or packed right into a lunchbox. They’ll preserve in an hermetic container for 3 to 5 days.
Prep 5 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 10 min
Serves 4 as a snack
100g chickpea flour
50g cornflour
50ml olive oil
Flaked sea salt and black pepper
50g parmesan grated
1¼ tsp anise seeds, or roughly crushed fennel seeds
Warmth the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/fuel 2. Put the chickpea flour, cornflour and oil in a medium bowl, add 150ml water and three-quarters of a teaspoon of flaked salt. Combine to a easy slurry, then grate in 30g parmesan and blend till easy. Spoon on to a sheet of greaseproof paper that’s sufficiently big to cowl a big baking tray, and use a spoon or spatula to unfold it out as thinly as you possibly can. The paper might purchase a moist look and wrinkle, however don’t fear about that.
Sprinkle with the anise seeds and generously grind some black pepper on high, then scatter over the remaining 20g parmesan and a half-teaspoon of salt and bake for 55 minutes, till flippantly golden and crisp. Take away and depart to chill, then retailer in an hermetic container.
Potato and pea fritters with lemon yoghurt and spicy ghee
These make a fantastic snack. If you wish to get forward, make the filling and spicy ghee the day earlier than.
Prep 20 min
Prepare dinner 35 min
Serves 4 as a snack
1-2 maris piper potatoes, peeled and lower into 1cm items (200g)
Nice sea salt
30g ghee, or butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (180g)
10 contemporary curry leaves, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp sizzling madras curry powder
50g frozen inexperienced peas, defrosted
40g coriander, 1½ tbsp (15g) leaves picked and put aside, the remaining finely chopped
210g chickpea flour
500ml sunflower oil, for frying
2 tsp date syrup
For the lemon yoghurt
250g yoghurt
1 lemon, zest grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp
For the spicy ghee
50g ghee
1½ tsp coriander seeds, flippantly floor in a mortar
1½ tsp aleppo chilli, or 1 tsp common chilli flakes
½ tsp kashmiri chilli
Put the potatoes and loads of salted water in a medium saute pan, carry to a boil, then simmer for eight to 10 minutes, till cooked by way of however not breaking up. Drain and put aside.
Wipe clear the pan, put it on a medium warmth, add the ghee, onions and curry leaves and cook dinner, stirring usually, for 5 minutes, till softened. Stir within the garlic and curry powder, cook dinner for a minute or two longer, till aromatic, then add 100ml water and depart to cook dinner for 5 minutes, till it has nearly fully evaporated. Stir within the potatoes, cook dinner for an additional two to 3 minutes, then add the peas, chopped coriander and a quarter-teaspoon of flaky salt. Combine properly with out squishing the potatoes an excessive amount of, then take off the warmth and depart to chill.
Now for the batter. Put the chickpea flour in a medium bowl with 160ml water and half a teaspoon of positive salt, combine till easy, then cowl and put aside.
Gently form the potato combination into 12 x 35g balls (weigh them out), then prepare on oven trays.
Put the sunflower oil in a small saute pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as sizzling, dip every potato ball into the batter, utilizing a spoon or your palms to verify they’re fully lined. Gently drop into the oil 4 at a time fand fry or three to 4 minutes, turning so that they cook dinner evenly, till crisp and flippantly golden. Carry out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper, switch to a tray and preserve heat in a low oven whilst you repeat with the remaining balls (fry up any extra batter, too).
Combine the yoghurt in a small bowl with the lemon zest and juice and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, then put aside.
For the spicy ghee, put the ghee in a small frying pan on a medium high-heat and, as soon as sizzling, stir within the coriander seeds and toast for 30 seconds. Off the warmth, stir within the aleppo and kashmiri chilli and a pinch of positive sea salt, and put aside.
To assemble, share out the fritters between 4, small, lipped plates. Pour the yoghurt on high, so that they’re fully lined and the yoghurt swimming pools on the plate, then spoon over the spicy ghee. Drizzle the date syrup on high, scatter with the reserved coriander leaves and serve heat.
