Besan Ji Bhaji

Ok, I know "normali" is a relative concept on this blog, but this recipe is still downright weird. Don't get me wrong, this is delicious, fantastic, bizarre, and amazing: exactly what I'm searching for. And it isn't simple; this takes a while. This is delicious though.

Gram flour, or besam, or chick pea flour may be available at your local natural foods store, and definitely at a local Indian store. It's usually very cheap, so this is an inexpensive meal.

Besan ji Bhaji

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hour

Serves: 3-4

Chickpea Biscuits:

1 cup gram flour (besam)

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

3/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 garam masala

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Curry:

3 onions, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

2 green chillies

1/2 tsp garam masala

Prepare the Gram Flour Biscuits:

Mix all the chickpea ingredients in a bowl. slowly add water, mixing until it has a dough-like consistency. Use the gram flour to powder a surface and your hands, and flatten the dough onto the surface. Sliced into small squares.

Heat a large pot full of water, and add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Add the squares and boil for five minutes.

Remove them and strain, and then heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the chickpea pieces, until golden brown on each side. Remove from the oil, and set aside to prepare curry.

Curry:

In a large pot, heat a little ghee or oil. Add the onions, lightly salting them, and fryuntil translucent. Add green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are tender. Add the garam masala and chickpea biscuits and sprinkle a little water over the curry, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro.