In the western part of our country, gram flour (besan) is an important ingredient of cuisine, especially in the snacks. These states are predominantly vegetarian and have a great tradition of snacks that are not only mouthwatering, but also ingested in combination with others. One such is fafda and jalebis, which is a salt and sweet much sought-after combination as a breakfast snack. Normally, Gujarati cuisine gives a free rein to sweetness of jaggery, but fafda is an exception being a salty snack made out of gram flour, turmeric and carom seeds, which is fried crisp and served with chutney.
Fafda Chutney is a delectable dip used as an accompaniment with fafda, gathiya and an assortment of various bhajias. The main ingredient of this chutney is gram flour that involves sautéing. It is further embellished with curd, green chili and other assorted spices to give it a quality which sets it a class apart in taste and feel.
Health benefits
- Besan helps regulate blood pressure and makes a healthy substitute for gluten.
Ingredients
cup besan (gram flour): 1/4
cup khatta dahi (plain curd): 1/4
tsp kala namak (Black salt): 1/4
finely chopped hara mirch (Green chilis) : 2
tsp chopped adrak (ginger): 1
tbsp chopped fresh dhaniya patta (coriander leaves): 2
tbsp chopped pudina patta (mint leaves) : 1
pinch hing (asafetida): 1
tsp sarson (mustard seeds): 1/2
tsp plain Sugar: 1
salt to taste
tbsp oil for cooking: 1
cups of water: 2
How To Make Besan Chutney
- Make a paste of ginger along with green chilies, mint leaves, green coriander leaves.
- To a bowl, add besan, dahi and 2 cups of water.
- Blend the mixture until it becomes smooth with even consistency with a hand blender. Ensure that there are no lumps.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium size pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to crack, add asafetida.
- Add the mixture of besan followed by kala namak, sugar and normal salt, according to your taste and allow it to boil on a moderate flame.
- Lower the flame when it starts boiling, and cook for around 5-7 minutes until earthy smell of gram flour goes away.
- Stir often so that the mixture does not burn at the bottom of the pan and sticks to it.
- Turn the flame off and add the paste consisting of ginger, chili, mint and coriander prepared earlier. Mix well and the chutney is ready to serve.
Trivia:
- Fafda and jalebi combination is very popular in Gujarat. It is popularly prepared for Lord Rama on Vijaya Dashami.