Make Your Own Chickpea Flour

You will find in some Indian, Turkish, Italian, Spanish and French recipes that it will ask for chickpea flour. But finding a store that stocks chickpea flour can be difficult. Here is how you can make your own in little to no time at all.

Chickpea flour — also known as besan, gram flour, channa flour, harina de garbanzo — is a popular ingredient in many Old World cuisines. It is the used in the batter for Indian pakoras. The French of Provence make a popular bread called soccawith it that they bake in wood-fired ovens. Persian Jews mix it with ground chicken to form gundi dumplings. Chickpea flour can also be a great substitute for wheat flour in many recipes and for thickening sauces. Good news for those who want to go gluten-free!

Here's how to make your own. It should yield around 1 1/2 cups.

Chickpea Flour Recipe

• 2 cups of dried chickpeas

1. Add the chickpeas in small batches to a food processor, coffee grinder or blender and process until pulverized and smooth.
2. Run through a sieve to remove any large particles. Use as directed in recipes.

• Toasted Chickpea Flour: toast the chickpeas in a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the chickpeas start to give off a toasted aroma and are lightly browned. Cool and proceed with the recipe above.