Gram flour
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Gram flour, not to be confused with Graham flour, also known as chana flour or besan is a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine. It consists of ground chana dal also known as Bengal grams in some localities, and it is used in various foods such as sweets and bombay mix. Besan is typically confused with chickpea flour.As stated above,besan is ground chana(NOT chickpea)dal.Chickpeas are larger and light brown in color and are used in making items like falafel.Chana are smaller and dark brown in color.Culinary quality of these two are very different.
Vegetables deep-fried in Gram flour batter are known as pakoras. When onions are so fried they are known as onion bhajis.
Gram flour contains carbohydrates and hence may not be suitable for low-carbohydrate diets, but it is suitable for gluten-free diets.
It is also used as a facial exfoliant, something that is very popular in India and Pakistan, by making a paste out of it by mixing it with water and sometimes plain yogurt as well.
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