Besani Poori

Deep-fried Gram (Chickpea) Flour Bread

Vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 40 minutes, plus standing timeCook 10–15 minutesMakes 10–12

Crisp, puffed Indian deep-fried flatbreads made from gram and wheat flours scented with fenugreek and asafoetida. They have a rich, nutty flavour and a lightly spiced, savoury finish.

dough spices

1 gSifted with the flours and salt (step 1)

Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder

0.7 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Asafoetida · Hing

~0.3 gpinch

spice

Mix together; they will be sifted into the bowl.

Everything else

Gram flour · Besan

200 g

flour

Wholemeal flour · Attaplus extra for dusting

120 g

flour

Salt · Namak

~0.3 gpinch

salt

Fenugreek leaves · Methichopped

1.6 g2 teaspoons

herb

Ghee

625 g

oil/fat

Method

Sift 200 g gram flour, 120 g flour, 0.3 g salt, and the dough spices into a wide bowl, then mix in 2 teaspoon chopped fenugreek leaves.
Gradually pour in cold water, kneading until a firm, stiff dough comes together.
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let it rest in a warm area for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll each piece thin on a lightly floured worktop.
Heat 625 g ghee in a deep pan or kadhai to 180°C (350°F).
Slide the rolled dough rounds into the hot ghee in batches and deep-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until fully puffed and golden brown, then lift out with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper.

Don't have something?

Gram flour

Chickpea flour
Use the same weight. Gram flour is chickpea flour, so this is an exact swap with the same nutty flavour and binding.
Plain flour
Use about 75–80% of the weight, e.g. 80 g for 100 g gram flour, and add a pinch of turmeric for colour. Less nutty and less crisp; good only for thickening or simple batters.
Rice flour
Use the same weight for crispness, but it does not bind like gram flour; mix with a little plain flour if making pakora batter.

Wholemeal flour

Whole wheat flour
Use the same weight; it is almost the same, though slightly finer, so add water gradually.
Plain flour
Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the result is lighter and less nutty.
Flour
Use the same weight as plain flour; reduce water slightly and expect less bran and colour.

Chilli powder

Red chilli powder
Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powder
Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepper
Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Asafoetida

Garlic powder
Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.
Garlic paste
Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Fenugreek leaves

Dried fenugreek leaf
Use 10% of the fresh weight, rub between the palms or soak in warm water for 5 minutes. More hay-like and less fresh-bitter; add near the end.
Spinach
Use the same weight, chop and wilt. Gives leafy body but none of methi's bitter aroma; adjust salt and add a pinch of sugar.
Fenugreek shoots
Use the same weight, chop finely and discard any tough stems. Milder and more tender; cook 2–3 minutes less.

Ghee

Unsalted butter
Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oil
Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oil
Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Similar dishes

Papri

Gram (Chickpea) Flour Biscuits (Crackers)

Papri has a harder crunch and a sharp, pungent bite from the mustard oil, lacking the buttery richness and herbal fenugreek notes of this dish.

Same: Papri shares a chickpea flour base seasoned with chilli powder, asafoetida, and salt, and is also deep-fried.
Different: Papri is made entirely without wheat flour or fenugreek and is fried in mustard oil as crisp crackers rather than in ghee as puffed breads.

Rajasthani Karhi

Gram (Chickpea) Flour & Yoghurt Curry

Rajasthani Karhi is tangy and soupy with pronounced cumin and garlic heat, unlike the crisp, rich, and mildly spiced bread.

Same: Rajasthani Karhi shares chickpea flour, chilli powder, asafoetida, and ghee with this dish.
Different: Rajasthani Karhi is a simmered yogurt curry tempered with cumin, turmeric, garlic, and green chillies, whereas this dish is a bread deep-fried in ghee.

Khandavi

Gram (Chickpea) Flour Rolls

Khandavi is soft and tangy from yogurt with a warm seed-and-curry-leaf tempering, while this dish is crisp, puffed and rich with ghee and fenugreek leaves.

Same: Khandavi and this dish both use gram flour, asafoetida and chilli, and both are savoury Indian snacks.
Different: Khandavi adds yogurt, ginger paste, green chilli paste, turmeric, cumin seed, sesame seed, dried red chilli and curry leaf, and it is cooked and tempered in vegetable oil rather than made with wholemeal flour and deep-fried in ghee like this dish.

Kathirakkai

Aubergine (Eggplant) Fritters

Kathirakkai tastes savoury and ajwain-aromatic with tender aubergine inside and a sour tamarind-coriander chutney, while this dish tastes nutty from gram flour and fenugreek with a rich ghee finish.

Same: Kathirakkai shares with this dish a crisp deep-fried form, a gram/chickpea-flour base, asafoetida, and chilli powder.
Different: Kathirakkai coats aubergine slices in a chickpea-flour batter with rice flour and ajwain and fries them in vegetable oil, while this dish is a gram-and-wholemeal-flour dough with fenugreek fried in ghee and served without chutney.