Besan in Cooking: Pakora Batter Ratio, Kadhi, Cheela and Laddu
Raw besan tastes bitter and smells like wet grass, and nearly every flat pakora or lumpy kadhi comes from forgetting that. Here’s how to use besan in cooking with real ratios for pakora batter, cheela, kadhi and laddu, plus how to keep the bag bug free.
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Besan in cooking: what it is (and what it isn’t)
Besan is flour ground from chana dal, the split, skinned kala chana. It isn’t the same as the pale “gram flour” some shops sell that’s mixed with yellow pea or lentil flour, which cooks up blander and grittier. Real besan is pale yellow with a faint warmth to the colour, silky between the fingers, and has a clean, beany smell.
A few buying checks:
- A bright, almost lemon-yellow colour can mean added colour or cheaper pulses mixed in. Genuine besan is soft yellow, not neon.
- Fresh besan smells nutty. Old besan smells stale or faintly soapy and gives bitter pakoras.
- Coarse besan (sometimes sold as “laddu besan” or mota besan) is deliberate and makes grainier laddus. Fine besan is best for batters and kadhi.
You’ll also meet besan outside the kitchen, in ubtan. That use is covered in our besan and haldi ubtan post, so this one stays at the stove.
Pakora batter ratio that stays crisp
For pakoras, thicker is better than you think. A thin batter slides off the onion, leaves bare patches that scorch, and sends the whole pakora out of the karahi heavy with oil.
| Use | Besan | Water | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onion, mixed veg pakora | 1 cup | about 1/3 cup | Very thick, just coats |
| Aloo, baingan slices | 1 cup | 1/2 cup | Like thick cream |
| Mirch pakora | 1 cup | 1/2 cup | Clings to a spoon |
| Cheela | 1 cup | 3/4 cup | Pourable, like dosa batter |
- Sift 1 cup (about 100 g) besan into a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons rice flour for extra crunch.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon lal mirch, 1/2 teaspoon crushed ajwain, 1/2 teaspoon crushed sabut dhania and a pinch of haldi.
- For onion pakoras, toss 2 thinly sliced onions with the dry mix and the salt first, and wait 10 minutes, and the onions release enough water that you’ll need almost none extra.
- Otherwise add water a tablespoon at a time, beating with your hand, until you reach the texture in the table.
- Heat oil to about 170 to 175 °C; a drop of batter should rise to the top within 2 to 3 seconds, sizzling, not burning.
- Drop in small portions and fry 4 to 5 minutes, turning, till deep golden, then drain on a rack or kitchen paper.
Most people add a pinch of meetha soda for fluffiness. It works. It also makes pakoras drink oil. Our soda vs baking powder guide gives the exact pinch and why less is better, and oil temperature and reuse are in the cooking oil guide.
Cheela for a quick breakfast
- Whisk 1 cup besan with 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon haldi and 1/2 teaspoon ajwain until no lumps remain.
- Stir in 1 small chopped onion, 1 chopped tomato without the pulpy seeds, 1 green chilli and 2 tablespoons hara dhania.
- Rest 10 minutes. Add a little water if it thickened.
- Heat a non-stick tawa on medium, wipe with 1/2 teaspoon oil, pour a ladle and spread gently into a round.
- Cook 2 to 3 minutes till the edges lift and the top looks dry, drizzle a few drops of oil, flip, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
Makes 4 to 5 cheelay. If it tastes raw in the middle, the tawa was too hot and the outside browned before the inside cooked, so lower the heat and spread thinner.
Kadhi: thickening without lumps or splitting
Kadhi breaks the heart of new cooks in two ways: the dahi curdles into little grains as soon as the pot gets hot, or the besan sets into clumps that no amount of whisking will break.
- In a pot, whisk 1/4 cup (about 30 g) besan into 1 cup sour dahi until completely smooth. Then whisk in 3 cups water. Everything cold, everything smooth, before any heat.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon haldi, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon lal mirch.
- Put on medium heat and stir constantly, scraping the bottom, until it comes to a boil. This takes about 10 minutes. Don’t walk away. Stirring is what stops the split.
- Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer uncovered 25 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then. The raw besan taste fades and the kadhi thickens to coat a spoon.
- Add pakoras in the last 5 minutes, then the tarka of ghee, zeera, methi dana, sookhi lal mirch and kari patta.
Too thin? Whisk 1 tablespoon besan into 1/4 cup water and stir it in, then simmer 10 minutes more. For a clear gravy rather than a kadhi, a cornflour slurry is the usual thickener instead. Too thick? Add hot water. Homemade sour dahi works best; the method is in our dahi and lassi guide.
Roasting besan for laddu and why the smell matters
That grassy, beany smell is your timer. Trust your nose. You roast until it disappears and the kitchen smells like toasted nuts and warm biscuits.
- Melt 1/2 cup (about 110 g) desi ghee in a heavy kadhai on low heat. Add 2 cups (about 200 g) besan.
- Stir continuously. It starts crumbly, turns into a thick paste after about 5 minutes, then loosens and goes glossy.
- Keep going on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes total, until the colour deepens to golden brown and the smell turns nutty. Don’t rush with high heat; the outside scorches while the inside stays raw. Patience wins.
- Take off the heat, stir in 2 tablespoons milk if you like a grainy texture (it bubbles hard, so stand back), and let it cool until just warm.
- Mix in 3/4 cup powdered sugar or bura and 1/2 teaspoon elaichi powder. Shape into about 14 laddus.
Why wait before adding sugar? Hot besan melts it and your laddus spread flat, and the homemade ghee post helps if you’re making ghee first.
In many Punjabi homes, besan roasted in ghee was given in winter as a warming food, and a spoon of besan stirred into hot milk (besan ka sheera) was the grandmothers’ answer to a scratchy throat. In Unani terms chana is considered warm and dry, so elders balanced it with ghee and dahi. These are food customs, not medicine.
Storage and bugs
Besan is a favourite of pantry insects, and because it’s rich in protein it goes stale faster than atta; in humid months keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge if you have space, or otherwise in a glass or steel jar in a cool, dark cupboard, and finish it within 2 to 3 months. Label the date. Freezing works too. Throw it out if you see webbing, moving specks, clumps that don’t break, or a sour or bitter smell.
Chana is a legume, and some people who react to peanuts, peas or lentils also react to besan; itching in the mouth, hives, swelling or wheezing after eating needs medical help straight away. Besan itself contains no gluten, but many factories and chakkis also grind wheat, so people with coeliac disease should buy besan labelled gluten free. Besan and fried pakoras are rich; people with diabetes should count besan snacks as a starchy, calorie-dense food rather than a light one. Don’t taste raw besan batter in quantity: it isn’t a ready-to-eat flour, and kidney patients on a restricted diet should ask their dietitian about pulse flours.
Besan questions people ask
What is the right besan to water ratio for pakora batter?
For onion or mixed veg pakoras, about 1/3 cup water to 1 cup besan, so the batter only just coats. Aloo, baingan and mirch pakoras take about 1/2 cup. Thick batter clings, fries crisp and soaks up far less oil.
Why are my pakoras oily?
Three usual reasons: the oil isn’t hot enough, the batter is too thin, or there’s too much meetha soda. Get the oil to about 170 to 175 °C, where a drop of batter rises within 2 to 3 seconds, and keep soda to a small pinch or skip it.
How do I make pakoras extra crispy?
Add 2 tablespoons of rice flour to each cup of besan and keep the batter thick. For onion pakoras, salt the sliced onions and wait 10 minutes so they release their own water, then add almost nothing extra. Drain on a rack rather than piling them up.
How do I get rid of the raw besan taste in kadhi?
Simmer it longer. Once it boils, give it at least 25 minutes, up to 40, on low heat. A raw, grassy taste simply means the besan hasn’t cooked through yet.
Why does my kadhi split or go lumpy?
Lumps happen when besan meets hot liquid, and splitting when dahi heats without stirring. Whisk the besan into cold dahi until smooth, then add cold water, and stir constantly until it boils. Only then can you lower the heat and leave it.
How much besan should I use for kadhi?
About 1/4 cup (30 g) besan to 1 cup sour dahi and 3 cups water gives a kadhi that coats a spoon. Too thin later? Whisk a tablespoon of besan into a little water, stir it in and simmer 10 minutes more.
How long should I roast besan for laddu?
Around 20 to 25 minutes on low heat, stirring the whole time. Your nose is the timer: stop when the grassy smell has gone and it smells nutty and biscuity. Let it cool until just warm before adding sugar, or the laddus spread.
Why does my cheela stay raw in the middle?
The tawa was too hot, so the outside browned before the inside set. Turn it to medium, spread the batter thinner and wait until the edges lift and the top looks dry before you flip.
Is besan gluten free?
Chana itself has no gluten. The catch is that many chakkis and factories grind wheat too, so cross-contact is common. With coeliac disease, buy besan that’s labelled gluten free.
Can children and babies eat besan?
Children who eat family food can have cooked besan dishes like cheela. For babies over 6 months, start with small, well-cooked amounts and no added salt or sugar before age 1, and watch for any reaction. Fried pakoras aren’t a baby food.
Is besan good for sugar patients?
Besan cheela is a reasonable choice for many people with diabetes, but besan is still a starchy, calorie-dense flour and pakoras are fried in it. Count it like roti rather than treating it as a free food, and ask your dietitian how it fits your plate.
Can besan cause an allergy?
It can. Chana is a legume, and some people who react to peanuts, peas or lentils also react to besan. Mouth itching, hives, swelling or wheezing after eating means getting medical help straight away.
How do I know if besan has gone bad?
Fresh besan smells clean and nutty. A stale, soapy, sour or bitter smell, webbing, moving specks or clumps that won’t break mean it’s time to throw it out. Old besan also gives bitter pakoras.
Can I freeze besan?
Yes. Seal it in an airtight bag and freeze, then let the bag come to room temperature before opening so moisture doesn’t condense inside. In a cupboard or the fridge, aim to finish it within 2 to 3 months and label the date on the jar.
How can I tell if besan is pure or mixed?
Real besan is soft yellow, silky between the fingers and smells beany when raw. A neon, lemon-yellow colour can point to added colour or cheaper pulses, and mixed flours cook up blander and grittier. If a brand suddenly behaves differently, switch.
Can I use besan instead of cornflour to thicken gravy?
For kadhi and thick, tangy gravies, besan works well. For a clear, glossy sauce it doesn’t, because it clouds and needs long cooking to lose its raw taste. A cornflour slurry is the better choice there.
More pantry basics live in Desi Remedies.