Also known as garbanzo flour, chickpea flour makes an excellent healthy alternative to plain flour – if you know how to work with it. Read on to learn more about this gluten-free favorite and how to get the best flavor and use out of it in your cooking.
What Does Chickpea Flour Taste Like?
Chickpea flour has a strong earthy flavor and a pleasant nuttiness that deepens when cooked. When raw, however, it has a sharp, bitterness that easily overpowers its more nuanced undertones. Dry roasting the chickpea flour before use will get rid of the bitter taste and bring out more of its nutty flavor as well as a hint of natural sweetness.
To make chickpea flour, garbanzo beans (aka white chickpeas) are first soaked and cleaned, then dried completely before being ground into a powder and sieved.
Because the process is so straightforward, there are a variety of ways home cooks and commercial producers can adapt it to suit their needs, from drying the chickpeas in the sun, in an oven, or in a dehydrator, and grinding them in a quern stone, food processor, or even a coffee grinder.
Chickpea flour is mostly commonly associated withIndian cuisine, but also has uses in traditional South European and North African dishes. Use chickpea flour to make crisp pakoras and fritters, tender flatbreads and pancakes, and even hearty curries. It works wonderfully in batters, breading, and doughs and is an effective thickening agent for curries, soups, and stews.
In recent years, chickpea flour has also become a popular gluten-free and protein-rich alternative for regular flour in American kitchens. For baked goods, you can replace half of the all-purpose flour in your recipe with chickpea flour for an added health boost or use it as a complete substitute for denser flours like buckwheat or rye. You can also use an equal amount of it if you’re substituting smaller amounts of plain flour, such as for binding a burger or thickening a sauce. Remember to toast the chickpea flour in a dry skillet or oven beforehand to eliminate any bitterness in the final dish.
Chickpea flour is full of healthy nutrients. It's a great alternative to refined wheat flour, as it's lower in carbs and calories yet richer in protein and fiber. Research suggests that it may have antioxidant potential and could decrease levels of the harmful compound acrylamide in processed foods.
It imparts a slightly nutty flavor and makes an excellent substitute. To substitute, you can use almond flour for chickpea flour in a 1:1 ratio. Almond flour tends to be more moist, so you might need to adjust the liquid content in your recipe slightly.
While refined flours can quickly raise blood sugar levels and lead to “spikes and dips” in energy, chickpea flour is a slower-burning carbohydrate that doesn't impact glucose levels as substantially, which means it has a lower glycemic load.
As I said, chickpea is hearty. So, if you are going to use chickpea flour in a recipe that calls for all purpose flour, use half. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of all purpose flour you would then just use 1/2 cup chickpea flour.
Reducing cholesterol can help lower blood pressure, thereby protecting against heart attack and stroke. Chickpeas also contain polyphenols, such as flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and are anti-inflammatory.
Complex carbs slow the emptying of the stomach and make you feel full longer! Due to the high fiber content of chickpea flour and its effect on LDL-C, or bad cholesterol, cholesterol is cleared from the body and this reduces the build-up of plaque in our arteries.
3 Tablespoons (about 2 ounces) of chickpea flour packs slightly more folate than half of your daily needs, more than 3 times the amount of iron found in one egg, provides about 6 grams of dietary fiber (which eggs don't carry any of) and about 13 grams of protein (an egg only contains 7).
Chickpeas contain no cholesterol. According to a 2016 review , a diet rich in pulses such as chickpeas can help decrease LDL cholesterol, which can benefit heart health.
Researchers noted that because chickpea flour maintains the structure of its dietary fiber, creating a form of resistant starch, it takes longer to digest compared to wheat flour. This is similar to other types of “alternative flours” made from non-wheat sources, such as cassava, black beans, peas, and lentils.
Chickpea flour is more versatile than you might think. It can be used, in part, in decadent baked goods like banana bread and cupcakes, or in classic breakfast dishes such as pancakes and crepes. It's also the perfect substitute for white flour in savory staples like meatballs, pizza dough, and dumplings.
To replace one egg, simply mix 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of water until you have a thick and creamy mixture. If replacing an extra large egg, use 4 tablespoons of each. When I want an extra thick egg substitute, I mix the chickpea flour with almond milk instead of water.
While you can easily buy pre-made chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour), you'll find that making your own homemade flour is definitely cheaper, especially if you use a lot of this gluten-free flour.
Chickpea flour has impressive health benefits – it's lower in carbs and calories than regular flour, but richer in protein and fibre. In Indian cooking, it is traditionally used to make crisp onion bhajis and other fried delights. Try it yourself with our delicious red onion & chilli bhajis with mint & garlic raita.
Another unique quality about chickpea flour is that it packs a nutritional punch with fewer calories. One cup of chickpea flour has 356 calories, 21 grams of protein and 53 grams of carbs. This is significantly better than the 455 calories, 13 grams of protein and 95 grams of carbs found in 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
Researchers noted that because chickpea flour maintains the structure of its dietary fiber, creating a form of resistant starch, it takes longer to digest compared to wheat flour. This is similar to other types of “alternative flours” made from non-wheat sources, such as cassava, black beans, peas, and lentils.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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