Description

Besan is sold at 500 grams, a kilo and two kilos almost everywhere, and Balaji have landed on 750 for reasons only they know. It turns out to be a genuinely useful gap to fill.

The flour goes off before most households finish a kilo, and 500 grams runs out halfway through cooking for a crowd. Three quarters of a kilo covers a good batch of pakoras with enough left for a kadhi, which is roughly what a fortnight looks like in a house that fries occasionally.

Why does besan pack size matter so much? Because besan goes bitter as the oil in the chickpea ages, and stale besan taints everything it touches. Buying a size you will actually finish in two or three months matters more with this flour than with wheat atta.

Is Balaji besan coarse or fine? The pack does not state a grade, which is normal for besan. Assume a standard everyday grind that will do pakoras, kadhi and chilla perfectly well, and buy a labelled fine besan if you specifically need smoothness.

In half a kilo, Manji gram flour at 500 grams is the smaller step, and besan and gram flour in stock run from 500 grams up to 2 kilos. Vegetarian. Store it in a cool, dry place in a sealed container, because flour takes up damp and picks up the smell of whatever sits beside it. Order online at Panjab Supermarket for same-day delivery across Nieuwegein, Utrecht, Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten, Maarssen, Zeist, Bunnik, IJsselstein, Vianen, and Culemborg. Free delivery on orders over 49 euros.