Basen is chickpea flour that is commonly used in South Indian cuisine. We typically toast basen in advance to be stored as a pantry staple that is ready to use as needed. Toasted basen is most often used to make besan chutney when serving rava dosa.

Toasted Basen

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 cups basen (chickpea flour)

Directions

1. Heat the ghee in a pan. 
2. Add the basen to the pan to toast it. You need to continuously stir the basen so it does not burn. The basen is ready when it becomes fragrant and a little more yellow. 
3. [optional] Occasionally the basen is coarse, instead of a fine powder. If this is the case, grind it up.