<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Original question:  I just bought some chana besan, matpe bean and urid
flour.  I did some net surfing and the closest I could come to
translating these was chana=garbanzo, matpe and urid=lentil &/or split
pea.  Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Barb
email address:   "Barb Gardner" <[log in to unmask]>

Thanks to all who posted.

A review of the following postings yields:

5 people said channa, chana, chana besan = garbanzos(= chickpeas)
1 person said is was Indial(misspelling?)yellow split peas

Urid(urad)= black gram beans (legume; when the black hull is removed
they are small, oval and creamy white)

Matpe bean= no one knew

Also someone wanted to know where I was getting these flours.  I bought
all the flours at Valley Harvest at the intersection of 288th and
Military Rd just north of Federal Way, WA. The chana besan was $.99/lb
bulk(risky, I know), the other two were $3.89/2 lb bag.

At the GIG conference, an attendee said she shops at a new asian mall in
Renton(??) or maybe it was near Southcenter.  If someone knows about
this could they email me with location details?         I thought I would
remember, but obviously I haven't.

 =========================================================================

I'm familiar with chana dal (dried bean). This is actually a relative of
the garbanzo bean family, and not a grain.

----------------------------

I'm assuming you found these at an Indian grocery.  I've never heard of
the matpe before, but I might be able to help on the other two.

Urid/Urad dal is the Indian name for black gram beans.  They are a
legume and usually come hulled.  They are then creamy white.  I've also
bought the flour.  I've used the dal to make mock cheese crackers and
Idlee (fermented rice and bean cakes), but haven't used the flour yet.

Channa dal are the Indial yellow split peas.  I've used these hulled and
split, but not the flour.  Garbanzo flour is usually labeled gram besan
or just gram flour in an Indian market.  I'd imagine that the channa
besan would be made from channa dal and not garbanzo.

---------------------------

Chana/besan is "chickpea/garbanzo bean flour".

Urad (urid) is black bean (not a lentil really; definitely not a pea).
Both of these are used in Indian (Asian) cooking.

I am not familiar with matpe.

--------------------------------

Yes Chana is chickpeas or garbanzo beans as they are called in the US.
Urid is generally a brown dal (which is the indian word for any kind of
lentil/pea). I have not seen the name matpe though. If you have trouble
finding this one let me know I have some Indian friends I can ask.

------------------------------------

 I'm very interested in where you got the split pea flour.  I have a
recipe for a bread made in Trinidad that is GF--made with split pea
flour--and then filled with a chickpea filling that is to die for.
Actually I have to get more details before I can try the recipe (the
sender forgot to mention the "liquid" ingredient), but am going to
Trinidad next week, so I hope to track the details down.  Let me know if
you are interested in the recipe, and I'll send you what I know when I
return. (Yes, Please send me the recipe!)

--------------------------------------

I believe you have them right.  There are some Indian cookbooks which
can give you recipes for using these flours for Indian dishes (yum!).  I
haven't ever tried using the flours for any other purpose, but what a
great idea!

Some of my favorite Indian dishes include papadums, usually made from
lentil flour...I just buy them already made, kind of like tortillas in a
way.  I cook them in the microwave on a stoneware plate until they are
light and crispy, kind of like a potato chip or a dorito chip.  A
delicious snack, full of protein!

I also like samosas...these are basically little turnovers, usually
stuffed with a vegetable or meat mixture and deep fried.  The pastry is
often made with the besan (chickpea) flour.   Very savory and delicious.
Besan is also used to make a coating for vegetable chunks that are deep
fried...vegetable fritters.  Dip in a chutney sauce that is hot or sweet
or both.

You might enjoy going to an Indian restaurant and trying some of these
things to see if you like them.  Many have a buffet at lunchtime or on
Sundays when you can try many dishes for a modest price.  Then look for
recipes in a cookbook.

I would caution you to ask the owner about the use of wheat flour in
their dishes...some of the Indian breads are made with wheat flour...you
might ask if they use wheat in any of their other dishes too, just to be safe.

--------------------------------------

chana besan=chickpea. I use instead of garfava flour in the various
recipes/mixes

matpe bean=??

urid flour=if it is spelled urad then it is probably from black gram
which is a small, oval, creamy white colored dahl with a black husk. It
is usually ground for a batter or fried to add to a curry (in Southern
India). My initial reaction to the urid spelling was that it was a wheat
flour mix for some type of Indian bread, however I don't have my best
source here so cannot verify if this is correct.

--------------------------------------------

Tuver-ni-dal -- split pigeon peas
Chana dal -- split chickpeas(= garbanzos)
Tuver -- pigeon peas (these spoil easily)
Urad dal -- whole black beans
Mung dal -- whole green beans
Chola dal -- blackeyed peas
Lal chola dal -- red blackeyed peas

Dals require storing in glass jars in plastic containers with tight
lids.

Flour chana flour -- garbanzo bean flour(= chickpeas) bajri (millet)
flour  (Bajri flour should be bought fresh and used quickly.  Any flour
leftover should be refrigerated.)

This is from a cookbook called "A Surti Touch - Adventures in Indian
Cooking" by Malvi Doshi.  It is out of print.