Bihari Besan ka Sabji

Name: Bihari Besan ka Sabji
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp rapeseed/canola oil, plus extra for deep-frying and greasing; 1 bay leaf; ½ tsp carom seeds/ajwain; salt, to taste; 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, to garnish; 125 g/4 oz/generous 1 cup gram flour/besan; 1 tbsp mustard oil; 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup water, or as needed; 1 tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; ¼ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp ground coriander; 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup water; 50 g/1¾ oz tomato paste/tomato concentrate; 1½ tsp Garam Masala (store-bought); ½ tsp hot chilli powder; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground cumin; 100 g/3½ oz Fried Onion Paste

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Yatra

By Rohit Ghai

Published 2025

About

Besan ki sabji is a chickpea dumpling curry that is also cooked in Rajasthan, where it is called gatte ki sabji. The Rajasthani version is cooked in a yogurt base with fenugreek leaves and cylindrical dumplings, whereas the Bihari version is cooked differently, with little square dumplings in a spicy tomato-based sauce.

Ingredients

Dumplings

125 g/4 oz/generous 1 cup gram flour/besan
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Asia
India
Bihar
Rajasthan
Side dish
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dumplings, except the oil, adding the water gradually and mixing well until you have a smooth pancake-like batter.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the batter to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the batter starts to come together in a ball. Transfer the batter to a greased plate