This & That

Disclaimer – Unless specified, this is a collection of information from various sources like health articles, cookbook, food recipes and more to which I give all credit.

What’s the difference between the colors ‘Tuscan Gold’ and ‘Warm Gold’? Well, both colors have a golden hue, yet there is a small degree of difference which makes each unique in it’s own way. That’s what I’ve tried to explain in this page. There are ingredients and terms pertaining to cooking and baking with similar names or spelled interchangeably but it may be different and vary in quality, form and nature. This page features the similarities and differences of products that helps one distinguish between terms.

American Buttermilk and Indian Buttermilk

• American buttermilk (Cultured buttermilk) – Raw milk was also left at room temperature for a couple of days to become sour from the natural lactic acid producing bacteria. The culture(bacteria) converts the lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid which changes the pH. Change in pH(acid-base measure) makes the milk proteins (casein) insoluble and precipitate. This thick milk was called clabbered milk/sour milk/curdled milk. Now a days culture is added/inoculated to pasteurized and homogenised milk to simulate the process. The fermented milk is thick with live culture. The modern buttermilk has tart taste due to culture, which is not alive.
• Indian buttermilk (Traditional buttermilk) is called Chaach/ Mattha/ Moru/ Taak. The milk is boiled, cooled down to warm, fermented to make Dahi (IndianYogurt). The dahi is churned to make ‘Makhan’ (white butter). The Makhan would float which will be skimmed off. After the butter is removed, the remaining thin liquid is called Chaach. Chaach is low in fat with live culture and lactic acid. This type of buttermilk is commonly used in Indo-Pakistan households.

Source : indiacurry.com, Wikipedia, ehow.com 

Besan (Gram flour) and Chickpea flour (Garbanzo flour)

I’ve come across many recipes that uses besan and refer to it as ‘chickpea flour’. I agree that both besan and chickpea flour is made with same pulse, but the type differs. I suggest not to replace Indian chickpea flour for European/ mediterranean chickpea flour as taste and texture is not the same.

• Besan – It is also called as Gram flour/ Channa dhal flour. Besan is made by pulverizing unroasted chana dhal that is obtained from desi/ kala channa with small, darker seeds and a rough coat. It is available in Indian grocery shops. Roasted channa dhal flour can be found under the name chana flour/ chana dal flour/ gram flour/ dal flour. It is gluten free with an earthy aroma. It has a yellow hue slightly darker than garbanzo flour. It is finely ground and not coarse like the chickpea flour used for making falafel.
• Chickpea flour – It is made by pulverizing dried kabuli/ safed channa or garbanzo beans which is light coloured, large seeds with a  smoother coat. This has a nutty taste. This is the actual chickpea flour called as farina di ceci/ cici flour (Italian) and Farine de pois chiche (French) used to make Italian bread-like side dish called ‘farinata’ or french pancakes ‘socca’.

Source – tarla dalal

This page is under construction and will be updated periodically. Watch out for more info…..!!!