When it comes to Indian foods, the flours play a major role. Indians use different dishes using different flours like lentils, millets, rice, wheat, maize, semolina and several others. You can find these flours to be famous in different parts of the country. From the fluffy bread to sourdough bread to Indian flatbreads, every cuisine has the unique bread that is paired with the main course or served as the side dish. There are different health benefits with these types of flours. Here is the list of flours that you should know!
Types of flour used in Indian cooking:
Whole Wheat Atta
One of the most common and healthy ingredients in Indian food is wheat flour. In particular, the food will be incomplete without the wheat flour. It is extracted from durum wheat that is processed and refined as there is a high amount of gluten. Traditionally, it is extracted and refined with the help of the stone grinder called chakki. Lots of dishes are prepared with this flour like roti, paratha, malpua, atta halwa, Rajasthani dal bati, etc. This flour offer minerals like manganese, selenium, folate, copper and phosphorus.
Maida (All purpose flour)
As the name indicates, it is the flour used for lots of purposes and highly popular among people all over the world. It is commonly used in several ways, from cakes to white bread, pasta sauce and several others. Other notable Indian snack items like mathri, farsi puri, nimki, Punjabi samosa, shakkar para are also prepared with this flour. It offers the best texture, and it also offers amazing taste for the recipe. Further, it also contains 10% of protein and is enriched with the minerals like Niacin, Folic acid and Iron.
Jowar atta
Sorghum flour is also called as white millet flour as the nutty taste offers the delicacies a perfect taste. It is enriched with the goodness of thiamine, vitamin B12, Zinc, Vitamin A, iron and folate. Further, it is the great floor for the fibre that will make it good for diabetes and help in improving digestion and relievers the issues like constipation.
Bajra atta
It is made of the small round grains of the black millet and used for preparing several new dishes. This is obtained when the bajra is ripe and when it gets ready for harvesting. The plant will be cut and tied in the bundle for drying. The bundles are threshed and the grains are separated easily. The flour is dried, and it becomes greyish in the slightly nutty flavour.
Ragi flour / finger millet
If you are looking for healthy flour, this is the great option. This floor contains a good course of nutrition, and it is also overloaded with Magnesium, Carbohydrates, Potassium, Zinc and Iron, and Calcium. It is good for the people who are suffering from diabetes as it helps in fighting against it. You can have this in the form of chila, roti, biscuits or cookies. The flour is often mixed with the whole wheat flour to accentuate the taste and health quotient of the rotis.
Makkai atta / Maize flour
It is extracted from corn, this nutrient-rich flour is rich in the source of the healthy fibres, carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals like phosphorus and magnesium. This rich content of the flour will make it the great food for the diabetics, and the presence of the insoluble fibre will help in effective weight management of an individual. Traditionally, this flour is used for making chila, paratha, and rotis.
Multigrain atta
Made up of the soft wheat, it is commonly used for all the purposes. Its protein content places it between all purposes and offers different tasty dishes. Some common food varieties you can try out pie dough, muffins and cookie batters.
Rice flour
As the name indicates, it is extracted from the rice, and it is also called as the ground rice flour. Typically, it is considered as the staple food for the people in south India. Several dishes can be made with this type of flour. It is loaded with the fibres, carbohydrates, proteins and several other minerals like copper, thiamin, magnesium and several others. It is a nutritional component making it a great source of nutrition. One best thing about this flour is that it is gluten-free. Amazing rice flour helps in preparing snacks, cookies, fritters, etc. as well.
Semolina / Rava
It is one of the most popular and common ingredients in most of the Indian houses. The flour is extracted from the durum wheat flour. It is commonly used for gnocchi, couscous, pasta and pudding. It is also famous for preparing several other Indian dishes like upma, rava idli, halwa, rava dosa, rava dhokla. There are also several other innovative dishes with this flour from the Indian style of preparation. The flour is high in gluten, and it is also loaded with the nutrients like magnesium, folate, crabs, fibre and proteins. It is good for heart health and helps in reducing the risk of cancer and managing sugar.
Besan (Yellow gram flour)
It is one of the most common flours in India. Besan is the gram or the chickpea flour, the flour being derived from dried chickpeas. Some of the vital aspects of the flour are its nutty taste, the earthy smell, and it is also rich with the protein content. However, it is popular for making some dishes like Bhajis and Pakoras. For vegetarians, the Besan omelette is the best replacement for the egg omelette.
Urad dal flour
This flour is characteristically an Indian floor that is in use in the cuisines outside of the country is much limited. The primary use of this flour is to make pappadums. Further, the flour is also used for making the idlis and dosas when it is mixed with the rice flour. It is among the most popular flour that is used for making the vada deep-fried doughnut. You can commonly find these in the southern part of the country.
The bottom line
Having the note of the different types of flours and the dishes that are available to prepare with it is the best way to taste different recipes. So, these are some of the commonly used flours in India. Are you now looking for the best destination to buy these flours? Visit JustHaat! Here, you can find a huge list of Indian flours at a reasonable cost and high quality. So, buy the flour from here and serve healthy food for your loved one.
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