Gram flour ‘white’ sauce

I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I find white sauce per se, somewhat incomprehensible, although it – and the rather posher sauce Béchamel - are an excellent basis for making other and eminently more interesting sauces. One of the main drawbacks of white sauce is that apart from the milk, which for vegans can cover a multitude of sins, it’s not necessarily very nutritious. While mushrooms in white sauce on toast or pasta, for example, are a quick and easy meal, if we substitute chickpea flour for corn/wheat flour, we not also get better nutrition but a more interesting result. At least to me, it’s more interesting. Give it a try and see what you think.

One of the drawbacks of using gram flour is its tendency to go lumpy. This recipe gets rid of any initial lumpiness, and if you stir the mixture constantly, over a low to moderate flame, you should end up with a perfectly smooth sauce. The end result is fairly thick – add more water, once it has thickened, if you want it runnier.

As with white sauce, there are as many variations as your imagination can conjure up, but I put in a few examples below, and as this recipe is vegan, I shall also suggest some ideas for vegetarians.

Makes 1 cupful – enough for 2 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp gram flour

1 tbsp oil or melted ghee

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

good grind of black pepper

Instructions:

• Put the flour into a small saucepan and knock out the worst of the lumps with your spoon. Now pour in the oil or melted ghee and mix in the flour very thoroughly, effectively making a roux, while eliminating any remaining lumps.
• Now add a quarter cup of the water to the roux and blend into a smooth cream.
• Put the pan over a low heat and add some more water, blending everything carefully again. Raise the heat to moderate and keep stirring.
• When the sauce is showing signs of thickening, add the remaining water, the salt and the pepper. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, still stirring constantly.
•  Now reduce the heat to low again, and carry on stirring while it thickens. Taste to see if more salt is required. Don’t taste it before it starts getting thick: raw gram flour is not nice. Keep stirring until it has stopped thickening.

Notes

• This, as you will have noticed, is a very basic white sauce and you will want to add more ingredients. Most people seem to add milk – dairy or plant – but this really isn’t necessary. The gram flour adds a thickness and creaminess which is quite different from wheat flour. However, if it is somewhat lacking:

Variations: 

• The obvious place to start is the water. Substitute milk, if you like. Or boil the cup of water and put in a piece of onion, stuck with a clove or two and a bay leaf. Let it stand for half an hour or so to absorb the flavours and strain into the saucepan. Equally you can do this with milk. 

• A quicker way of achieving a similar result is to use 1/4 tsp onion powder or garlic granules plus the clove and bay leaf, which you’ll take out before serving. 

• Seasonings such as nutmeg or herbs, will enhance the basic sauce.
• Add mushroom stock powder, or a tsp of my equivalent.

• This sauce also makes a good basis for a pasta sauce, combined with some lentils/beans and/or vegetables. 

• Adding Indian spices, you can make a good creamy sauce to which you can add lentils, beans and/or vegetables.

• The sauce makes a good addition to creamy soups, either before or after blending. 

• Cheese sauce: include 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp Dijon mustard to the sauce with the first addition of water. Stir in 1 tsp tahini, too, for extra richness.  Or for vegetarians, add grated cheese before raising the heat. 

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You will find many more recipes elsewhere in this blog.