We have a definite snack problem that is directly linked to our TV programme watching problem. For some reason, we just can’t watch an episode of The Bridge or Scandal or even The Graham Norton Show without a bit of chocolate or a handful of  popcorn or Indian snacks. And because they’re so crucial to our everyday life, we thought we’d have a go at making our own. We rooted around our baking cupboard and found a lonely bag of besan (Indian gram/chickpea flour) that we’d bought last year to make dumplings. Besan is definitely an overlooked ingredient and you can do so many things with it! You can put it in your chapatti mix, put it on your face as a type of mud pack and you can even make some gluten-free crackers. We opted for the last one – creating funny shaped snacks that are perfect for dunking into whatever dip you have on hand – in our case, wasabi dip!

Makes about 15 funny-shaped chips

1/2 cup chickpea flour or Indian besan
1 tsp caraway seeds or ajwain
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli oil
1 tbsp water
extra oil for rolling
1 tsp ghee for frying

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan assisted).
2. Combine the besan, ajwain, black pepper, salt, chilli oil and water in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly so that you’re left with a slightly sticky dough.
3. On a oiled surface, roll out the dough to about 1 or 2 cm thick and cut into whatever shape you like. (We like abstract, clearly.)
4. Heat the ghee in a hot frying pan and when it is melted, fry the crackers – 1 minute on each side. Don’t let them get brown, you just want the dough to be cooked through.
5. (Optional – if you like your crackers crunchy) Then place the crackers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Turn the oven off and leave the crackers in there for 10 minutes so they become hard/crunchy.
7. Enjoy immediately with dip or store in an airtight container for a few days.

So what do you think? Feel free to share your questions and comments below! We’d love to hear what you have to say.

1. Add the ghee to a hot frying pan