Indian Flours 101: Everything You Need to Know About the Various Differences, Uses, and Recipes

There is a broad range of food made from different wheat flours. The two primary distinction of the Indian flours is maida and atta.

In India, the use of flour made from wheat is essential to the cuisine. There is a broad range of food made from different wheat flours. The two primary distinctions between them are maida and atta.

Now, here’s a confession. I thought the two terms could be used interchangeably—but never, I repeat never, make the mistake of asserting this before a group of aunties holding rolling pins. They will knock some sense into you, and with good reason. The differences between the two are worth noting if you plan on making homemade desi bread.

It may be easier to think of it within the context of white refined flour versus whole wheat flour as we draw two separate camps in the USA:

• Atta  = whole grain flour, whereas maida =  white flour.
• Atta contains endosperm, husk bran, and, the germ of wheat while maida contains only the endosperm.

Basically, atta is said to be healthier than maida—but that does not preclude maida from being used to make some pretty spectacular flatbread. It is typically used to make naan and parathas. Here are some recipes using the two flours:

[Read Related: “3 Classic Recipes for Desi Breads“]

However, there are a plethora different flours used in making flatbreads and cakes that go beyond the two mentioned. Below, we share with you some other flours used in Indian cooking with some of our favorite recipes from Indian chefs and bloggers.

1. Besan

Besan is a very common flour in India. Besan is gram or chickpea flour, the flour being derived from dried chickpeas. Some of the most important aspects of the flour are a slightly nutty taste, an earthy smell and that it is very rich in protein. Its popular use is in the making of batter for pakoras and bhajis.

A wildly popular dish in India is besan omelet. Get master chef Sanjay Kapoor’s recipe as for it as seen on his cooking show, “Khana Khazana.”

2. Rice flour

Indians obtain rice flour from ground rice kernels. Both white and brown rice can be used to make this flour—however, brown rice flour has more nutritional value. In South India, people use it to make crepes and steamed cakes such as dosas and idlis. Other uses include making rice flour roti like akki roti and making sweets like shondesh. Here is Indian Khana’s recipe for instant rice flour dosa.

3. Moong flour

This flour gets its name from the moong beans used to make it. These flours are gluten free and very fine. In addition, the moong flour has a very low glycemic index. The low content of glycemic makes more people with particular dietary requirements use the flour. Indians utilize it to make dosas and dhokla. Check out Tarla Dalal’s 3 moong dal recipes.

4. Urad Dal flour

This flour is characteristically an Indian flour in that its use in cuisines outside of India is limited. It also called lentil flour. The primary use of it is in making pappadums. Additionally, this flour is used in making idlis and dosas when mixed with rice flour. It is among the most popular flours used for preparing vada–deep fried doughnuts mostly found in the South of India. You can make this flour at home; visit Nithya’s Corner for the recipe.

5. Corn flour

In India, people get corn flour by milling corn kernels. This flour is white in color and a fine powder. Makki ka atta is a very common name in India. Check out Food Viva for the famous Punjabi makki ki roti recipe.