Revythalevro (chick pea flour)

Visited for the first time an Indian grocery shop in Piraeus. I hew that it was there for a long time, but had never actually entered as I have not cooked Indian food since I moved to Grece.

It did not have vast variety of things, but I could at least find what I was looking for.

Chick pea flour (left) and coriander powder (right).

I don't know why, but the supermarkets near me sell only whole coriander and no powder. As I don't have spice grinder, I could not buy whole coriander. There are spice marchants at laiki markets, but their spices do not look particularly fresh and tend to be expensive.

Chick pea flour (besan flour) is very convenient during Orthodox fasting period, but the Greeks evidently do not have tradition to eat it. It is curious, because in Italy, whose cooking has many ingredients common with the Greek one, they have chick pea flour - farina di ceci.

With it, I cooked onion bhaji and chick pea pancakes.


By the way, Megari Tetarti (Holy Wednesday) is, as well as Megari Paraskevi, the day we are not supposed to eat oil (some say that it is OK, if it isn't olive oil) as well as all the usual prohibited food. I am not so strict as not to eat for lunch the lentil soup (including olive oil) remained from yesterday's supper, but I need to cook something safe for dinner. Rather annoying task, I have to say.