بیسن
Gram flour, chickpea flour, besan. This noun refers to the fine, pale yellow flour made from ground chickpeas (also known as chana dal or Bengal gram). بیسن is one of the most essential and versatile ingredients in South Asian cuisine, used in everything from savory snacks and fritters to sweets, thickeners, and even skin care preparations. The word is derived from the Sanskrit "বেসন" (besana) or from the Prakrit "বেসন" (besana), meaning flour made from pulses. In Urdu speaking households, بیسن is a pantry staple, as common as wheat flour or rice. It is used to make پکوڑے (pakoray, fritters), کڑھی (kadhi, a yogurt and gram flour curry), مٹھی (mithi, a sweet snack), سبزیاں (sabziyan, vegetables coated and fried), and countless other dishes. Beyond the kitchen, بیسن is also used in traditional beauty treatments as a face pack and body scrub. The word is informal and domestic. It belongs to the language of the kitchen, the market, and the home. It is a word that evokes comfort, tradition, and the taste of childhood for many Urdu speakers.