Besan Chilla or besan cheela is a delicious and healthy savory Indian pancake recipe made with gram flour (besan), aromatics, and tomatoes. Fill the batter with your favorite grated vegetables to make your meal more nutritious, and serve as a quick breakfast, brunch, or even as a late-night snack.
Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi
Course: Breakfast
Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Also Read: Kadai Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (gram flour), 100 grams
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions or 1 small onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped tomatoes or 1 small tomato
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- ½ to ⅔ teaspoon finely chopped green chilies or serrano pepper
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger or ½ inch
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 2 to 3 pinches turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
- salt as required
- oil as required
Instructions
Also Read: A carrot halwa (Gajar ka Halwa) recipe made in the traditional way
Making Chilla Batter
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Take the gram flour in a mixing bowl.
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Add the onions, tomatoes, ginger, green chilies ground spices, carom seeds, coriander leaves, and salt.
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First, add ½ cup water and with a wired whisk begin to mix.
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If the batter looks thick, then add 1 to 3 tablespoons more water. Depending on the quality and texture of besan, you can add less or more water.
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Mix to a smooth flowing consistency in the batter. Break lumps if any while mixing batter.
Cooking Besan Chilla
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Heat a frying pan or a skillet on low to medium-low heat. You can use an iron skillet or a non-stick pan. If using an iron skillet or two, then spread a bit of oil on it.
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Let the pan become medium hot. Then take a ladle full of the batter and pour on the pan
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Gently with the back of the ladle, begin to spread the batter.
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Spread lightly and gently so that the cheela does not break.
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On a low flame cook the chilla till the top begins to look cooked.
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Then drizzle ½ to 1 teaspoon oil on the chilla at the edges and all around.
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Continue to cook till the base gets light golden.
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Flip and now cook the other side.
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Cook this side until you see golden spots on the besan chilla.
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Fold and serve chilla hot or warm. Besan chilla is best had hot. But if you are not able to serve them hot, then place them in a roti basket or casserole. They remain warm and can be served later.
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