Besan Chilla | Protein Chickpea Pancakes
Besan Chilla (Besan Ka Cheela) is a simple, protein-packed gram flour pancake from North Indian cuisine, ready in 30 minutes. Serve it for breakfast with green chutney, pickle, or ketchup, or as an evening snack with tea or coffee. It can also be packed for a kid's school or an office lunchbox.
Servings: 8
Calories: 194kcal
Equipment
- Tawa or Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups Besan gram flour or chickpea flour
- 1 cup Sooji Semolina, or Rava
- 1 ½ to 2 cups Water
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chile powder
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 2 Green chilies finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 Capsicum Bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Tomatoes chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves cilantro chopped
- 100 g Paneer grated
- Oil for cooking cheela
Instructions
How to make besan chilla?
- In a bowl, add besan, suji, and water. Mix well. Cover and rest it for 15 minutes.2 cups Besan, 1 cup Sooji, 1 ½ to 2 cups Water
- Give it a mix again, then add coriander powder, chili powder, black pepper powder, cumin powder, green chilies, salt, onion, capsicum, and tomatoes, and mix again.2 teaspoon Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon Cumin powder, 2 Green chilies, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 1 Onion, 1 Capsicum, 2 Tomatoes
- To this, add turmeric, coriander leaves, paneer, and mix.¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder, ¼ cup Coriander leaves, 100 g Paneer
- Add water if needed and adjust the consistency accordingly.
- Cheela batter is ready.
How to cook soft cheela?
- Heat the pan, tawa, or skillet on medium heat.
- Take a laddle full of batter and spread it in a circular motion. Drizzle oil.Oil
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom turns golden.
- Flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes.
- Serve hot immediately with pickle, green chutney, tomato ketchup, or yogurt, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- The final texture of the chilla depends on the batter's consistency and how you spread it. Thicker batter will give you softer chillas, while thinner batter will give you crispy crepes.
- Today I have added rava (semolina or sooji). You can add oats instead to make oats chilla.
- Because they are unleavened, cheelas are generally dense. For a soft and fluffy texture, you can add a pinch of baking powder, baking soda, or eno.
- Adjust all the spices to your taste.
- Cook on medium heat for crispier edges.
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1243IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 5mg