Ingredients

  • ▢1 cup Moong dal yellow skinless
  • ▢2 Green Chilies
  • ▢2 Red chilies
  • ▢1 inch Ginger
  • ▢¾ cup Carrot grated finely
  • ▢3 Tablespoon Cilantro
  • ▢1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • ▢to taste Salt
  • ▢3 Tablespoon Oil I prefer Indian Gingelly oil (to cook the chilla
    Instructions
  • Wash the moong dal well and then soak it in fresh water for 2 to 4 hours. If making the chilla for breakfast, we could soak the moong dal overnight as well.
  • When ready to grind, drain the moong dal.
  • In a blender / mixer jar, add the drained moong dal, green chilies, red chilies, ginger and turmeric powder.
  • Grind the mixture well without adding too much water. If we add a lot of water in the beginning, I find it hard to grind the batter smooth. Add water as needed when grinding and grind it into a smooth batter. Pour the ground batter in a bowl.
  • Add salt needed to the batter and also add the grated carrots and cilantro. Add the chopped onions if using that as well. Mix well.
  • Heat a cast iron tawa / pan or a non stick pan. Once it is hot, reduce the heat to medium and pour a ladle full of batter. Smear the batter in a circular motion spreading it to form a pancake / dosai.
  • Drizzle about ½ teaspoon oil around the chilla evenly. Let it cook on this side and then flip the cheela to cook on the other side.
  • Remove the moong dal chilla and serve hot with chutney.
  • Notes
  • Serving suggestions
  • I served the Moong dal chilla with spicy Kara Chutney last night for dinner. I love Cheela with some kind of spicy chutney or gothsu. Few other options that will work well
  • Expert tips
  • Soak the moong dal for at least 2 to 3 hours.
  • Add less water when grinding as that helps in making smooth batter.
  • I added carrots and cilantro, but we could add onions for different flavor as well.
  • I didn’t use rice or rice flour in my Moong cheela batter. If you prefer crispier chilla, then soak 2 Tablespoon of rice along with the lentil or add 2 Tablespoon rice flour in the batter.
  • I like using cast iron pan for even cooking of the cheela. We could use non stick griddle as well.
  • Eat the chilla when warm. If making it ahead of time, store in a container covered with cotton cloth and a plate and then re heat before serving.
  • Nutrition
  • Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1201IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg