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Moong dal chilla
Moong dal pancakes
Moong dal chilla (मूंग दाल चीला): thin, savoury pancakes of ground yellow moong dal with ginger and green chilli
In Jaipur and Lucknow, a stack of chilla is what a careful mother makes on a weekday morning when she wants the family to eat protein before school: soaked yellow moong dal is ground with ginger and chilli into a pale batter and spread thin on a hot tawa. They come off golden at the edges and soft in the middle, and are eaten with green chutney or rolled around a spoon of grated paneer for those who want more. Two chillas make a portion of about 205 kcal. The dal needs 3 hours of soaking first (or overnight), which is not counted in the times. The most common mistake is a batter that is too thick: it should pour like single cream, or the chilla turns stodgy and cracks when you flip it. Chef's tip: wipe the tawa with a halved onion dipped in oil between chillas; it greases the pan lightly and stops sticking without extra oil.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz split yellow moong dalrinsed and soaked in water for 3 hours, then drained
- ¾ in fresh gingerpeeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green chilliesstemmed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetidagluten-free
- ½ cup waterabout; add as needed
- ½ oz fresh corianderfinely chopped
- 1 red onionsmall, very finely chopped
For cooking
- 4 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion half (optional)for greasing the pan, optional
To serve
- 4 tbsp green coriander chutney (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put the drained 7 oz split yellow moong dal, ¾ in fresh ginger, 2 green chillies and 1 tsp salt in a blender with half the ¼ cup water. Blend to a smooth batter, scraping down the sides once, for about 2 minutes.
3 minStep 2: Pour into a bowl and stir in 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida, ½ oz fresh coriander and 1 red onion. Add the rest of the ¼ cup water a little at a time until the batter pours easily off a ladle, like single cream.
Step 3: Heat a flat tawa or non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until a drop of water sizzles and disappears in a second. Rub it with a few drops of 1 tsp sunflower oil, using the cut side of the 1 onion half if you have it.
2 minStep 4: Pour a small ladleful of batter into the centre and spread it outwards in quick circles with the back of the ladle into a 15–18 cm round. Drizzle a few drops of oil around the edge.
Step 5: Cook for 2 minutes, until the top looks dry and matt and the underside is golden with lacy brown spots. Flip with a flat spatula and cook for 1 minute more, until set with light brown patches.
3 minStep 6: Repeat with the rest of the batter and 3 tsp sunflower oil, keeping the chillas warm under a clean cloth. If they start to stick, the pan has cooled down: turn the heat up a little and wait a minute.
10 minStep 7: Serve hot with 4 tbsp green coriander chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 205 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moong dal chilla take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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