Ingredients
- ▢0.25 cup moong dal (split & husked moong lentils)
- ▢0.5 to 0.75 cups water for soaking
- ▢0.06 cup water, for grinding or add as required
- ▢0.06 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ▢0.06 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ▢0.13 teaspoon roasted cumin powder or cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
- ▢0.25 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- ▢0.06 cup chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
- ▢0.06 cup finely chopped onions
- ▢0.25 teaspoon grated or finely chopped ginger (adrak)
- ▢0.25 to 0.5 green chilies – finely chopped
- ▢0.25 teaspoon salt or add as required
- ▢0.25 to 0.5 tablespoon oil for cooking chillas or add as required
Instructions Soaking And Grinding Moong Dal
- Rinse the moong dal 3 to 4 times in water.
- Soak moong dal with 2 to 3 cups of water for 3 to 4 hours or over night.
- The moong dal will swell or double up in size. Discard the water.
- In a grinder, grind soaked moong dal with ¼ cup of water.
- Don’t add too much water else they might not grind evenly. We need a smooth and lump free batter for moong dal chillas.
Making Moong Dal Chilla Batter
- Take the batter in a bowl. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder and 1 teaspoon salt or as required.
- Mix very well.
- Then add add ¼ cup coriander leaves, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, finely chopped green chilies and a pinch of hing.
- Again mix very well.
- Allow the batter to rest for 15 -20 mins.
- The onions will leave some moisture. check the consistency of the batter. If its too thick, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water. Adding too much water will not be good as it will not spread evenly on the tawa.
- The consistency of the batter has to be of pouring consistency, neither too thick nor too thin.
Making Moong Dal Chilla
- Heat the pan. This is important as the pan has to be hot before you make the cheelas.
- Add a scoopful of batter towards the center of the pan.
- The batter will spread a little on its own.
- Just rotate the batter with the back of spatula giving a round and even shape.
- Drizzle few drops of oil around the edges of the chilla.
- Cook the chilla on medium heat. After a minute they will look crisp and brown.
- Flip the chillas and cook the other side for a minute.
- Once the moong dal chilla appear crisp and brown, remove and place aside.
- Similarly make all other chilla. You can stuff the chilla with some grated paneer if you want.
- Serve moong dal chilla with tomato ketchup or green chutney.
Notes
- Add the spice powders less or more depending on your preferences.
- You can skip or reduce green chilies, if you want.
- For a spicy chilla, you can increase red chili powder or use hot green chilies.
- Some grated veggies like carrots, beetroot, cabbage and capsicum can be added to give a nutritional boost in the chillas.
- For a gluten free moong dal chilla, skip adding asafoetida (hing).
