Besan Chilla, Besan Cheela
by Tarla Dalal
besan chilla recipe | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | with amazing 19 amazing images.
This besan chilla recipe also called Rajasthani besan cheela is a tasty Indian pancake made of besan (gram flour), spices and herbs.
Chilla or Cheela are popular Indian crepes. They have a texture similar to a soft dosa. Besan cheela or besan chilla is prepared with gram flour, spices and sometimes with a dash of vegetables. healthy gram flour veg omelette makes for a quick and easy breakfast or evening snack. You can relish them as it is with pudina chutney and sweet chutney or stuff it between bread slices to make a wholesome Besan Chila Sandwich.
The Rajasthani besan cheela is very convenient and easy to make as the batter does not require any soaking, grinding or fermentation. Just mix together besan and a couple of readily-available spice powders, and you are ready to cook the pancakes. Gujarati besan cheela is made with basic and minimum of ingredients and is also a protein rich dish! We have combined besan with turmeric powder, chili powder, asafoetida, coriander and water. We have made a batter out of it.
Make sure to add water in batches as adding water in one go might make it lumpy. To make besan chilla nutritious, add vegetables of your choice like grated cabbage, carrot or finely chopped capsicum, onion, tomatoes. Ensure the veggies are tiny so, you can spread the chilla easily without tearing.
Further, pour a ladle of chilla batter on a non-stick tava, make sure the flame is low. Spread it in circular motion, making it look like a dosa. Cook from both the sides till golden brown and crisp. Make sure to cook the besan chilla on medium flame, if cooked on a high flame it will get the desired colour but will be raw from inside. Serve with green chutney and with grated cheese and paneer if serving to kids!!
See why we call is it healthy gram flour veg omelette? Besan has more good fat than whole wheat flour and also higher protein content. Rich in complex carbohydrates and with a low glycemic index, besan is good for diabetics too. If you are diabetic, watch the oil quantity and at most have only one chilla.
Enjoy besan chilla recipe | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | with detailed step by step recipe photos and video below.
Besan Chilla, Besan Cheela recipe - How to make Besan Chilla, Besan Cheela
Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Total Time:
Makes 4 chillas
For Besan Chilla
1 1/4 cups besan (bengal gram flour)
1 1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
salt to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
4 tsp oil for cooking
For Serving With Besan Chilla
4 tsp green chutney
For besan chilla
- For besan chilla
- To make {span class="bold1"}besan chilla{/span}, combine the besan, chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt and approx. ¾ cup of water in a deep bowl and whisk well.
- Add the coriander and mix well.
- Heat a tava, pour a ladleful of the batter on it and spread it in a circular motion to make a 175 mm. (7”) diameter circle.
- Smear 1 tsp of oil evenly over it and along the edges and cook on a medium flame till the chilla turns golden brown in colour and crisp.
- Flip over and cook on a medium flame for another minute and fold to make a semi-circle.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 to make 3 more {span class="bold1"}besan chillas{/span}.
- Serve the {span class="bold1"}besan chilla{/span} immediately with green chutney.
Besan Chilla, Besan Cheela Video by Tarla Dalal
Other cheela recipes
- Chilla or Cheela are popular Indian crepes. They have a texture similar to a soft dosa. Besan cheela or besan chilla is prepared with gram flour, spices and sometimes with a dash of vegetables. They make up for a quick and easy breakfast & evening snack. You can relish besan chilla recipe | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | as it is with pudina chutney and sweet chutney or stuff it between bread slices to make a wholesome Besan Chila Sandwich. Listing down some popular chilla recipes :
Batter for besan chilla
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To prepare the batter for besan chilla recipe | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | in a deep bowl take besan. Make use of fresh, aromatic flour. Rancid smelling gram flour will result in bitter besan cheela. If using stored flour, sieve to get rid of the lumps.
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Add chilli powder. Add more or less as per the spice you prefer.
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Add turmeric powder.
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Add asafoetida.
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Add salt.
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Add ½ cup of water first and mix. Adding a lot of water in one go makes the batter lumpy so, add water in stages.
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If the batter looks too thick and you think it requires more water then add approx. ¼ cup of water and whisk well.
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Add the coriander. To make besan chilla nutritious, add vegetables of your choice like grated cabbage, carrot or finely chopped capsicum, onion, tomatoes. Ensure the veggies are tiny so, you can spread the chilla easily without tearing.
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Mix well to get a smooth pouring consistency batter. For a variation, you can add leafy greens like spinach, methi, amaranth.
How to make besan cheela
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To prepare besan chilla | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | heat a tawa (griddle) on a low flame and pour a ladleful of the batter on it
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Spread it in a circular motion to make a 175 mm. (7”) diameter circle with the back of the ladle.
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Smear 1 tsp of oil evenly over it and along the edges.
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Cook on a medium flame till the vegetarian omelette turns golden brown in color and crisp from the bottom and looks cooked on top.
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Flip over and cook on a medium flame for another minute. If cooked on high flame then it gets brown easily while besan inside is still raw. This rawness will ruin the taste of besan puda.
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Cook till you see golden brown spots on this side too.
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Fold the besan pudla to make a semi-circle.
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Carefully remove besan chilla a plate.
- Repeat steps 1 to 7 to make 3 more besan ka chillas.
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Serve eggless omelette immediately with green chutney. If you are preparing this for kids, garnish hot besan chilla | Rajasthani besan cheela | healthy gram flour veg omelette | with grated cheese or paneer.
- If you enjoyed this recipe of besan chilla, also check out other cheela recipes like :
tips for besan chilla
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To make besan chilla nutritious, add vegetables of your choice like grated cabbage, carrot or finely chopped capsicum, onion, tomatoes.
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Ensure the veggies are tiny so, you can spread the chilla easily without tearing.
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Further, pour a ladle of chilla batter on a non-stick tava, make sure the flame is low.
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Spread it in circular motion, making it look like a dosa.
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Cook from both the sides till golden brown and crisp.
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Besan chilla is rich in Folic Acid, Fiber, Phosphorous, Vitamin B1, Protein.
- Folic Acid : Folic acid is an essential vitamin required throughout pregnancy. 38% of RDA.
- Fiber : Dietary fiber reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent the spike in blood sugar levels and hence super for diabetics. Consume more fruits, vegetables, moong, oats, matki, whole grains. 32% of RDA.
- Phosphorous : Phosphorous works closely with calcium to build bones. 28% of RDA.
- Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 20% of RDA.
- Protein
| Energy | 236 cal |
| Protein | 10.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30.7 g |
| Fiber | 7.9 g |
| Fat | 7.9 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Vitamin A | 214.9 mcg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.2 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.1 mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 1.2 mg |
| Vitamin C | 2.6 mg |
| Folic Acid | 76.5 mcg |
| Calcium | 31.5 mg |
| Iron | 2.7 mg |
| Magnesium | 67 mg |
| Phosphorus | 170.7 mg |
| Sodium | 38.4 mg |
| Potassium | 372.8 mg |
| Zinc | 0.9 mg |
Great, instant item for kids
Get great encouragement to prepare this dish.Today I will try and let you know.
Love this recipe.
I love chila!! It is like a delicious vegeterian, sumptuous omelette! Its delicious with a little bit of tomato puree for that tangy flavour in the batter as well! Thanks so much for a good recipe! I always season it with coriander too.