Moong Dal Chilla

A great way to add healthy proteins to your diet, moong dal chilla is a quick breakfast recipe. All you need to do is remember to soak the moong dal at night. This no-sweat recipe can be made in 10 minutes flat as there is no fermentation required. This is a great healthy breakfast food and even prefect as an accompaniment to some vegetable dishes like cauliflower, potato and tomato curry. Traditionally a chilla is made with besan (Gram flour or chick pea flour), but there are several variations can be made, Moong dal chilla is one of them. Moong dal chilla is easy and quicker to prepare then dosa. It does not require fermentation. It is usually serve with coriander chutney, pickles and tomato chutney.

For variations it could be prepared with the combination of vegetables. Chilla / Cheela are savory crepes served for breakfast, or even as snacks. Moong dal chilla is something my Mom used to make quite often for breakfast, and I developed a taste for them only recently. They are a great option for Sunday breakfasts. Coming back on the recipe I am sharing here, I learnt it from my mom. It’s very simple and easy. Only tricky part is the batter. If that is done correctly, you are all set to make it. Here is the recipe for "Moong Dal Chilla".We normally make chilla – a savory pancake popular as breakfast food in India – with besan (gram flour), but my taste buds prefer the more delicate flavors of moong dal chilla. I like the chillas with a very Hot green chutney made with lots of green chillies, cilantro & lemon juice.So, let's get started with this simple moong dal chilla recipe!

 

Prep time       : 10 mins                    Cook time        : 20 mins                   Serves         : 6
Cuisine :North Indian (Breakfast)

Ingredients	Quantity
Yellow split moong dal	1 cup
Urad dal	½ cup
Green chilies	3-4 no’s
Grated ginger	2 tsp.
Garam masala	Pinch
Hing	Pinch
Oil	cooking
Water	1 cup

 To temper

Oil	1 tbsp.
Cumin seeds	1 tbsp.
Onion	1 small
Spinach	2 cups
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp.
Red chilli powder	¼ tsp.
Chat masala	2 tsp.

 Method

For the batter

1. Rinse and soak the moong dal and urad dal separately for the 3 hours. Grind the soaked dals along with green chillies and ginger with 1 cup of water in a blender.

 2. Mix the asafetida, garam masala and salt with the dal paste. The consistency of the batter should be like thin pancake batter. If the batter looks thick you may add little more water.

 

For the tempering

3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle. After done put the onions with the chopped spinach to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Check for salt.Now add all the spice powders to the pan. Keep stirring till the raw smell goes off. Removing from the heat. 

Frying the chillas

4. Pour this tempering item in the dal batter. Add a little oil to the non-stick frying pan and heat lightly. Take a little dal batter and spread on the pan about the size of a chapatti.Smear a little oil around the mixture and cook for a few seconds till the side gets little brown and turn over to fry the other side.

5. While turning the pancake, make sure it is slightly brown. After few seconds, take out moon dal pancake from the pan into the serving plate.

Take care not to cook it on slow heat or else the chilla will become too crusty. Similarly if the heat is high, the chilla will change color too soon and it will remain uncooked inside

6. Crispy and tasty moong dal chilla is ready to eat. It’s tasted awesome while it is served hot. Serve and eat immediately with your favorite chutney like hari chutney, tomato chutney or with any vegetable curry.

Notes

To prepare the next chilla, turn off the gas. Cool the tawa by sprinkling some water. Wipe clean and repeat the process.

To season the griddle spray any kind of non-stick cooking spray on hot griddle then
with the napkin wipe it off...

Also can be served with mango chutney and tamarind chutney.