Besan Chilla (Gram Flour Pancake)

besan chilla

Besan chilla or cheela is a very tasty and healthy breakfast. You can make it on Sundays for your family. Besan chilla is also an anytime low calorie snack. If you use non-stick tava and thus less oil, it’s guilt free indulgence.

Recipe of Besan Chilla

1 cup besan (gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

1 small onion- very finely chopped

1 small tomato- very finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1. Mix all the ingredients except onion and tomato.

2. Add water little by little mixing all the time so that no lumps are formed. Add enough water to get thick pouring consistency.

3. Keep the batter aside for 15 minutes.

4. Beat the batter well.

5. Heat a non- stick tava (griddle) and put some oil on it. Wipe with a napkin.

6. Keeping the tava on low heat, pour 2 tablespoons batter in the centre. Spread the batter outwards gently with the back of a ladle (karchhi) in circular motion just like you spread an omellette. You can make big or small rounds depending on how thick or thin you want your cheela to be. Cook the chilla on medium heat.

7. After 2 minutes, pour some oil on the chilla. Sprinkle onion and tomato pieces on the chilla and press gently with the spatula so that these pieces stick to the chilla.

8. When the edges from underside look reddish brown, it means underside is cooked. Remove the cheela from the tava with the help of a wide, thin spatula.

9. Cook the upper side also with onion, tomato pieces facing downwards. Press gently. After 2 minutes, remove the chilla from the tava. Similarly cook other chillas. Serve hot with green chutney or lahsoon chutney.

Note- Make first chilla as a test chilla using small quantity of batter as first cheela usually sticks to the tava. Always spread the chilla with tava on low heat.

Alternatively, you can also mix very finely chopped onion, tomato and green chilly pieces in the batter and then spread and cook like the method above.