Besan Chilla
May 26, 2020, Updated Jun 11, 2020
Besan Chilla is a savory pancake made with gram flour and veggies. It's vegan, gluten-free and a popular breakfast in India!
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Simple savory pancakes made with gram flour and veggies, this Besan Chilla is a popular Indian breakfast and one that was made pretty regularly in my house.
You can add lots of veggies to it to make it more nutritious. These are vegan and gluten-free.
Besan (gram flour) is a commonly used ingredient in India cooking.
It is used in an array of savory as well as sweet recipes like kadhi, ladoo, pakora, dhokla and much more!
One of the easiest and simplest way that I grew up eating it was in Besan Chilla.
It is a pancake which is made with besan and veggies. It’s filling and nutritious and makes a hearty meal for any time of the day.
My mom would often make it for breakfast. But we also made it for a quick snack sometimes, especially with evening chai.
Some people also refer these as vegetarian omelette, meaning it kinds of looks same without the egg.
The recipe is super simple, just mix everything together and make the chilla.
This Besan Chilla
✔ makes a filling meal.
✔ is gluten-free and vegan.
✔ great way to sneak in the veggies.
✔ makes a great breakfast or snack option.
Chilla is a great way to add lots of veggies to your diet. I have used onion, carrots and peppers here.
You can also add beetroot, spinach, methi, tomato etc. Just finely chop or grate the veggies and then add to the chilla.
Sometime, I make a very simple one with just onions. It’s quick and easy, however when I have time I like to sneak in as many veggies as I can.
To make it even more nutritious, you can even fill it with paneer. Just like you fill a dosa, add some grated paneer on one side of the chilla once done and fold over.
It makes it more filling, even some grated tofu will be nice.
Making besan ka chilla is easy and quick, there’s no waiting time. You only mix everything together and then make the chilla.
For cooking these, I like to use my cast iron pan. You can of course, use a non-stick pan and that will work just fine.
However, just like dosa, I feel chilla also turns out better when cooked on cast iron.
Serving Suggestions
I like to eat the chilla with cilantro chutney.
However, Sarvesh likes it with tomato ketchup. So it’s a personal choice.
And of course, a cup of masala chai is must for me.
Method
1- To a large bowl add besan, ajwain and salt and mix.
2- Add chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped cilantro, chopped green pepper, chopped ginger and chopped green chili.
3- Start adding water little by little while whisking continuously to form a thick batter of pouring consistency.
4- It should not be runny but it should not be very thick either. It should have a pouring consistency.
5- Heat a iron skillet/tawa on medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, take a ladle full of the batter.
6 & 7- And pour it on hot tawa. Move the ladle in circular motion to spread the batter on the tawa.
8- It should be a round circle of 5 to 6 inch diameter.
9- Pour around 1/2 teaspoon oil around the edges of the chilla and few drop on top.
10- Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes and then flip.
11- Press with a spatula and let the other side cook for around 2 minutes on medium heat.
12- It should have little light brown spots. Once cooked from both sides, remove the chilla from pan.
Make all besan chilla in similar way. You will get more or less chilla out of this better depending on how big you make them.
Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup!
If you’ve tried this Besan Chilla Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Besan Chilla
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups besan 158 grams, gram flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ajwain carom seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrots finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons green pepper finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped
- 1-2 green chili chopped, to taste
- 1 cup + 2 to 4 tablespoons water 240 ml + 30-60 ml, as needed
- 3-4 teaspoons oil to cook the chilla
Instructions
- To a large bowl add besan, ajwain and salt and mix.
- Add chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped cilantro, chopped green pepper, chopped ginger and chopped green chili.
- Start adding water little by little while whisking continuously to form a thick batter of pouring consistency.It should not be runny but it should not be very thick either. It should have a pouring consistency.
- Heat a iron skillet/tawa on medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, take a ladle full of the batter.
- And pour it on hot tawa. Move the ladle in circular motion to spread the batter on the tawa.It should be a round circle of 5 to 6 inch diameter.
- Pour around 1/2 teaspoon oil around the edges of the chilla and few drop on top.
- Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes and then flip.Press with a spatula and let the other side cook for around 2 minutes on medium heat.
- It should have little light brown spots. Once cooked from both sides, remove the chilla from pan.
- Make all besan chilla in similar way. You will get more or less chilla out of this better depending on how big you make them.Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup!
Notes
- You can add veggies like beetroot, tomato, zucchini, spinach etc. to the chilla as well. You can even fill it with paneer or tofu to make it more filling.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
