These soft moong dal chillas are made with split moong dal, veggies and some spices. It’s an easy to make chilla which requires minimal prep. Eat them for breakfast or lunch, these chillas are also vegan and gluten free and great for meal prep. I like to often pair them with paneer bhurji for a filling and protein rich meal.
In India, we make all sorts of chillas , I remember mom making besan chilla and sooji chilla very often for breakfast. It’s called as chilla, puda, pudla in different parts of India but they all refer to the same thing- crepes often made with grains, lentils and more often savory than sweet.
I would always eat chillas for breakfast but now I often eat them for lunch, especially these moong dal chillas. They are so filling, easy to make and you can make the batter in advance which makes them great for meal prep as well. The chilla is spiced with ajwain, turmeric, salt and flavored with fresh ginger, cumin seeds, and chilies. Vegetables like onions, carrots are added for more flavor whereas cilantro adds freshness to the chillas.
They are very similar to my crispy moong dal dosa, the difference being I add rice flour to moong dal dosa to make them crispy whereas I like these chillas soft. Both the dosa and chillas can be served with mint chutney, coconut chutney , or tomato chutney.
Batter Consistency
The batter for the chilla needs to be on the thicker side but it should have a pouring consistency. If it’s super thick, you might not be able to spread it. If you prefer crispy chilla, keep the batter thick (yet pouring consistency) and then spread it on a hot cast iron pan.
A runny batter will also be difficult to spread on a pan in a circular motion and will result in soft chillas.
Let’s Make Moong Dal Chilla
- Soak moong dal
First, rinse the moong dal twice and then soak it in water for at least 3 to 4 hours, I also soak it overnight when I can remember. The lentils will absorb water and swell up, drain them using a strainer.
- Grind the chilla batter
Transfer the soaked and drain dal to a blender along with ginger, cumin seeds and green chili. And then water to grind to a smooth paste.
- Add vegetables and spices to the batter
You can add any vegetables of choice- I have used onions, carrots and cilantro, you can use chopped peppers, spinach, green onions etc. For the ground spices, I have used ajwain, and turmeric but you may use chili powder, coriander powder.
- Prepare the batter
Mix everything and then add more water as needed to make a thick yet pouring consistency batter. It should not be super thick or runny.
- Start making chillas
I like to make them on cast iron pan, spread a ladle full of batter in a circular motion on the hot pan making a 6 to 7 inch circle. Then add oil all around the edges of the chilla.
- Cook the chilla
Flip and cook the other side as well until the chilla is nicely golden brown from both sides. Make all moong dal chillas similarly.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Unable to spread chilla on pan
Solution: This can happen if the batter is too thick or too thin so make sure the batter consistency is correct. It should be thick but of pouring consistency. Secondly, if the pan is super hot, then also it will be difficult to spread the batter. The pan should be hot but not extremely hot.
Chilla not crispy
Solution: If you prefer crispy chillas, firstly you can add a tablespoon of rice flour to the batter. Secondly, you also have to make sure that the batter isn’t thin as a thin consistency batter will result in soft chillas and thirdly cook the moong dal chilla on a cast iron pan. The combination of these three things will result in crispy chillas.
Moong Dal Chilla (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal, 200 grams split and husked, dhuli moong dal/yellow moong dal
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 green chilies, to taste, I use 1 green chili
- ½ inch ginger
- ¾-1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ½ cup + 4-5 tablespoons water, as needed to grind the water
- ⅓ cup red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup carrots, grated
- ⅛ teaspoon ajwain
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- oil, to cook the chillas, I use avocado oil, use around 1 – 1&½ teaspoon oil per chilla
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup yellow moong dal well with water 2 to 3 times and then soak it in 2 to 3 cups of water for a three to four hours, you can also soak overnight. Then drain the water and transfer the dal to a blender along with 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 green chili (to taste), ½-inch ginger, and ¾-1 teaspoon salt (to taste).Add water, around ½ cup + 4-5 tablespoons as needed to grind to a thick batter of pouring consistency.
- To the batter now, add ⅓ cup red onion (chopped), ¼ cup cilantro (chopped), and ¼ cup carrots (grated). Stir well with a spatula and then add ⅛ teaspoon ajwain and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric. You can also add some coriander powder and red chili powder if you prefer.
- Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat, once hot, add a little oil on the pan and then take a ladle full of the batter and pour it on the center of that hot pan. Now, using the back of the ladle, spread the batter in circular motion, starting from the center and going outwards clockwise. Once you have a circle of around 6 to 7 inches diameter (or whatever size you wish to make), pour some oil all around the edges.
- Let one side cook until it's lightly golden brown and then flip the chilla with a spatula and cook the other side as well, pressing it with a spatula until it's also lightly golden brown in color and cooked through. Serve with mint chutney.
Notes
- You can use vegetables the finely chopped tomatoes, chopped green onion or spinach or peppers. I often make these chillas with different vegetables.
- To make it a complete protein rich meal, serve it with a paneer or tofu bhurji.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I just made it for the second time. They came out much better the second time. My Indian neighbor loved them, her comment was “Jim this chills was very authentic and delicious. I am totally impressed. I do not under take making this dish as it has many layers of prep. Wow. Loved it. Thanks for sharing.” I also made the Paneer Bhurji it came out very good too. Thanks for the recipes.
Thanks for trying Jim, glad you enjoyed it!