Moong Dal Chilla (Gluten Free & Vegan)

stack of moong dal chillas placed on a yellow color round plate with green rim

5 from 3 votes

Moong Dal Chilla (Gluten Free & Vegan)

These moong dal chilla are made with yellow moong dal, vegetables and flavored with some basic spices. Great for meal prep, these chillas are vegan and gluten free.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Soaking Time4

Total Time4 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: chillas

Author: Manali Singh

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