Besan chilla
I love instant foods, because it makes life so easy and helps make yummy dish fast. Thinking about instant recipes, the first thing which comes to my mind is dosas. Amma makes a huge container of dosa batter ready all day in the fridge so she can whip up some hot ghee roast, paper roast or uttapam etc in no time. I make variety of instant dosas at home using different flour. Some of the most loved instant dosa recipes are rava dosa, wheat dosa and ragi dosa. This dosa is my latest obsession, hubby constantly ask for high protein breakfast options and this is one of that instant variety high protein recipe.
About Besan Chilla (cheela)
Besan, gram flour or chickpea flour is a pulse flour made from ground chickpeas. Gram flour, also known as chickpea flour, is a nutty, earthy-flavored flour. It is naturally gluten free. It is a common ingredient in Indian cuisines and used across Bangladeshi, Burmese,Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Caribbean cuisines. Some Popular dishes made using besan are bajji, pakoras and kadhi pakora. Besan chilla also known as besan ka cheela, chilla, gram flour dosa, gram flour crepe or even chickpea chilla. This is made with gram flour, onions, tomatoes and other spices. There is no particular recipe for this dish. You can customise this as per your requirement. Some people like to mix wheat flour (atta) in the batter to make it more crispy. You can add chopped vegetables, ajwain, coriander leaves and other spices to the batter. Besan cheela can be stuffed with variety of stuffings including paneer, mixed vegetables, egg, chicken or even cheese. Besan chilla is a popular Rajasthani breakfast dish. Typically it is served with green chutney or tamarind chutney. But I like to serve it with Sambar, coconut chutney, tomato chutney or onion chutney. The meal was so good and I couldn’t stop myself from eating it. Everyone loved it specially my kids.
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Watch Besan Chilla Video
Besan chilla Ingredients
Gram flour - use the finest quality gram flour for best taste and crispy texture. If your gram flour is lumpy, sieve it through a fine sifter. Onions and tomatoes - make sure your finely chop onions and tomatoes before mixing into the batter. Green chilli - chop chillies finely and add into the batter for spicy taste. Coriander leaves and curry leaves - make sure you add lots of fresh coriander leaves and curry leaves for the fresh taste. Spice powders - I used a mix of turmeric, chilli and cumin powder for the fresh spicy taste. Ginger - one of the main flavouring, grate ginger and add into the batter. Asafoetida - it helps with digestion and adds aroma.
Tips for Besan Chilla Taste to Better
Quality - Make sure you use finest quality which makes a whole lot of difference. Sieve the flour - gram flour or besan tends to have lumps, so sieve it first before making batter. Add ons- onions, tomatoes, chillies, coriander leaves and curry leaves are main add ons in the chilla batter. Batter consistency - make sure the batter is at the right consistency. The batter shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. Just the right consistency makes the dosa crispy. Oil or ghee - cooking the chilla in ghee gives lots of flavour to the dosa.
How to Make Besan Chilla (Stepwise Pictures)
Making Chilli Batter 1)Take gram flour in a bowl, if your gram flour is lumpy, you can sieve it once. 2)Add in spice powders. I am using chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and turmeric powder. 3)Add in asafoetida and cumin seeds. Instead of cumin seeds you can use ajwain as well. 4)Now add in finely chopped onions and tomatoes into the flour mixture. 5)Add in green chillies and grated ginger. 6)Add in chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves. 7)Add in salt to taste. 8)Mix well so the ingredients is mixed. 9)Add in water and mix to a smooth batter. The batter consistency is important, make sure the batter is not too thick or too thin.
Making Besan Chilla
10)Take a ladle of batter and make dosa. When spreading dosa, if you find it hard or the batter is not evenly spreading. Add some extra water and mix. 11)Spread dosa batter on a hot tawa thinly. 12)Drizzle oil around the sides and cook on medium heat. 13)Let it get golden brown on the base. 14)Flip over and cook for few more minutes. Serve hot with chutney.
Variations
Wheat besan chilla - sometimes making chilli only with besan flour can be overpowering for many. So add some wheat flour to make it slightly different. Stuffed chilla - Besan cheela can be stuffed with variety of stuffings including paneer, mixed vegetables, egg, chicken or even cheese. Crispy chilla - for extra crispy chilla, add either ½ cup of rice flour or ¼ cup of sooji to the batter.
Expert Tips
Sieve gram flour if it is lumpy. Also use best quality gram flour. Once the batter is mixed. Let it rest for 10 minutes before making dosa. Make sure the batter is not too thick or too thin. If the batter is too thick then the dosa will be thicker and chewier. Don’t skip asafoetida and ginger which helps with digestion.
Storage and Serving
Typically it is served with green chutney or tamarind chutney. But I like to serve it with Sambar, coconut chutney, tomato chutney or onion chutney. Leftover besan chilla batter can be stored in an air tight container in fridge for up to 2 to 3 days.
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