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Besan Chilla (Savory Gram Flour Pancakes)
Besan Chilla also known as Besan ka Cheela is a vegan, gluten-free, and protein-packed Indian pancake made with gram flour, and veggies and flavored with Indian spices. These savory gram flour pancakes are easy, nutritious, and perfect with Chutney, pickle or ketchup, for breakfast, snacks, or for kids lunchbox!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 cup besan gram flour
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup tomato finely chopped, 1 small tomato
- ¼ cup green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1-2 green chillies finely chopped, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ajwain carom seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida hing
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 to 1¼ cup water to make batter
- oil for cooking as required
Instructions
Prep work:
- In a mixing bowl add the gram flour (you can sift the flour if you prefer to do so), turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ajwain, hing, and salt.
- Using a whisk mix all these dry ingredients and then add water, half cup at a time. I used about 1 cup water. The consistency should be pouring.
- Mix well till incorporated and smooth without any lumps.
- Next add the veggies - onion, tomato,bell pepper, green chillies, ginger and cilantro leaves. Mix until everything is well combined.
- The batter should be pouring consistency so incase you feel the batter has become thick after adding the veggies adjust the consistency by adding some water. Mine was just right with the original 1 cup of water we added before.
How to make Besan Chilla
- Heat up the pan on medium heat and once hot add a ladle full of the batter to the pan and spread it as thin as possible.
- Drizzle some oil (about a teaspoon) around the chilla and on the top, cover, and cook until the batter is all cooked on the top about 1-2 minutes.Ensure the bottom side is not turning brown too quickly in which case adjust the heat).
- Flip using a spatula and let the other side cook too. Press down and cook until you see golden brown spots. Once done, remove it onto a plate. Besan Chilla is ready!
- Repeat these steps for the remaining ones. Wipe the pan with a wet kitchen towel to bring the pan temp down for the next pancake. Make sure the pan is hot but not very hot otherwise they will brown quickly.
- Serve Besan chilla with chutney and ketchup with hot tea!
Notes
Ensure the batter is smooth, lump-free, and has a pouring consistency similar to that of pancake batter. It should not be too thick or too thin (watery). Test with a small pancake and adjust the water or gram flour as needed to achieve this.
For making chilla, you can use a good quality non-stick pan or a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. I find an 8.5-inch pan is the perfect size.
Heat the pan over medium heat. Cooking on high heat might brown the chilla quickly on the outside while leaving the inside undercooked.
If the griddle is too hot, turn down the heat, wipe it with a wet kitchen towel to bring down the temperature, and then spread the batter.
After pouring the batter, cover the pan with a lid. This helps in even cooking and also makes the chilla fluffy.
You can also add paneer to the batter or grated paneer or cheese over the cooked chilla for added protein.
Nutrition
Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
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