This Moong dal chilla/cheela recipe is healthy and nutritious. Make this lentil protein-packed vegan savory pancakes for breakfast or snacks! It's loaded with greens and can be made in 20 minutes!
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What is Chilla
Chilla is a healthy savory pancake/crepe recipe that's very similar to the South Indian Pesarattu. It's called chilla, cheela, Pudla, or Puda, and is part of North Indian cuisine. There are a variety of cheela recipes using different flours. These vegan pancakes are made with yellow lentils or moong dal. It is very similar to the South Indian Dosa or Pesarattu. Another basic cheela recipe is using besan/chickpea flour. I keep swapping between these two vegan protein-packed pancake recipes because I love them both.
Hot Indian breakfast
Traditional Indian breakfast is always something hot and freshly prepared! The items prepared for breakfast are very diverse because there is no one fixed Indian breakfast! We love variety, which is why Indian snack recipes are always in huge demand.
Growing up, I don't remember even a single day when mom has not made a hot breakfast for us. She would insist that we eat a meal before we leave the house. Our breakfast would range from idli, dosa, chilla, tomato omelet, Uppu Kozhakattai, upma, poha, sandwich, paratha, etc. I prefer batter-based recipes for breakfast and snacks because they are so convenient and can be made ahead of time.
Why make this
- A nutritious mix of protein and carbs
- Extremely delicious to taste
- This cheela recipe needs no fermentation and can be made instantly
- These are eggless, flourless, and vegan
- The batter can be made ahead of time
- Great way to sneak in the greens
- A gluten-free flatbread recipe
Ingredients needed 🧾
Lentils - Moong dal is also known as split yellow lentils and can be found on Amazon as well as in any Indian grocery store. They are small yellow lentils and are very easy to cook with. You can use whole green mung beans or split mung beans with skin as substitutions in this savory lentil pancakes recipe.
You can also make Methi Dal, Crispy Moong, Moong ke Pakode, and Moong Dal Toast with split yellow moong.
Veggies and herbs - spinach, onions, and cilantro help in making these vegan protein pancakes more flavorful and nutritious.
Spices - green chillies, cumin seeds, carom seeds or ajwain (helps with digestion), turmeric, and chilly powder are the basic spices that you will need in this cheela recipe. These ingredients can easily be swapped or skipped.
Flax seed powder - I just ground flax seeds and store them in an airtight container. I then add it to any batter, dal, or dough to make it more nourishing. You can skip it if you don't have it.
How to make it 🔪
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- First, we need to wash moong dal/yellow lentils in running water and then soak them in lukewarm water overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Drain the water and grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water. It should be of thick pouring consistency.
- Transfer this to a mixing bowl. Add chopped spinach and cilantro to the bowl.
- Then add flax seed powder to it.
- Add chopped onions, and chopped green chillies.
- Then add cumin seeds, ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric, salt, and chilly powder.
- Give the batter a mix by adding water so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency (like dosa batter).
- Heat a skillet or a crepes pan and pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the skillet. Spread the batter like a pancake giving it an even round shape. Chef Tip - Keep the flame on medium when doing this. Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides for 2-3 minutes on medium flame or till brown spots begin to appear.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Make as many as you need. Serve Palak Moong Dal Chilla with ketchup or mayo or green chutney. You can also serve it with some Indian pickle. You can even prepare a stuffing of mashed potatoes, crumbled paneer, roasted veggies, or leftover Veg Jalfrezi and fill these vegan crepes like a wrap to make them heartier.
If you plan to use it as a (gluten-free) flatbread, then serve it with a side of curry like Aloo Matar, Rajma Masala, Matar ka Nimona, Mushroom Masala, Kofta Curry, etc. These savory lentil pancakes can be served for breakfast, brunch, or as an evening snack. You can also pack moong dal chilla in lunch boxes.
Top recipe tips 💭
I like to grind it to a smooth paste, but you can also grind it coarse if you want more texture to these lentil crepes. If you are making it for kids, you can add some grated cheese on top of the prepared chilla. Also, tone down the spice level if making it for children.
No need to ferment the batter, you can make chilla instantly. While making these lentil pancakes, you can drizzle regular ghee around them if you are not vegan. If you have a mini pancake pan, you can even use this batter to make mini pancakes. You can use this leftover vegan protein pancake batter to make Pudla Sandwich.
Recipe FAQs 📖
Yes. You can use any greens other than spinach if you want. You can try baby kale, Swiss chard, beet leaves, etc. I like to sneak in some greens in this recipe.
In fact, you can also add in grated carrots, cabbage, beetroot, potato, finely chopped bell peppers, and/or tomatoes. You can also skip adding veggies and make plain cheela.
Add crushed or grated ginger to the batter to help improve digestion. Some also like to add crushed coriander seeds and fennel seeds to the batter for a unique flavor.
This savory lentil pancakes/cheela recipe calls for no flour or grains, however, you can add them. 2-3 tablespoons of rice flour can be added to make crispy chillas.
Quinoa, teff grains, poha, or even oats can be blended with lentils to make them more wholesome. Soak them first along with the lentils.
The batter should be of flowing consistency, like a pancake batter. You can use water or buttermilk to get the desired consistency.
Add little water or buttermilk if the batter is too thick or add a little bit of any flour, like chickpea flour or rice flour if the batter is too thin.
An even quicker version is to add all the listed ingredients to the blender and make a smooth puree. The color of the vegan protein pancakes will change since there is spinach.
Similar to making dosa, the skillet needs to be hot when you pour the batter. Keep the flame on medium and work quickly to spread the batter to make them round.
Then increase the flame a bit and cook it evenly on both sides. There is no need to cover the skillet.
If the skillet is too hot, the batter will not spread properly and stick to the skillet. Keep adjusting the flame when pouring the batter and cooking the chilla.
You can spread it thin to make them crispy or thick. If you want them thin, ensure the batter is very smooth. Even the size of the chilla is a personal preference.
The batter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a week. I prefer to make fresh chillas as and when I need them.
If you want, add the onions before making the chillas to retain their crunch.
You can also freeze the batter. Thaw it overnight and then make moong dal chilla as needed.
Cooked chillas can also be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just reheat them in the microwave or on the skillet.
More savory pancake recipes
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Recipe 📖
Moong Dal Chilla
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups split yellow lentils moong dal
- 1 onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon flax seed powder optional
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ajwain or carom seeds
- salt
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- First, we need to wash moong dal/yellow lentils in running water and then soak them in lukewarm water overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Drain the water and grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water. It should be of thick pouring consistency.
- Transfer this to a mixing bowl. Add chopped spinach and cilantro to the bowl.
- Then add flax seed powder to it.
- Add chopped onions, and chopped green chillies.
- Then add cumin seeds, ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric, salt, and chilly powder.
- Give the batter a mix by adding water so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency (like dosa batter).
- Heat a skillet or a crepes pan and pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the skillet. Spread the batter like a pancake giving it an even round shape. Keep the flame on medium when doing this.
- Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides for 2-3 minutes on medium flame or till brown spots begin to appear.
- Serve Moong Dal Chilla with ketchup or mayo or green chutney.
Linda says
You mention adding cumin powder in the instructions but cumin powder is not listed in the ingredients list. How much should I put in?
Priya says
Thank you for pointing that out. Updated the recipe now.
Nathalie says
Hello,
I've just discovered this recipe and it looks very appetising. I'd like to try it but I have just one question: 1 cup of lentils equals how many grams of lentils? Generally speaking, how many ml is a cup?
Thanks for your answer 🙂
Priya says
Hi Natalie, I have used a standard US measuring cup. Hope that helps. One cup of dry lentils is approximately 200 grams. Hope this helps. Thank you.
Jeanne says
what do you use to grind the soaked lentils? Would a Vitamix work? A small food processor?
Priya says
Yes, Vitamix will work. Any food processor would work. Hope this helps.
Maurice Balk says
Fun to make and to cook up. Absolutely delicious. I had to swap green for the yellow lentils and thyme for carom pods. I went for a coarser texture than what's in the photos. I added green onions and will try it with some buttermilk in the batter too. Yummy goodness.
Priya says
I am loving all your substitutions. Glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Jen says
Savory crepes are the best. And I am always on the lookout for naturally gluten free recipes!
Ashley says
So delicious!!! Loved making these with my family!
Andrea Metlika says
These crepes look fantastic. I've never had savory crepes and am so ready to try them!
Priya says
You must try them out..they are so good 🙂
Anita says
These are very different from the usual crepes we have, but super delicious and I bet very healthy too. Definitely worth it to try.
Priya says
yes, we love savory crepes here 🙂
Chef Mireille says
They look so bright and inviting. Must be delicious too. I wouldn't mind having these as a healthy snack at any part of the day!
Priya says
Glad you liked it.
esbriskin says
Yes! I love variations on crepes - these look especially flavorful!
Vicky says
I thought for sure these were made with eggs. They really do resemble an omelet. I think they would make a wondrously nutritious breakfast or snack.
Felicia says
Would split peas work as well as lentils. I could not find yellow lentils at the local shop.
Priya says
Yes, you can make with split peas. Hope this helps.
Kristine says
Delclious looking crepes! I'm always on the lookout for new crepe recipes, so I'm excited to give these a try!
Sara Welch says
What a great way to start my day! Looking forward to enjoying this for breakfast tomorrow; looks amazing!