Lentil & Spinach Crepes | Moong Dal & Palak Chilla

A vegan savory pancake/crepe that resembles an omelet! Chilla is make with moong dal lentils, spinach & herbs & is a delicious & nutritious breakfast/snack.

Traditional Indian breakfast is always something hot and freshly prepared! The items prepared for breakfast are very diverse because there is no one Indian breakfast! We love variety. Growing up, I don’t remember a single day when mom has not made hot breakfast for us. She would insist that we eat a meal before we leave the house. I would throw a fuss over eating those delicious treats and now I cannot think of a reason why! You know, I would not only make a fuss over eating home cooked food but also demand for choco puff cereal instead (which were newly introduced back then)! Kids at that age are so stupid! Today, I would give anything to have my mom cook food for me and I definitely not want to eat some cereal over it! But I guess that’s life. Today I see my friends who are parents trying their level best to make their children eat home food but all the kids want to only eat Pizzas and Pastas! They will not realize or value it now, but when they grow up and need to cook their own food and manage their own lives, that is when it they will realize what they had! Talking from personal experience here. Don’t you agree with me on this one?

Anyways, coming back to the idea of starting your day with a hot breakfast, let me tell you that its good for you. I often hear people say that they don’t like to eat anything in the morning or prefer to skip breakfast. I don’t like the sound of that. Forget the science behind why its not a good idea, but also how can you starve yourself or not feel hungry when you wake up? I cannot function without something in my stomach! Now here is the science behind why breakfast is good for you. The basic formula for a good breakfast is to pair carbs with proteins. The carbs gives our body energy to get started and our brain the fuel it needs to take on the day. Protein gives us staying power and helps feel satiated. Even if you like to workout first thing in the morning, its better that you eat something light first. It will help improve your performance and will keep fatigue away. That is why I like to prepare fresh breakfast everyday that’s has a balance of nutrients and flavor. Moong Dal Chilla which is similar to the South Indian Pesarattu is one such dish. It’s a great mix of protein and carbs and of course, extremely delicious to taste. 

Moong Dal Chilla or Cheela is a North Indian recipe. This one is made of yellow lentils or moong dal. There is another basic dish called Chilla which is made using besan/chickpea flour. They both are very nutritious and easy to make. I like to add some kind of greens in chilla just to notch up the nutrition quotient of it. I learnt to make Chilla from my mom who learnt it from our neighbor in our apartment building. All the ladies of the building would always be exchanging recipes and in the bargain, all we kids would get to taste some delicious, lip smacking treats! Once my mom got to know of this dish, she would often make it for us. In fact, she even taught dad and then this became his go-to dish to make when mom fell sick or was not in town. This being very similar to the South Indian delicacy Dosa, they both mastered it in no time. This is one dish that mom and dad would make for us, thus its very close to my heart. They would experiment with the batter by mixing different veggies and spices. Having learnt this recipe from them, I have made this a zillion times! We all love it at home and now you will too!

Here is how I make Lentil & Spinach Crepes or Moong Dal & Palak Chilla. First we need to wash moong dal/yellow lentils in running water and then soak them in lukewarm water, overnight. If you are in a rush, you can soak it for 4-5 hours as well. 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 onions, spinach, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin powder, ajwain/carom seeds (adding this helps in digestion), turmeric, salt and paprika. If you are making it for kids, you can even add some grated cheese in the mix. Give the batter a mix so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency. Add little water if the batter is too thick or add a little bit of any flour if the batter is too thin. No need to ferment the batter, you can make chilla instantly. Heat a skillet and pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the skillet. Spread the batter to give it a round and even shape. Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides. Serve Moong Dal & Palak Chilla with kethup/mayo/chutney.

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Lentil & Spinach Crepes | Moong Dal & Palak Chilla

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

soaking time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Indian, North Indian

Servings: 5 people

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

• Blender
• skillet

Ingredients

• 2 cups moong dal lentils
• 1 onion
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
• salt as required
• water as desired
• oil for cooking
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese optional

Instructions

• First we need to wash moong dal/yellow lentils in running water and then soak them in lukewarm water, overnight. If you are in a rush, you can soak it for 4-5 hours as well.
• 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 onions, spinach, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin powder, ajwain/carom seeds (adding this helps in digestion), turmeric, salt and paprika.
• If you are making it for kids, you can even add some grated cheese in the mix. Give the batter a mix so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency.
• Add little water if the batter is too thick or add a little bit of any flour if the batter is too thin. No need to ferment the batter, you can make chilla instantly.
• Heat a skillet and pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the skillet. Spread the batter to give it a round and even shape. Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides.
• Serve Moong Dal & Palak Chilla with kethup/mayo/chutney.

Notes

You can add any other veggies and green you like to the batter. 

Adjust the spice levels depending upon your tolerance to heat.

You can pack this in lunchbox, serve as an after-school snack because kids will love it. 

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