These savory vegan crepes resembling an omelet is actually made up of moong dal lentils, spinach & herbs. It's a delicious and nutritious breakfast or snack that can be made in under 20 minutes!
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Indian snack recipes
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. 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 choco puff cereal instead (which were newly introduced back then)!
Kids at that age are so silly! 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-cooked food but all the kids want to only eat Pizza and Pasta!
I guess, these kids will not realize or value it now, but when they grow up and need to cook their own food and manage their own lives, will they realize what they had!
Talking from personal experience here. Don't you agree with me on this one?
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Why hot breakfast is 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 think that's a good approach.
Forget the science behind why it's 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 give 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 us feel satiated.
- It helps improve our performance and will help keep fatigue away.
That is why I like to prepare a fresh breakfast every day that has a balance of nutrients and flavor.
Here are some easy-to-make snack recipes that are my favorite.
- Cilantro Poha
- Kale Adai | Kale & Lentil Savory Pancakes
- Healthy Oats & Veggie Mini Pancakes
- Gluten-Free Mint Flavored Potato Bajra Pancake
- Vegan Lentil Balls
- Instant Carrot & Oats Dosa/Crepes
As you can see, I clearly prefer batter-based recipes for breakfast and snacks because they are so easy and can be made ahead of time. Savory vegetarian crepes are a time saver!
What is Moong Dal Chilla?
Moong Dal Chilla is a healthy crepe recipe that's very similar to the South Indian Pesarattu. Cheela, also known as breakfast crepes is a North Indian recipe.
This one is made with yellow lentils or moong dal. This vegan crepe is also known as Pudla or Puda. There is another basic dish called Chilla which is made using besan/chickpea flour.
Why this vegetarian crepe recipe is good for you?
- It is a very nutritious snack.
- It's a great mix of protein and carbs.
- It's extremely delicious to taste.
- The batter needs no fermentation and crepes can be made instantly.
- You can make the batter in advance and store it in the fridge for a week.
- These crepes are made without eggs.
- They are also dairy-free crepes.
- Adding some kind of greens in chilla notches up the nutrition quotient of it.
How to make vegan crepes?
Here is my Moong Dal & Palak Chilla recipe.
- 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, cilantro, and jalapeno.
- Then add chopped spinach, cumin powder, ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric, salt, and paprika.
- Give the batter a mix so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency.
- 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.
- Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides.
in running water and then soak them in lukewarm water, overnight.
it to a smooth paste by adding little water.
. Add chopped onions, cilantro, and jalapeno.
, 
.Serving suggestions
Serve Moong Dal & Palak Chilla with ketchup/mayo/chutney. You can even prepare a stuffing of mashed potatoes, crumbled paneer, or roasted veggies and fill these vegan crepes.
These Indian crepes can be served for breakfast or for brunch. You can also serve them as a healthy evening Indian snack.
Tips to make the best vegetarian savory crepes
Moong dal is also known as split yellow lentils and can be found on Amazon as well as any Indian grocery store. You can use green moong instead of yellow to make this cheela.
You can add jalapeno while grinding the lentils instead of chopping and adding them later.
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.
You can use any greens other than spinach if you want. You can try baby kale, Swiss chard, beet leaves, etc.
Feel free to add more veggies to the batter like grated carrots, cabbage, or chopped bell peppers to make it more wholesome.
Add crushed or grated ginger to the batter to help improve digestion.
Even carom seeds or ajwain aid digestion. You can find them in any Indian grocery store or on Amazon. For those who don't like cilantro, swap it with parsley.
If you are making it for kids, you can even add some grated cheese to the batter. Also, tone down the spice level if making it for children.
To make the batter, you can even add buttermilk instead of water. If you are vegan, you can make vegan buttermilk. I have the recipe here.
The batter should be of flowing consistency, like a pancake batter.
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.
No need to ferment the batter, you can make chilla instantly. While making the crepes, you can drizzle ghee around it if you are not vegan.
If you have a mini pancake pan, you can even use this batter to make mini pancakes.
For those wondering how long does crepe batter last, let me tell you that the batter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a week.
You can use leftover batter to make Pudla Sandwich.
If you do try this Lentil & Spinach Vegan Crepes recipe or any other recipe from the blog, please let me know. I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks, and suggestions.
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Lentil & Spinach Crepes | Moong Dal & Palak Chilla
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups split yellow lentils moong dal
- 1 onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
- salt as required
- water as desired
- oil for cooking
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, cilantro, and jalapeno.
- Then add chopped spinach, cumin powder, ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric, salt, and paprika.
- Give the batter a mix so that all the ingredients get blended well together. The consistency should be of pouring consistency.
- 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.
- Drizzle oil on all sides and cook it evenly on both sides.
- Serving suggestions
- Serve Moong Dal & Palak Chilla with ketchup/mayo/chutney.
Notes
- Moong dal is also known as split yellow lentils and can be found on Amazon as well as any Indian grocery stores.
- You can use green moong instead of yellow to make this cheela.
- You can add jalapeno while grinding the lentils instead of chopping and adding them later.
- 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.
- You can use any greens other than spinach if you want. You can try baby kale, Swiss chard, beet leaves, etc.
- Feel free to add more veggies to the batter like grated carrots, cabbage or chopped bell peppers to make it more wholesome.
- Add crushed or grated ginger to the batter to help improve digestion.
- Even carom seeds or ajwain aids digestion. You can find them in any Indian grocery store or on Amazon.
- For those who don't like cilantro, swap it with parsley.
- If you are making it for kids, you can even add some grated cheese to the batter.
- Also, tone down the spice level if making it for children.
- To make the batter, you can even add buttermilk instead of water. If you are vegan, you can make vegan buttermilk. I have the recipe here.
- The batter should be of flowing consistency, like a pancake batter.
- 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.
- No need to ferment the batter, you can make chilla instantly.
- While making the crepes, you can drizzle ghee around it if you are not vegan.
- If you have a mini pancake pan, you can even use this batter to make mini pancakes.
- For those wondering how long does crepe batter last, let me tell you that the batter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a week.
Nutrition
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what do you use to grind the soaked lentils? Would a Vitamix work? A small food processor?
Yes, Vitamix will work. Any food processor would work. Hope this helps.
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.
I am loving all your substitutions. Glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Savory crepes are the best. And I am always on the lookout for naturally gluten free recipes!
So delicious!!! Loved making these with my family!
These crepes look fantastic. I've never had savory crepes and am so ready to try them!
You must try them out..they are so good 🙂
These are very different from the usual crepes we have, but super delicious and I bet very healthy too. Definitely worth it to try.
yes, we love savory crepes here 🙂
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!
Glad you liked it.
Yes! I love variations on crepes - these look especially flavorful!
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.
Delclious looking crepes! I'm always on the lookout for new crepe recipes, so I'm excited to give these a try!
What a great way to start my day! Looking forward to enjoying this for breakfast tomorrow; looks amazing!