Besan (Gram flour) Chilla Pancake Dosa 3, With Semolina And Fenugreek Leaves, Savoury & Gluten Free
Besan, Sooji aur Methi ka Chilla
Geeta Gupta
Besan chilla pancakes are a quick snack, even a meal, of northern India. They are often made for a filling breakfast. You can make them quickly, at last minute. Tip from Amita Khurana: To make a different or slightly more substantial chilla, add chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander leaves and green chillies to the batter and add a little natural yoghurt (dahi) to the water. See last picture. Makes 8-10
Edited February 2023
Ingredients
1 cups besan or Bengal gram flour
1/3 cup semolina
1 cup or more fresh fenugreek leaves, washed and chopped (2 tbsp. dry leaves can be used instead, but are not as nice as fresh)
Salt to taste
Chilli powder to taste
A pinch of baking powder
A pinch of asafoetida or hing
Water
Oil to cook
Optional extra: 1 onion peeled and finely chopped or sliced, 1 tomato finely chopped, a few coriander leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
Place besan flour, semolina, salt, chili powder, asafoetida in a large bowl. Add enough water to make a pancake like batter of dropping consistency. Beat well. I often use an electric beater. Lighter the batter, crisper and lighter will your chillas be.
Heat a tava/griddle and add 1 tsp. oil to it. Spread it all over in a thin film. Splashing a few drops of water on the hot griddle also helps to make the oil spread evenly.
Pour a small ladle of batter in the centre of the pan and spread it in a circular motion, until you have an evenly spread pancake. Make 1st chilla small, because it sometimes sticks. After this, the griddle is oiled/seasoned and the chillas become easier to spread.
Drizzle a teaspoon of oil from around the edges and a few drops on top. Cook for a couple of minutes, until edges begin to turn brown.
Ease it off with a flat spatula and turn it over. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side too. Both sides should have many brown spot. How crisp you make them is a personal choice.
Take it out onto a plate and serve straight away, with yoghurt* and pickles of choice.
Serve straight away, with chilled natural yoghurt and a pickle of choice.
*Besan always makes you thirsty and yoghurt keeps the thirst down. Therefore, besan dishes are often served with natural yoghurt or a raita.
Experiment by making rolls with cottage cheese, potatoes bhaji or any other fillings of choice.
