An easy recipe for moong dal chilla, made with 8 simple ingredients. A truly quick, healthy, protein-packed and tasty Indian vegetarian breakfast that gets ready in just 20 minutes (if you have soaked the dal night before).
Each serving contains 13 grams of protein.
Jump to:
❤️About This Recipe
Different regions have different names: In North India these are called chilla or cheela while in Gujarat, these are called mag ni dal na puda or pudla.
Taste & Texture: If made the way shown in step-by-step photos. These savory, mildly spiced chilla have crisp edges with a soft textured center.
Want to make it Soft or Crisp?
- To make soft moong dal chilla, do not spread in a circular motion. Instead, just pour and spread lightly by keeping it slightly thick like uttapam. Cover it while cooking so it gets cooked from inside.
- To make crisp chilla, spread it just as shown below but make it thin. Here you’ll need to add little extra oil to make it super crisp without drying it out.
Toddler, Kid-friendly: For my toddler, I make a soft version (as explained above). Once cooked, I drizzle a generous amount of ghee to make them even more, softer and melt-in-your-mouth kind. I do pack this in his daycare lunch box and it stays soft.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients required to make this healthy moong dal chilla recipe. All of them are basic and easily available.
- Chilka moong dal: Here I have used moong dal with skin. These chillas can be made with yellow moong dal or whole green moong beans or sprouted moong.
- Green chili: Adjust or skip the amount if making for toddlers or kids. My kids are ok with one green chili so I add it.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Making Batter:
1) Take chilka moong dal in a colander and rinse under running cold water until water runs clear. Alternately, you can rinse the lentils in a bowl by changing the water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
2) Soak in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Lentils will get more than double in size. Discard the soaking water.
3) Take soaked moong dal in a blender and add the remaining ingredients (ginger, garlic, green chili, salt, hing, turmeric, cumin seeds and cilantro).
4) Add water.
5) Grind into a smooth batter.
6) Batter consistency: It should not be too thick or too thin. The batter has to be medium thick and runny consistency just like dosa batter.
Making Moong Dal Chilla:
1) Heat the cast iron tawa/skillet on medium heat. If your tawa is seasoned well then no need to use any oil to begin with. Take a ladleful of batter (around ¼ cup).
2) Pour in the center of the pan.
3) Spread the batter using the back of the ladle in a circular motion (just like dosa). Keep the chilla of medium thickness.
4) Drizzle some oil around the edges and also on the chilla. Let it cook.
5) Once it is cooked from the bottom, the edges start to loosen from the tawa and so you can easily flip it. So flip and cook another side for a few seconds. Serve moong dal chilla hot/warm.
6) To fold into a triangle, flip the chilla again, and fold it into the half using a spatula.
7) Then again fold into the half and use your finger to help it make another fold easily.
8) Remove it from the pan and repeat the same for the rest of the chilla. Do grease the pan before making another one.
💭Expert Tips
- Batter consistency has to be right (medium thick and runny consistency).
- If the batter is too thick then it gives hard time spreading the chilla and takes longer to cook.
- If the batter is too thin then it also takes longer to cook. Plus, it comes dry, chewy and crisp.
- If you’re in a rush then you can soak the lentils for 3-4 hours only. It should be perfectly fine.
- Add some finely chopped or grated veggies like onion, tomato, bell pepper, carrot, beet, etc into the batter. If so the chilla will come out slightly on the thicker side like this oats chilla.
- You can add green veggies like spinach or boiled green peas while grinding the batter to make it greener.
- Make-ahead: You can make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge. Most of the time I make the batter the night before so I just have to make the chilla in the morning.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- With a side of chutney: Moong dal chilla tastes super good with a side of cilantro chutney and tamarind date chutney. However, you can have your choice of any chutney.
- With paneer filling: To make paneer filling, mix grated paneer, chopped onion, green chili, cilantro and a few spices in a bowl. And use this to stuff the cheela and fold just like masala dosa.
Check Out Other Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Did you try this moong dal chilla recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
📋 Recipe Card
Moong Dal Chilla
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chilkewali moong dal
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 Green chili
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- ¼ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves
- ¾ cup Water for grinding
- 3-4 tablespoons Oil to cook cheela
Instructions
- Take chilka moong dal in a colander and rinse under running cold water until water runs clear. Alternately, you can rinse the lentils in a bowl by changing the water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
- Soak in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Lentils will get more than double in size. Discard the soaking water.
- Take soaked moong dal in a blender and add remaining ingredients (ginger, garlic, green chili, salt, hing, turmeric, cumin seeds, cilantro and water. Grind into a smooth batter.
- Batter consistency: It should not be too thick or too thin. The batter has to be medium thick and runny consistency just like dosa batter.
- Heat the cast iron tawa/skillet on medium heat. If your tawa is seasoned well then no need to use any oil to begin with. Take a ladleful of batter (around ¼ cup).
- Pour in the center of the pan.
- Spread the batter using the back of the ladle in a circular motion (just like dosa). Keep the chilla of medium thickness (not too thin like paper dosa and not too thick like uttapam).
- Drizzle some oil around the edges and also on the chilla. Let it cook.
- Once it is cooked from the bottom, the edges start to loosen from the tawa and so you can easily flip it. So flip and cook another side for a few seconds. Serve moong dal chilla hot/warm.
Notes
- Batter consistency has to be right (medium thick and runny consistency).
If you’re in a rush then you can soak the lentils for 3-4 hours only. It should be perfectly fine. - To make soft moong dal chilla, do not spread in a circular motion. Instead, just pour and spread lightly by keeping it slightly thick like uttapam. Cover it while cooking so it gets cooked from inside.
- To make crisp chilla, spread it just as shown above but make it thin. Here you’ll need to add little extra oil to make it super crisp without drying it out.
- Add some finely chopped or grated veggies like onion, tomato, bell pepper, carrot, beet, etc into the batter. If so the chilla will come out slightly on the thicker side like this oats chilla.
- You can add green veggies like spinach or boiled green peas while grinding the batter to make it greener.
- Make-ahead: You can make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge.
Leave a Reply