Besan Chilla or Besan Cheela recipe is an easy and healthy Indian savory pancake made from besan (gram flour), onion, tomato, spices, and herbs. Perfect for breakfast or brunch. It can be served along with chutneys or pickles.
Preparing quick, nutritious breakfast dishes can be a challenge on busy mornings. I usually make avocado toast, chillas, rava upma, or masala oats.
My daughter loves both besan and moong dal chilla. I usually pack it for her school lunch box along with paneer bhurji and tomato ketchup.
Besan is a versatile ingredient used extensively in Indian cooking. It is also used to make a variety of dishes, from savory and dessert recipes, including onion pakoras, chillas, khaman dhokla, and sweets like besan laddu, besan halwa, and barfis.
Besan chilla is an excellent vegan alternative to eggs and can be conveniently whipped up for a rapid morning breakfast. It is often referred to as a vegan omelet and provides a complete protein serving.
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What is Besan Cheela?
Besan cheela, also known as besan ka chilla, pudla, and more, is an Indian savory pancake typically cooked with besan (or gram flour). It is a nutritious, gluten-free flour loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Besan cheela may be topped with onions, tomatoes, paneer, coriander leaves, etc., and just needs a little oil to cook.
Besan Vs Chickpea Flour
You've probably seen numerous individuals use gram flour instead of chickpea flour or vice versa. However, do you know? These two types of flour are not the same.
Yes, the technique to prepare them is the same, but the ingredients used to prepare them are not. While chickpea flour is made from white chickpeas, gram flour is made from brown chickpeas. Therefore, that may be seen to be the only distinction between the two.
Besan ka Chilla Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients you need to make this besan ka chilla recipe at home.
- Besan flour (Gram flour): This is the key ingredient for this chilla recipe. It is important to use fresh besan flour. You can easily find it at the nearest Indian grocery store or on Amazon.
- Veggies: I used onions, tomatoes, ginger, and green chilies.
- Spices: Ajwain (carrom seeds), turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder are used as flavoring agents for besan ka chilla. Ajwain aids in digestion, especially when using besan flour. If you don't have ajwain, you can add cumin seeds.
- Water: Water is added to the mixture to make a smooth batter. No eggs or curd is required to make the batter.
- Oil: for cooking the besan cheela. You can use any cooking oil of your choice, such as olive oil or any vegetable oil. You can also use ghee, skip it if you are a vegan.
How to Make Besan Chilla
In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup besan (gram flour), ¼ cup onions (finely chopped), ¼ cup tomatoes (finely chopped), 1 green chili (finely chopped), 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, ½ teaspoon ajwain (carrom seeds), ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, and salt to taste.
Gradually add water and whisk until you get a smooth, lump-free, and pouring consistency batter.
Heat a seasoned iron tawa or non-stick pan over medium heat. Grease some oil on the skillet.
Once the skillet is hot, pour a ladleful of batter in the center and quickly spread it evenly in a circular motion to form a thin and round cheela. Drizzle some oil (or ghee) around the edges of the chilla.
Cook the chilla for about 1-2 minutes or until the base turns light golden. Flip it using a spatula and cook the other side until you see golden spots.
Serve hot or warm with chutney of your choice or tomato ketchup and tea.
Serving Suggestions
Serve besan chilla hot for breakfast or a snack with mint coriander chutney and pickle. You can also pair it with yogurt or raita.
A hot cup of masala tea or coffee can perfectly complement the besan chilla.
You can also add stuffing to your besan chillas, such as paneer bhurji, roasted vegetables, cheese, or any other ingredient of your choice to enhance its flavor.
Storage Suggestions
- Make ahead: You can prepare the besan chilla batter ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a day or two. When you are ready to make chillas, add onions, tomatoes, and cilantro and mix the batter well. I recommend making the batter fresh, because it takes only 10 minutes or less.
- Refrigerate: Besan chilla tastes best when served fresh. However, you can refrigerate the leftover cooked besan chilla in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. If you have a leftover batter with onions, tomatoes, and coriander, then you can refrigerate it for up to 1 day.
- Freeze: You can place the besan cheela in a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze it for up to 2-3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat it in the microwave or on a griddle/tawa before serving. If frozen, thaw chillas in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or tawa before serving.
Tips to make the Best Besan Cheela
- Consistency of the batter: The consistency of the batter should be correct to get perfect crispy chillas. The batter should be neither too thick, nor watery. If the batter is too thick, add a little water until it is of pouring consistency. Also, some vegetables, like tomatoes, release water. So adjust accordingly.
- Fresh besan: Always use fresh besan flour and not rancid. The older gram flour tends to get bitter after a few months of milling.
- Finely chopped veggies: use finely chopped, or grated veggies; otherwise, it will become difficult to spread the chilla on the tawa.
- Rice flour: You can also add ¼ cup of rice flour to get a crispy chilla.
- Leavening Agents: Add a pinch of baking soda or ¼ teaspoon of baking powder to the batter for a fluffy and soft chilla.
- Spice level: Skip green chilies and red chili powder if making for kids. Adjust the spices according to your spice level.
Variations
- Vegetable Besan Chilla: You can add finely chopped such as bell peppers, cabbage, or grated veggies like carrot, beetroot, zucchini, etc., to the batter to make it extra nutritious.
- Paneer Besan Chilla: Add grated paneer (cottage cheese) or crumbled tofu to your batter and cook it on a tawa to make protein-rich chilla. You can also add paneer bhurji as a stuffing to the chilla.
- Cheese Besan Chilla: After cooking the chilla, sprinkle some shredded cheese on it, fold it in half, and serve. My daughter loves this cheesy besan chilla recipe.
- Spinach Chilla: Add finely chopped spinach to enhance its nutritional value. You can also add spinach puree to the batter to get a beautiful green color to the dish. You can also substitute spinach with kale.
- Methi Besan Chilla: Add finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) to the batter to make it nutrient rich.
- Sweet Besan Chilla: Add jaggery (or sugar), and cardamom powder to the besan batter and cook it like a regular chilla to make a sweet version of the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer is yes! The simple, savory cheela has abundant protein in it, making it filling and weight-loss friendly.
Yes, besan is beneficial for weight loss as it is a full and extremely healthy substitute for common flour like whole wheat or maida. While maintaining a high nutritional value, it works best as a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.
Yes, besan cheela is a very nutritious food for kids. In reality, it's a wise choice for them to improve their stamina and immunity. P.S. When preparing cheela for kids or toddlers, take care of the spices you use.
The major component of a besan chilla, gram flour, is a source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. They are suitable for a light dinner. Keep a soup bowl or salad handy to go with it.
Chillas can be made by using a variety of ingredients. However, the besan chilla is one of the easiest as it does not involve prior preparation. If you do not have besan at home, you can use semolina, moong dal, chickpea flour, oat flour, rice flour, and more.
Yes, you can make besan chilla without onions. They are added to enhance the flavor. You can also substitute the onions with other chopped or shredded vegetables of your choice, like carrots, beets, zucchini, etc.
Besan Chilla (Savory Gram Flour Pancakes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon ajwain (carrom seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder optional
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup tomato finely chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped, optional
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
- salt adjust to taste
- ½ cup water or as needed
- oil to cook chillas
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the besan, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, grated ginger, coriander leaves, ajwain seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt.
- Gradually add water and whisk until you get a smooth, lump-free, and pouring consistency batter.
- Heat a seasoned iron tawa or non-stick pan over medium heat. Grease some oil on the skillet.
- Once the skillet is hot, pour a ladleful of batter in the center and quickly spread it evenly in a circular motion to form a thin and round cheela. Drizzle some oil (or ghee) around the edges of the chilla.
- Cook the chilla for about 1-2 minutes or until the base turns light golden. Flip it using a spatula and cook the other side until you see golden spots.
- Serve hot or warm with chutney of your choice or tomato ketchup and tea.
Notes
Tips to make the Best Besan Cheela
- Consistency of the batter: The consistency of the batter should be correct to get perfect crispy chillas. The batter should be neither too thick, nor watery. If the batter is too thick, add a little more water until it is of pouring consistency. Also, some vegetables like tomatoes release water. So adjust accordingly.
- Fresh besan: Always use fresh besan flour and not rancid. The older gram flour tends to get bitter after a few months of milling.
- Finely chopped veggies: use finely chopped, or grated veggies otherwise, it will become difficult to spread the chilla on the tawa.
- Rice flour: You can add ¼ cup of rice flour to get a crispy chilla.
- Leavening Agents: You can add a pinch of baking soda or ¼ teaspoon of baking powder to the batter for a fluffy and soft chilla.
- Spice level: Skip green chilies and red chili powder if making for kids. Adjust the spices according to your spice level.
Variations
- Vegetable Besan Chilla: You can add finely chopped or grated vegetables such as capsicum, cabbage, carrot, beetroot, zucchini, etc., to the batter to make it extra nutritious.
- Paneer Besan Chilla: Add grated paneer (cottage cheese) or crumbled tofu to your batter and cook it on a tawa to make protein-rich chilla. You can also add paneer bhurji as a stuffing to the chilla.
- Cheese Besan Chilla: Sprinkle some shredded cheese on the chilla after it is cooked, fold it into half, and serve. My daughter loves this cheesy besan chilla.
- Spinach Chilla: Add finely chopped spinach to enhance its nutritional value. You can also add spinach puree to the batter to get a beautiful green color to the dish. you can also substitute spinach with kale.
- Methi Besan Chilla: Add finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) to the batter to make it nutrient rich.
- Sweet Besan Chilla: Add jaggery (or sugar), and cardamom powder to the besan batter and cook it like a regular chilla to make a sweet version of the dish.
Nutrition
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