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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Methi Besan Chilla: Add finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) to the batter to make it nutrient rich.
6. 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.