Sabut Moong Dal Chilla (Green Lentil Crepes)

Moong Dal Chilla is a delicious, healthy protein packed breakfast recipe made with sabut moong dal (whole green lentil), ginger, green chillies and cumin etc. It can be enjoyed with plain yogurt, greek yogurt or any chutney / dip of your choice.

The word cheela or chilla is used for savoury crepes made with chickpea flour or lentils. Here we will be making them using whole moong dal (also known as mung beans, green gram, green lentils, hari moong sabut).

The green moong dal cheela recipe shared here is:

Vegan
Vegetarian
Gluten Free
High Protein
Has no rice

These chilla are great option for breakfast or quick snack as they are filling, healthy and nutritious. You can even pack them in kids’ lunch box with some jeera aloo (cumin potatoes) or paneer bhurji for a complete meal.

The batter for these cheela (or lentil crepes) can be made in advance & stored in fridge. Whenever you are ready to make them, just spread the batter on a heated pan or tawa and you are good to go.

You can also make lentil pancakes with this batter by spreading them smaller & thicker just like regular pancakes. To make them even more flavour packed, you can add ginger paste, finely chopped onion, tomatoes, bell peppers in the batter (just as we did in this chickpea flour pancakes (besan chilla) recipe).

Sabut Moong Chilla Ingredients:

Green Moong Dal: Also known as whole mung or sabut hari moong, this green color lentil is known to be a good source of protein, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Its 1/2 cup (100 grams) serving has roughly 345 calories, 24 grams protein & 16 grams fiber.

To make chilla with moong, we will first soak it for 5-6 hrs (or overnight) as it helps in softening the grains, making it easier to blend into batter. There is no need to boil or pre-cook green lentils.

You can also use yellow moong dal or split moong dal in a similar manner to make chilla. Reduce the soaking time to half as split lentils soften faster.

Spices & Aromatics: The batter for cheela is lightly spiced with cumin seeds (jeera), asafoetida (heeng), green chillies, ginger and coriander (cilantro). If you like garlic flavour, you can add 1-2 garlic cloves also.

Herbs add moisture and fresh taste to the chilla. You can skip green chillies or add black pepper / red chilli powder for adding heat in the batter. If you don’t have fresh ginger, some ginger paste or ginger garlic paste can also be added.

Oil / Ghee: Don’t skip fat while making chilla as otherwise they can taste dry. You can use ghee or any cooking oil like olive oil, avocado oil or sesame oil for cooking chilla.

Can I used sprouted moong dal for making cheela?

The sprouting process increases the nutritional value of dal (lentils). You can definitely use them to make these cheela. If you want to learn how to sprout moong dal at home, do check out moong dal sprouts salad recipe.

More breakfast recipes with dal-

Ingredients:

Sabut Green Moong / Whole Green Gram (dried)- 1 cup
Green chillies- 1 to 2 (to taste)
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Cilantro / Coriander- 3 tbsp
Cumin seed (jeera)- 1 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
Water- 1 cup (as required)
Oil / Ghee- For cooking

Note:

Instead of whole green moong dal, you can also use split moong dal (moong chilka) or yellow moong dal.
The above recipe yields 7-8 servings

Directions:

Step 1:

Wash the green moong dal once or twice till your get clear water. Soak it in 3-4 cups of water for at least 5-6 hrs (or better overnight).

Step 2:

Discard the water in which dal was soaked. Add soaked moong, green chilli, ginger piece, coriander, cumin (jeera) and salt in a grinder jar (can add 1 or 2 garlic cloves also). Initially add 1/2 cup water and start grinding the dal. Add remaining water gradually as required.

It took me almost 1 cup water to get smooth batter. The batter should neither be too thick nor thin but medium consistency. If you are using split moong dal, you will require lesser water.

Step 3:

Transfer this ground dal mixture in a bowl. Heat a cast iron pan or dosa tawa. Drizzle 1-2 tsp oil it and wipe with tissue. Pour roughly 1/4 cup batter in the centre of pan and spread it with back of ladle in round circular motion.

Step 4:

Drizzle some oil near the edges of chilla and let it cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes. As it begins to cook, the edges will slightly lift from the pan.

Step 5:

One the top is cooked, drizzle or brush some oil on it and flip using a spatula. Cook for 1-2 minutes on other side too. Fold it gently and serve hot.

Enjoy these moong daal chilla with curd, plain yogurt, greek yogurt, tamarind chutney or coriander mint chutney. You can even stuff it with paneer bhurji or scrambled tofu with spinach.

Tips:

1. Always add water gradually while grinding dal. If the cheela batter becomes accidentally thin , add some oat flour, rice flour or besan (chickpea flour) to adjust the consistency.

2. Do not skip the soaking step as it makes the dal easily grind-able and you will get smooth batter. If you are planning to make dal cheela in breakfast, soak the lentils a night before.

3. Use non stick, cast iron or heavy bottomed dosa pan to make these dal cheela. Season it well before using to avoid the batter from sticking to the pan.

4. You can store leftover batter in an airtight container in fridge and use it later (stays fine for 2-3 days). The batter can become thick with time as lentil absorbs water, so add 1-2 tbsp water more to make the batter of spreadable consistency.

How to make stuffing for moong cheela?

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds (jeera), chopped onions, finely chopped ginger and green chillies to it. Sauté till onions turn translucent.
Add crumbled paneer (or tofu), chopped carrots, bell peppers or any vegetables of your choice along with spices like red chilli powder, crushed black pepper etc. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer this filling in a separate bowl and use it for stuffing.

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(Note: This recipe was originally published on 21st Jun’2016 and has been updated with fresh images and additional tips.)

If you try this sabut moong chilla recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)