After the superb excitement of starting the BM# 32 ABC Cooking with A, we had so much fun checking out all the Dishes with A. I must confess I would never have guessed any of those dishes prepared! All of them did such a wonderful job and surpassed my expectation. Kudos to the entire group! I am so proud of them.
Now coming to the second letter B, I didn't go very far to check out what I wanted to make. I have been wanting to make Besan Ka Cheela. Though I have tried many times to make them, I always never came around. Especially after knowing that these are instant types, I wanted to make them so much. I am a sucker for all things instant at times.
It mostly depends and comes in handy when I have to cook just for me. When I am really so tired of cooking the nonveg, at times I would be left with no energy or no inspiration to think of something for myself. So times like those really calls for dishes that are quick to make, yet very tasty!
When I decided to check on the background of this recipe, it’s said to be belonging both to Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine. Now, these two cuisines have so many common dishes that for a person outside the state, it’s highly impossible to figure it out. So I will simply say that it’s part of North Indian Cuisine.
It was typically one of those days when I had finished my cooking and wondering what I should make for myself and Amma as well since we both were vegetarians. I immediately remembered that I could very easily make this and cover up my B. Imagine that! So I got down getting things ready for this.
Besan cheela is a very quick savory pancake made with chickpea flour and spices. since my hands were busy and couldn't afford to really keep the washing and moreover I was keen on capturing how this has to be spread, I quickly called in Konda to help with clicking the step by step pictures.
It smelled so delicious, just like bajjis, that Konda said I ought to make bajjis for her right away and not this dosa. I told her that she will get her bajjis/Pakodas later, these cheelas have to be made.
I made it with just 1 cup of flour and got just about 2 thick cheelas. I quickly packed one for Amma, whose verdict I got to hear much later amidst our long discussions. She suddenly remembered and asked hey what was that you made for dinner, it was so good. so I again got into telling her about it and agreeing that it was something we will surely be making it again soon.
So here is B for Besan Ka Cheela, another regional dish
Besan Ka Cheela
Ingredients Needed
Besan / Chickpea flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup or as much as required to get a dropping consistency.
Salt to taste (app little less than a tsp)
Onion, sliced - 1 small
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli, finely chopped - 1 long
Coriander leaves 1/2 cup
4 tsp oil for frying the chelas
How to prepare Besan Cheelas
In a bowl, except oil, take all the ingredients and mix to a thick pouring consistency, adding the water a little at a time.
Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Grease a tawa with oil and heat.
Simmer the flame to medium, pour the batter in a circular style, and immediately spread to form a circle as dosa.
Sprinkle oil around and lower the heat and let cook till the edges brown a little and can be lifted easily.
Flip it over to cook slightly on the other side and before serving it hot with pickle.
Notes:
If the tawa is very hot, it might be a little difficult to spread it quickly, so make sure the heat is medium.
Also, the best method to make the dosa will be as circles and spreading it, rather than as the regular dosa.
Apart from the pickle, I am sure coconut chutney would be great as a side dish.
Priya Suresh says
Love this besan ka cheela with hot chutneys, one of my favourite dish.
Manjula Bharath says
Besan ka cheela my all time fav comfy food 🙂 i make them often for snack time and they look super delicious dear 🙂
Chef Mireille says
looks so flavroful. perfect for breakfast or evening snack
vaishali sabnani says
Cheelas are actually Rajasthani..Gujratis make these but in a different style..Sindh's also make these and is quite a favorite among us.Quick, and delicious meal..we sometimes serve these with bread or chapati.
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
Protein power... perfect for breakfast!!!
Pavani N says
What a quick and healthy cheela. Even I've been planning to make this for a long time. You've tempted me to make them soon.
Sandhya Karandikar says
Great minds think alike 🙂
This is our most favourite breakfast dish is.
Suma Gandlur says
A protein packed breakfast. This gets made at my home on lazy weekends.
The Pumpkin Farm says
call them western indian recipe...north is further up...and i think every state around the western belt makes this with some modifications here and there...they are the saviours for me whenever we run out of good veggie options, they taste good in chapati rolls
Sapana Behl says
Cheela is one of our favorite breakfast dish that can be done in hurry! Yours tempting chela with that pickle made me hungry.
Priya R says
One new recipe to me 🙂 looks so inviting similar to south indian adai right?
Preeti Garg says
Love this besan ka chila.. mostly we prepare this chila in monsoon season with teas as mid time meal.
Kalyani says
so similar yet so much simpler than Adai ! I tasted this in Chandigarh once, and they are truly yummy!
Harini-Jaya R says
Love this protein packed instant dosa!
Pallavi Purani says
Nicely loaded 🙂 I add cheese and paneer as a filling for these and they are a meal on their own.
Janani says
I call this vegetarian omelet the flavor is so similar taste good perfect dish for B yumm loving it.
Foodiliciousnan says
I remember the first time I had cheelas. They were topped with fine diced paneer and tasted awesome. These look so inviting and simple to make. Been on my to-do for so long. I better give these a shot soon!
Rajani S says
The recipe is very close to the vegetable omelette I made for last month's meatless dishes (but didnt get around posting it).It tasted great and I am with Konda on the bajji aroma :). I kept feeling that I should have bajjis after making those omelettes :)....Anyway..the cheela looks wonderful and now you have a reliable vegetarian option to fall back on!!
Sreevalli E says
Lovely cheela.. I make them with moong dal & love how they taste..
Gayathri Kumar says
My mom used to make a slight variation of this cheela and we used to call it as vegetarian omelette. This looks super delicious...
Nisha Sundar says
As Janani mentioned, I was introduced to this as a veg omlet. 🙂 Loved these and you are absolutely right about making it in a jiffy. 🙂
Padmajha PJ says
Long time since I made these. I add a little extra coriander for flavor. You have tempted me to make these again and I think this going to be our breakfast tomorrow..
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Lovely recipe Srivalli! This is going to be in my menu one of these nights for dinner.
veena krishnakumar says
It is a long time since i made these...Agreed that there are so many dishes in A and B that i never thought and i have so many to try now:-)
Archana Potdar says
Lovely pics Valli I have been wanting to make these for a long long time. Maybe these pics are my incentive. By the way do you remember the round circle that we kept under pots? The rings. maybe that can be used to make these circles. just a thought.
Padma Rekha says
I am still to try my hands in this recipe. best choice for a different breakfast.
Saraswathi Tharagaram says
This recipe is very similar to Vegetarian omelet recipe which we do in our home. Only ajwain is not in our list.. Interesting to know other names of the same dish..Well prepared Valli..