The theme for this month is definitely more focused on breakfast.. in part because I got a bit bored of pancakes, breads, toasts, oatmeal and other mostly sweet oriented options. So when mom was visiting, I made it a point to take a few pictures, ended up with a very few actually. :). of the savory options. Only moms can make perect chilla/puda. perfectly round, perfectly done.:) Chilla or Puda as we call it is another one of the staple breakfasts at home.. made with chickpea flour(besan), sometimes in combination with wheat or rice flour or semolina, with added veggies of choice.
Chilla if made with only chickpea flour is glutenfree. Pictured with the chilla above is the Diwali oil lamp and almond milk Chai. This year we celebrated Diwali with ma n pa after 11 years!
A fluffier Veggie Omelette version on the new post here.
Other soy free Omelettes here
The chilla we make, is like a thick soft crepe (more like a Dosa). You can tweak the consistency to make a thicker batter for a more pancakey and soft chilla or a thin crisp crepe.
For some recent savory breakfast options check out Upma-Cream of wheat or Rice or other grains cooked with veggies and nuts here. with gf options.
Directions: Makes 3-4
Take 2/3 cup chickpea flour and add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp rock salt(kala namak), 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste, 1/8 teaspoon asofetida(hing, optional), 1 teaspoon oil and about 1/2-2/3 cup water and mix well to get a lump free batter. (add cumin powder or coriander powder for variations).
Add in 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chili finely chopped or to taste and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro.
Heat a thick bottom pan on medium high heat until hot, spread a little oil on the pan.
Drop a ladleful of the batter and spread it around either by using the ladle in circular motion like a crepe, or just moving the pan to make 5-7 inch diameter. Put a few drops of oil on the edges.
Cook chilla on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until golden. Flip and cook for another few minutes till brown spots appear.
Serve hot with ketchup, sriracha, cilantro chutney or other sauces.
When short on time, I blend the veggies, ginger and all the ingredients in a blender to make a quick batter and use it:) No chopping needed!
Other veggies that we add.. grated carrot, finely chopped tomato, scallions, shallots, grated cauliflower, zucchini, potato, mushrooms, spinach, chard and more. Add a few Tablespoons of rice flour for crispy chilla. You can watch a Video on how to make a chilla with zucchini here.
I also use this same batter to make Savory french toasts (Bread pakora). Make the batter. Dip the breads in the batter and pan fry them on non stick pan with little oil, on medium hot, about 3-5 minutes on each side depending on size. Serve hot topped with daiya or as is with ketchup or chutneys! Use gf bread for a gf french toasts.
Have a great balanced breakfast everyday.
And this is my new iphone cover.. old school.. but I love it!
Poornima Nair says
November 18, 2011 at 5:19 amTwo amazing breakfast dishes…love them!
Raji says
November 18, 2011 at 6:02 amYou saved my day Richa..I was going to make upma again for today’s breakfast but now I am heading towards kitchen to make these. Have got some tomato chutney in fridge which will go well with this. Thanks !
Panchamrutham says
November 18, 2011 at 7:21 aminteresting brekky ideas
http://panchamrutham.blogspot.com/
GiGi says
November 18, 2011 at 4:59 pmOh man, this blows my rice cake with almond butter and jelly breakfast out of the water. Kick your mom out of my room, I’ll be there soon
Torviewtoronto says
November 18, 2011 at 7:36 pmdelicious looking savoury to snack on
lovely phone cover
saffronstreaks says
November 18, 2011 at 10:09 pmits been ages I had these besan ka chilla, even almost forget its name..good and yummy breakfast
Isobelle says
November 18, 2011 at 11:59 pmhaha, awesome iPhone case! If I wasn’t old fashioned and had an iPhone like this instead of my mini flip phone brick, I would have to have a case like that for sure!
I think I’m going to make this chilla for breakfast on Sunday too 🙂
ANU says
November 19, 2011 at 12:25 amvery new and healthy….
LGSS -“Tomato” – Nov 5th to Dec 5th
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Richa says
November 19, 2011 at 12:42 amThanks Poornima.
Thanks Raji, hope you like these enough to make more times!
Thanks Panchamrutham!
Richa says
November 19, 2011 at 12:43 amThanks Gigi, hehe.. yeah i make these these but never get time to clickpics and mine arent as prettyly round anyway!:)
Thanks isolbelle.. yeah i know.. i love that iphone case! its fun when you take it out and start calling with people around.:D
Thanks Anu.
Yuri - Chef Pandita says
November 19, 2011 at 12:57 amYum! Wanna try both 🙂 love the iPhone cover!
[email protected] Healthy Diary says
November 19, 2011 at 5:29 pmI love these. We called this vegetarian omelet and had it on days when we couldn’t eat eggs.
Yours looks so good.
Richa says
November 19, 2011 at 11:01 pmThank you Yuri! do try them and hope you like them!
Thanks Priyanka!
Pinky Raghav says
November 20, 2011 at 3:31 amThanks for this delicious recipe! tried it this morning and it came really nice. I also tried a batch with the wheat flour with only lil chicpea flour, and that was good too. thanks again!
Richa says
November 20, 2011 at 3:37 amthank you so much or trying Pinky! I eel very happy when someone tries my recipes and like them!:) have a super fun weekend!
Premalatha Aravindhan says
November 20, 2011 at 12:07 pmFirst time here, love ur space…awesome recipes…Do visit mine if time permits…
http://www.premascook.com
Chitra says
November 20, 2011 at 1:24 pmNice quick dishes for breakfast. yum yumm 🙂
Aarthi says
November 20, 2011 at 5:33 pmdelicious dear..U have made it perfectly..Love to make this..
Do visit my blog too
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
foodfeud says
November 20, 2011 at 7:05 pmThese look great! I’m pretty stuck in my breakfast ways but the chillas would be a nice change for a brunchy meal.
Junia says
November 21, 2011 at 1:48 pmi love these savory chickpea pancakes. mmmm! i love how versatile besan is! i think every culture has their version! in korean culture, they use flour with scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce!
Day says
January 4, 2012 at 4:00 pmi want to print this recipe but can’t find a doohickie to click on 🙂
thanks,
cathy
Richa says
January 5, 2012 at 12:13 amthanks everyone!
Day, i dont have a print button yet.. will set that up soon. you can copy the text into word or notepad and print it!
Kathrin says
February 17, 2012 at 1:34 amI made this recipe tonight and my whole family loved dinner! Just recently we discovered Kala Namak and have been experimenting a bit. What a great addition for a vegan diet! Thanks so much for all your work on this blog and the great recipes!
Richa says
February 17, 2012 at 2:14 amAwesome! I am so happy that you tried it and everyone liked it..Thank you for dropping by and letting me know! yes, Kala namak is fun. Add it fruits with lemon juice and pepper for a perfect summer salad!
Vicky says
February 19, 2012 at 8:36 pmYum! I’ll be making these Very soon!
Emily says
February 24, 2012 at 12:23 pmI just had this for lunch and it was so easy, quick, and delicious!
The fillings were modified heavily based on what was in my fridge: minced garlic, minced ginger, corn, frozen peas, finely chopped carrots, curry powder, coriander, garam masala, paprika, and nutritional yeast. Delicious drizzled with siracha and tahini. So filling and cheap to boot.
Richa says
February 24, 2012 at 5:35 pmThanks Emily. thats the fun part about this chickpea crepe!:) add anything you want with some spices and its good to go!
Christabel says
September 13, 2014 at 12:17 amJust made my first chillas for dinner last night, and I’ll have to try your bread pakora – genius!
Lisa says
March 5, 2015 at 8:04 pmHi Richa,
I made these for dinner tonight — they were lovely. I put red bell peppers and grated carrot into the batter as well as the onion, ginger, etc. And then I put a pancake between slices of sourdough bread smeared with sriracha Just Mayo and topped with baby spinach leaves, to make an omelet sandwich. Yum! If it were summer and I had a juicy ripe tomato that would have taken it to another level. ☺️ Thanks for the recipe; I want to try the French toast version with my sourdough bread next.
All the best,
Lisa
Sonia says
May 10, 2015 at 6:38 amI was actually thinking to make these for my mom today for mothers day. However wanted to know the nutritious content. My mom is diabetic and has high BP. Do you know where I can find the nutritional content for your recipes?
Richa says
May 10, 2015 at 10:09 amawesome! You can use a nutrition calculator online to find the content for any recipe https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=nutrition+calculator
Babs says
July 13, 2015 at 12:06 pmI’ve made the version in your new cookbook several times and I love them! Use the cilantro mint chutney and it pairs nicely!
Richa says
July 13, 2015 at 12:59 pmawesome!!