Besan chilla | Gujarati puda or a vegetarian omelette as it is also known is an Indian savory chickpea flour pancake. It is quick to prepare, delicious, vegan, nutritious and can be easily customized as per your preference. Learn how to make besan chilla with this easy recipe.
Hello folks! How is everyone doing? It’s been a while since I posted something. My in-laws have returned to India, and I haven’t really been cooking a lot, simply because I have been so lazy. Blame all the over-pampering, huh? To top it all of, the hubby is out on an official trip for a couple of weeks as well!!
I try to prepare quick fix meals, that don’t really take up much time, and yet are delicious and nutritious. One such meal is this besan chilla | besan cheela.
- WHAT IS CHILLA?
- DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILLA RECIPES
- HOW TO MAKE BESAN CHEELA?
- BESIDES THESE INDIAN PANCAKES, WHAT IS GRAM FLOUR USED TO MAKE?
- DID YOU ENJOY THIS BREAKFAST BESAN CHILLA RECIPE? THEN YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE EASY BREAKFAST RECIPES
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BESAN CHILLA | CHEELA
- HOW TO MAKE BESAN CHILLA | BESAN CHEELA?
- Besan Chilla | How To Make Besan Cheela | Chickpea Flour Pancakes
WHAT IS CHILLA?
Chilla is a savory Indian pancake . It is also known as tomato omelette or a vegetarian omelette. An eggless omelette? Yes, it is for real! You must definitely try to see how fascinating it is, an omelette without eggs!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILLA RECIPES
Chilla is not only limited to besan flour/chickpea flour, but it can also be made with practically any kind of flour.
Here are some varieties that I prepare often-
- Oats chilla
- Moong dal chilla
- Rava (Semolina) chilla
- Stuffed chilla with paneer
- Mixed dal chilla
Today lets talk about this besan ka cheela with vegetables aka vegetable omelette recipe without egg.
HOW TO MAKE BESAN CHEELA?
For this besan cheela recipe, you will need Indian gram flour, i.e besan flour, few spices like turmeric powder, cumin, and carom seeds, and water to make a thick, flowing batter similar to a dosa batter. I’ve added veggies to add more nutrition.
The batter is ready, all you have to do now is cook it like regular pancakes or spread it like a dosa with the back of a ladle.
In India, carom and cumin seeds are added for a reason in dishes that call for chickpea flour. Besan can easily make you gassy, and bloated. Although it is healthy, packed with proteins and several other things, it is a little difficult to digest. Addition of carom seeds and cumin seeds aids in digestion. So, I highly recommend you use it! These are easily available at any Indian store.
BESIDES THESE INDIAN PANCAKES, WHAT IS GRAM FLOUR USED TO MAKE?
There are so many besan recipes in the Indian cuisine. Besan flour is added to curries. You can make pakoras (fritters), Rajasthani gatha kadhi, muthia, dhokla, cookies like nankhatai (Indian shortbread cookies) or combine it with dahi/yogurt to make the ever-popular kadhi.
I’ve shared a Punjabi kadi pakora , that uses besan for the pakora and the kadhi. You may want to check that out, it is absolutely delicious!
I hope you guys will give this garbanzo bean flour pancakes | besan ka chilla a go. They are great for breakfast or as a snack.
The whole prep for this besan chilla recipe hardly takes about 10 minutes. For those who are on a vegan and gluten-free diet, I’m sure you guys will love this.
Customize this to adapt to your taste buds, add any veggies, herbs or greens of your choice, or use it as stuffing in sandwiches and wraps, and you will have yourself a wholesome yummy meal in under 20 minutes apt for breakfast or brunch.
I had a funny incident whilst making these. My curious toddler wanted to know what I was preparing, so I had to carry him to let him have a sneak peek. I asked him what’s this? And he retorts in his sweet little voice, “eggie”… lol 😀
Rava sheera
Homemade vegan granola
Paneer paratha
Aloo paratha
Soft spongy idli and sambar
And many more here
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BESAN CHILLA | CHEELA
1.In a mixing bowl, add sifted besan flour, turmeric powder, chaat masala, cumin seeds, and carom seeds. Mix well, now add water little at a time to make a smooth, lump-free batter.
2.Add the ingredients listed and mix well. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin. Keep it to a dropping consistency. Add more water if the batter is too thick.
3.Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, once the skillet is hot enough, drizzle oil, pour about 1/3 cup of batter and swirl it around the pan to spread it out, or spread the batter with the help of a ladle in circular motions.
4.Cook until it turns golden brown. When you see tiny bubbles on the surface and the edge of the chilla leaving the pan, drizzle few drops of oil, flip it over and cook it on the other side until golden brown, generally takes about 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with any accompaniment of your choice (yogurt/cilantro chutney/ lime pickle / tomato ketchup).
HOW TO MAKE BESAN CHILLA | BESAN CHEELA?
Besan Chilla | How To Make Besan Cheela | Chickpea Flour Pancakes
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp bell peppers
- 2 tbsp shredded carrots
- 1 stalk of scallion greens, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped green chilli
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- Handful of cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp of ajwain carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala, optional
- Pinch of asafoetida
- Salt and pepper, to season
- Approx 3/4 cup water, as required to make the batter
- Oil, as required
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add sifted besan flour, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, and carom seeds. Mix well, now add water little at a time to make a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Add the ingredients listed and mix well. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin. Keep it to a dropping consistency. Add more water if the batter is too thick.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, once the skillet is hot enough, drizzle oil, pour about 1/3 cup of batter and swirl it around the pan to spread it out, or spread the batter with the help of a ladle in circular motions.
- Cook until it turns golden brown. When you see tiny bubbles on the surface and the edge of the chilla leaving the pan, drizzle few drops of oil, flip it over and cook it on the other side until golden brown, generally takes about 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with any accompaniment of your choice (yogurt/cilantro chutney/ lime pickle/ tomato ketchup).
I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
Instagram @ aromatic_essence77
Twitter @ freda_dias
Regards,
Freda
Besan Chilla | How To Make Besan Cheela | Chickpea Flour Pancakes
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp bell peppers
- 2 tbsp shredded carrots
- 1 stalk of scallion greens, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped green chilli
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- Handful of cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp of ajwain carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala, optional
- Pinch of asafoetida
- Salt and pepper, to season
- Approx 3/4 cup water, as required to make the batter
- Oil, as required
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add sifted besan flour, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, and carom seeds. Mix well, now add water little at a time to make a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Add the ingredients listed and mix well. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin. Keep it to a dropping consistency. Add more water if the batter is too thick.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, once the skillet is hot enough, drizzle oil, pour about 1/3 cup of batter and swirl it around the pan to spread it out, or spread the batter with the help of a ladle in circular motions.
- Cook until it turns golden brown. When you see tiny bubbles on the surface and the edge of the chilla leaving the pan, drizzle few drops of oil, flip it over and cook it on the other side until golden brown, generally takes about 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with any accompaniment of your choice (yogurt/cilantro chutney/ lime pickle/ tomato ketchup).
Baath cake is a classic Goan delight, made of semolina and coconut. It is a dense, moist and delicious! It is also known as Batk or Batica.
Baath cake is a very traditional Goan Christmas sweet and is mostly a part of the Christmas Kuswar platter
It is not very sweet and is a lovely accompaniment for tea time. It doesn’t really require any frosting, it’s so good on its own.
Now, traditionally the look of this dish is more of a pie, it is baked with a type of pie shell, but that’s a rarity now, you will hardly see Baath cake sold that way. My mum in law suggested to give it that lattice look, so we just made simple flour dough strips and created the diagonal pattern. It did make the cake look prettier!
I intended sharing this for Christmas, but posting every other day got really overwhelming, and the pictures were just babysitting in my laptop. I guess it’s never too late, right?
This G oan baath cake recipe requires some time as the batter has to sit for 6-8 hours or overnight. Other than that there isn’t much to it unless of course, you grate the coconut. Or else, simply use frozen grated coconut, let it thaw before you use it in the recipe.
You simply have to mix all the ingredients, leave it covered for some hours, then bake it to a beautiful golden brown color.
This is a recipe shared by my Mum in law’s cousin who owns a small bakery in Goa. So let’s learn how to make Authentic Goan Baath Cake | Batica 🙂
- IF YOU ENJOYED THIS BAATH CAKE | COCONUT RAVA CAKE, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE SOME MORE TRADITIONAL GOAN SWEETS FOR CHRISTMAS. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPES.
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | GOAN COCONUT CAKE | BATICA | BATK
- HOW TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | BATICA | GOAN SEMOLINA COCONUT CAKE RECIPE?
- Baath Cake | Batica | Goan Semolina & Coconut Cake
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | GOAN COCONUT CAKE | BATICA | BATK
1.In a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, dry roast the semolina on medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until dry and fragrant. (about 10 minutes)
2.Grind the grated coconut with about 1/2 cup water to a coarse paste.
3.In a mixing bowl, add 5 whole eggs (egg whites+yolks) and only the yolk of the remaining 3 eggs. To this add sugar. Whisk the sugar with egg mixture, until well combined.
4.Next add butter, coconut, nutmeg powder, salt if using, mix well. Lastly, add the roasted semolina to the above batter, mix well. Cover and let it rest for about 8 hours or overnight. (There is no need to refrigerate this, but if you live in a pretty hot and humid climate, then do refrigerate it).
5.If you intend to top it with the crust, then knead the dough, roll it out to about 1/8th inch thickness, cut about 1/2 inch strips.
6.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line an 8 inch round cake tin or 9-inch square tin with parchment paper and grease with little butter. Add baking powder and mix the batter well before transferring into the prepared cake tin.
7.Place the strips on the prepared cake batter to create the diagonal pattern. Bake in the middle rack of the oven at 300 degrees F, until it’s golden brown, for about 1 hr and 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in, comes out clean. Baking times will vary depending on the pan size used, keep an eye once the top begins to turn golden brown.
8.Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
- Since this coconut baath cake has fresh coconut, I suggest finishing it within 2-3 days, or else you can refrigerate it in an air right container, warm it a little before serving.
- For Goan baath cake recipe with desiccated coconut , replace the fresh coconut with desiccated, grind it with the same amount of warm water.
- If using frozen coconut, skip grinding the coconut with water since thawed coconut tends to be moist, pulse it a couple of times to break it down.
HOW TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | BATICA | GOAN SEMOLINA COCONUT CAKE RECIPE?
Baath Cake | Batica | Goan Semolina & Coconut Cake
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml, all ingredients are at room temperature
- 250 grams freshly grated coconut,* approx 2 & 1/2 cups
- 250 grams fine semolina / rava / sooji
- 300 grams sugar
- 8 large eggs
- 3/4 tbsp nutmeg powder
- 113 grams /1 stick butter or ghee, melted
- Pinch of salt, skip if using salted butter
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the top crust: (optional)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour maida
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1 tsp oil
- Water, as required to make a dough
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, dry roast the semolina on medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until dry and fragrant. (about 10 minutes)
- Grind the grated coconut with about 1/2 cup water to a coarse paste.
- In a mixing bowl, add 5 whole eggs (egg whites+yolks) and only the yolk of the remaining 3 eggs. To this add sugar. Whisk the sugar with egg mixture, until well combined.
- Next add melted butter, coconut, nutmeg powder, salt if using, mix well.
- Lastly, add the roasted semolina to the above batter, mix well. Cover and let it rest for about 8 hours or overnight. (There is no need to refrigerate this, but if you live in a pretty hot and humid climate, then do refrigerate it).
- If you intend to top it with the crust, then knead the dough, roll it out to about 1/8th inch thickness, cut about 1/2 inch strips.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line an 8 inch round cake tin or 9-inch square tin with parchment paper and grease with little butter. Add baking powder and mix the batter well before transferring into the prepared cake tin.
- Place the strips on the prepared cake batter to create the diagonal pattern. Bake in the middle rack of the oven at 300 degrees F, until it’s golden brown, for about 1 hr and 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in, comes out clean. Baking times will vary depending on the pan size used, keep an eye once the top begins to turn golden brown.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Since this coconut baath cake has fresh coconut, I suggest finishing it within 2-3 days, or else you can refrigerate it in an air right container, warm it a little before serving.
- For Goan baath cake recipe with desiccated coconut , replace the fresh coconut with desiccated, grind it with the same amount of warm water.
- If using frozen coconut, skip grinding the coconut with water since thawed coconut tends to be moist, pulse it a couple of times to break it down.
I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on,
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
Instagram @ aromatic_essence77
Twitter @ freda_dias
Regards,
Freda
