Thursday, October 10, 2013

Moong Dal Chilla with a vegetable topping

Moong dal chilla is a mildly seasoned crepe made with a batter of ground mung lentils. Chopped vegetables are added to the crepe to add variety. Moong dal chilla is a protein rich option for breakfast and with added vegetable it provides vitamins as well. Whole moong beans is healthier than the moong lentils because of the added fibre content. But making chillas with whole moong requires some planning since the moong has to be soaked for a few hours to be able to grind it.

Here, I have suggested an onion, bell pepper, carrot and tomato topping.
Ingredients
Moong dal - 2/3 cup
Poha - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Turmeric - a couple of pinches
Asafoetida / hing - a generous pinch
Salt to taste
Oil to apply on chilla
topping (for 4 crepes)
Onion - 1, medium
Carrot - 1/2
Bell Pepper / Capsicum - 1/2
Tomato - 1/4
Salt - a generous pinch
Soak the moong dal for a couple of hours, then drain the water and keep aside. Wash the poha and grind it along with moong dal, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida and salt to a fine paste. Add water to get a thick batter.
 
Finely chop the onion and bell pepper, shred the carrot and keep aside. Deseed the tomato and chop finely. Mix the veges and salt and use as is on the chilla. This vegetable mix can be sautéed lightly and then added on the chilla. Personally, I prefer the vegetables to be sautéed.
 
Heat a griddle and pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it to a round shape. Spread some of the prepared topping on the chilla immediately. Sprinkle some oil around the chilla and along the edge. Flip the chilla over when it sets and cook both sides on medium heat.
Serve hot with some coconut and coriander chutney.

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