Beetroot chilla

Beetroot chilla or cheela is a very nutritious, tasty, and easy-to-make savory pancake from India. Loaded with vegetables, this vegan beetroot pancake is enjoyed as a breakfast as well as a snack.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings small pancakes

Calories 121kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

Grinder
Pan/ griddle

Ingredients

1.5 cups besan chickpea flour
½ cup semolina
2 medium-sized beets around 2 cups of chopped beets
1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
1 bell pepper finely chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
1 inch ginger piece grated
½ cup cilantro finely chopped
1 teaspoon carrom seeds ajwain
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
½ teaspoon red chili powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon any cooking oil
2 + 1 cup water or as required to get the desired consistency of cheela batter

Instructions

Peel and roughly chop the beetroots. Put in a pot with around 1 cup of water. Cover the pan and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until they turn soft.
Allow the beets to reach room temperature. Put in a food processor or chutney maker, along with 1-2 tablespoons of water in which it was cooked, and make a smooth paste.
Put chickpea flour, semolina, beetroot puree, all the spices, herbs, green chilies, and salt into a bowl. Slowly add water and start mixing until you get a pancake like consistency.
Heat a pan or griddle. Apply some oil on its surface. Take around a ladle full of batter and gently spread on the pan with the backside of the ladle.
Sprinkle some chopped onion, bell pepper, and cilantro on top. Make sure that the top side is still wet when you add the vegetables. Gently press with a spatula so that the vegetables stick to the surface. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for around 2-3 minutes or until the lower side gets cooked.
Remove the lid and flip the cheela. Cover again and cook for another 2 minutes or until the other side also gets cooked.
Serve hot with any dipping sauce of your choice or a cup of tea.

Notes

For a faster way of making beetroot chilla, instead of using puree, just finely grate some raw peeled beets and add to the batter. It also tastes amazing.
You can also make similar savory pancakes using other vegetables like carrot, green peas, or pumpkin.
Feel free to use seasonings of your choice in the batter.
More recipe tips and tricks are given within the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition