Besan chilla
Preparation Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
30 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Breakfast
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Besan (gram flour)
About This Recipe
Besan chilla is a North Indian answer to the quick savoury breakfast: a batter of gram flour and water, a handful of chopped onion and tomato, and a tawa. It is cheela in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, puda in Punjab and pudla in Gujarat, and it is the dish people make when there is no dosa batter, no bread and half an hour. Besan is nothing more than chana dal ground to a flour, which is why a chilla tastes nutty rather than floury.
Two habits separate a good chilla from a heavy one. The batter is rested for ten minutes so the flour hydrates and loses its raw, chalky taste; it is then re-thinned, because besan keeps drinking water. And it is spread thin, the way a dosa is, the ladle circling outwards from the centre; a thick chilla stays doughy in the middle however long you cook it. Keep the ajwain: it is a traditional seasoning for savoury besan batters.
Cold-pressed groundnut oil is the cooking fat here; its mild nutty taste sits well with besan and ajwain. For a softer, spongier chilla whisk in two tablespoons of curd; for a crisper one add a tablespoon of rice flour. Grated carrot, bottle gourd, spinach or methi leaves go into the same batter, and a chilla folded over grated paneer and chutney becomes a tiffin roll. For a chilla made from soaked moong dal, see the moong dal chilla.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Batter
- Besan (gram flour) — 1 1/2 cups
- Water (approximately) — 1 1/4 cups
- Onion, finely chopped — 1 medium
- Tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped — 1 small
- Green chilli, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Ginger, grated — 1 tsp
- Coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
- Ajwain (carom seeds) — 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder — 1/4 tsp
- Red chilli powder — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — 3/4 tsp
For cooking
- Groundnut oil — 2 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Besan chilla should go from tawa to plate while still crisp. Green chutney and a bowl of curd are the usual partners, and children usually want ketchup; a smear of mint chutney and sliced onion rolled inside makes it a wrap. It goes with masala chai at breakfast and with dal at dinner. For tiffin, stack two chillas with a sheet of paper between them so they do not stick, and pack the chutney separately.
Tips for Cooking Besan chilla
Aim for a batter that clings to a spoon and drops from it in a thick stream; after its ten-minute rest it will need re-thinning. Add the onion and tomato just before cooking or they release water and the batter goes runny. Heat the tawa on medium, not high: besan browns before it cooks through on a very hot pan. A chilla that resists the spatula is not ready to turn; give it another half minute.
Chef’s Note
Fresh besan makes the difference between a chilla that tastes nutty and one that tastes of raw flour. Smell the pack before you start: a sweet, grainy smell is right and any sharpness or mustiness is not, and once opened it belongs in an airtight jar. Two chillas, one serving, work out to about 242 kcal, 10.2 g of protein and 5 g of fibre. The same flour makes besan ke laddu.
Per serving (approx.): 242 kcal, protein 10 g, carbs 26 g, fat 11 g, fibre 5 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Jul 03, 2026
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