One of the healthiest and easiest dishes to cook for breakfast is a chilla. This versatile dish allows you to play with ingredients, especially the batter and stuffing so that you can create several combinations and make your first meal of the day nutritious. From quinoa to oats, you can use a wet grinder to grind these food items into a powdered base for the chilla.
Video Credit: Chef Ranveer Brar
To make the desi pancakes more nutritious, you can prepare stuffing using vegetables, minced meat, paneer, and tofu. Below mentioned are a few different kinds of chillas you must try at home.
Bajra Chilla
Bajra is a millet with no traces of gluten, hence, it is perfect for people with allergies to consume it. Use a wet grinder to turn soaked bajra into a smooth paste along with cumin seeds, ginger, green chillies, and coriander seeds. Whisk the batter with fresh herbs and spices of your choice, add a ladle full of it on a hot skillet, and let the bottom turn brown. This chilla will be rich in iron and fibre among other nutrients.
Urad Dal Chilla
To make urad dal chilla, you should use Usha’s wet grinder
Moong Dal Chilla
To prepare this nutrient-rich delight, soak moong dal for at least overnight. It will make it easy to grind in an electric appliance. You can also combine it with green chillies, salt, ginger, and cumin seeds to boost flavours. Once the batter has a dosa-like consistency, spread it on a hot tawa, top it with ghee and paneer filling or chopped onion-tomatoes, and serve with chutney and sauce.
Ragi Chilla
Much like bajra chilla, ragi chilla is also healthy and nutritious. Use a wet grinder to prepare a thick batter of the soaked finger millet, cumin seeds, curd, coriander leaves, and onions. This aromatic batter will yield satisfactory chilla. The best stuffing for this will be chopped garlic, onion, tomato, and coriander leaves tossed in lemon juice, salt, and red chilli powder.
Barley-Lentil Chilla
If you need a solid dose of protein in the morning, opt for barley lentil chilla. You will need a wet grinder to combine the ingredients or else you will strain your muscles trying to turn them into a paste using traditional means. While grinding, add ginger, green chillies, and cumin seeds to the mix. The infusion of earthy notes will make the final product delicious.
Quinoa Chilla
Soak quinoa beforehand and use a wet grinder to turn it into a smooth paste. You can also grind green chillies, salt, cumin, and ginger. This gluten-free protein-packed batter will produce delicious desi pancakes that you can relish for breakfast or pack for your tiffin. Add the stuffing of your choice to make these a treat for your taste buds.