Experimenting with omelet alternatives, I decided try a Besan Cheela. The cheela is made by whisking chickpea (gram) flour and water, adding sweet peas, onion and spices, then cooking on a hot skillet for a few minutes on both sides.
The whisking part is the only thing egg-like about the cheela. It’s more of a pancake than an omelet. That said, it’s an extraordinary piece of comfort food that takes little time to prepare. I like tearing off pieces, which I smother with Cilantro-Mint Chutney and eat with my hands. I’d like to try the pancake with onion seed and green chili, and maybe a bit more water for an extra thin cheela.
Besan Cheela
Adapted from Rashmi’s recipe - many thanks!
1 cup chickpea (gram) flour
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp peas
2 Tbsp sweet corn
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp baking powder
sunflower oil
Wisk together the chickpea flour and the water.
Saute the onion and cumin seeds in a bit of sunflower oil until the onion is nice and cooked.
Add onion and everything else to the chickpea flour mixture and mix well.
Heat up a lightly oiled skillet.
Pour some batter on the skillet. When it starts to bubble in the middle, flip it over. Check it after a minute or two. When it’s nice and brown, remove it from the skillet and make the next cheela.
Eat on its own or with some chutney. I liked it with the cilantro-mint, but I bet mango chutney would be nice as well.
Cilantro & Mint Chutney
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped mint
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon green chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
Blend it all together with enough water to form a smooth thick paste. Done.
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I hadn’t seen you had a blog either! Great news because I loved the idea of the besan crepe…
I am glad that you liked the recipe. Your cheela looks really good :)I have more recipes to share on my blog.
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