Besan Cheela (Savory Chickpea Pancakes)
A quick, healthy, and flavorful Indian breakfast or snack.
⏱️ 25 min🍽️ Serves 1
🔥 210 kcal💪 11g protein🍚 28g carbs🥑 6g fat🌾 5g fibreper serving
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servings
Ingredients
- 🥣1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- 💧½ cup water
- 🧅¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
- 🍅¼ cup tomato, finely chopped
- 🌿1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 🧄½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 💛¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 🌶️¼ tsp red chili powder
- 🍂½ tsp cumin powder
- 🤎¼ tsp garam masala
- 🧂½ tsp salt
- 🌻2 tbsp cooking oil (e.g., canola, sunflower)
Pro tips
- Adjust the amount of water to achieve your desired batter consistency; it should be pourable but not too thin.
- For extra spice, add a finely chopped green chili to the batter.
- Cheela can be made ahead and reheated gently on a pan or in a microwave for a quick meal.
- Experiment with other finely chopped vegetables like bell peppers, grated carrots, or spinach.
Method
- 1In a large bowl, whisk together the besan, water, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, and garam masala until a smooth, lump-free batter forms. The consistency should be similar to pancake batter.
- 2Add the finely chopped red onion, tomato, fresh cilantro, and ginger-garlic paste to the batter. Mix well to combine all ingredients evenly.
- 3Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with a few drops of oil.
- 4Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot pan and spread it evenly into a thin, round pancake (approximately 6-8 inches in diameter) using the back of a ladle.
- 5Drizzle a little oil around the edges of the cheela and cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the top appears cooked.
- 6Flip the cheela and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- 7Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan as needed for each cheela.
- 8Serve hot with green chutney, pickle, or yogurt.