Often, we find leftover dal in our fridges and struggle to finish it. One of the common methods used in families is to use this dal to prepare dough for making soft and nutritious parathas or chapatis. How about using the same dal to make a nutritious and sumptuous breakfast? Here, we have used leftover moong dal with cereals (oats and ragi) to create healthy cheelas. You can try these recipes with other dal combinations also.
Did you know?
Cereal and pulse combination enhances your overall protein intake. Amino acids are the building block of proteins. Pulses are deficient in one of the amino acids (methionine) but rich in another amino acid lysine, whereas, cereals have high methionine and low lysine content. Thus, the combination of cereal-pulse is needed to ensure the body gets the required protein from these sources.
Here, we prepare two types of cheelas: Oats Dal Cheela and Ragi Dal Cheela.
Ingredients:
For batter:
½ katori rolled oats (for Oats Dal Cheela) OR ½ katori ragi flour (for Ragi Dal Cheela) (Note: You may use other flours like wheat flour or gram flour (besan) for the recipe.)
½ katori suji
½ katori dal
½ katori curd
¾ cup water
½ inch ginger
1 green chilli
½ tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) (optional)
4-6 tsp oil
For filling:
100 gm paneer
1 medium size onion
1 medium size tomato
1 green chilli
½ inch ginger
1 tsp salt (salt can be adjusted as per taste)
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp chaat masla
1 tsp of roasted sesame seeds (optional)
For garnishing:
Handful of coriander leaves
Roasted sesame seeds
Serving: 6 medium cheelas
Calorific Value (per serving):
Oats Dal Cheela:
Energy: 184 kcal
Protein: 10 gm
Carbs: 27 gm
Fats: 4 gm
Fibre: 4 gm
Ragi Dal Cheela:
Energy: 179 kcal
Protein: 9 gm
Carbs: 27 gm
Fats: 4 gm
Fibre: 5 gm
Method:
Steps to make oats powder (for Oats Dal Cheela):
Dry roast rolled oats in a pan until they turn light brown in colour.
Let these roasted oats cool down for 10-15 minutes.
Once they have cooled down, grind them into a fine powder.
Steps to prepare cheela batter:
In a bowl, mix oats powder (for Oats Dal Cheela) OR ragi flour (for Ragi Dal Cheela), suji, dal and curd. Add little water to this mixture so that there are no lumps and we get a batter of medium consistency. Let this batter rest for 20 minutes.
Now add finely chopped ginger, green chillies, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, red chilli powder and salt to the batter.
Add water to the batter slowly and keep stirring the batter till it turns into flowing consistency.
Steps to prepare cheela filling:
Finely chop onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves.
Finely grate paneer and ginger.
In a bowl add onion, tomatoes, paneer, green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves.
To this mixture add red chilli powder, salt, chaat masala, and roasted sesame seeds.
Mix everything together.
Steps to make cheela:
Heat a flat pan on a medium flame. Once heated grease this pan with few drops of oil.
Now take a ladle/ round spoon full of batter and pour it on the pan. Gently spread the batter with the back of ladle. Spread this batter lightly and gently so that the cheela does not break.
Now on a low flame cook the cheela. Drizzle ½ to 1 tsp oil on the cheela all around.
Move around a flat spatula at the bottom of the cheela to ensure the bottom portion does not stick to the pan.
Continue to cook till the base gets light golden.
Now take a spoonful of the filling and gently spread it over one half of the chilla. Turn other half over this filling so it looks like a semi-circle.
Let it cook for few seconds, and then turn it on the other side to cook the other side of this semi-circle. Let it cook for few seconds till it becomes crisp.
Once the cheela is crisp, transfer it on the plate.
You can garnish this with coriander leaves and roasted sesame seeds.
Serve the cheela with mint chutney or tamarind chutney.
Recipe Video
Know Your Ingredients
Ragi
Ragi is a millet which is packed with all the essential macronutrients - complex carbohydrates, fibers, fats and proteins, along with noteworthy levels of key micronutrients - vitamins and minerals. It is a gluten-free grain with many health benefits. Ragi is a rich source of calcium which is required for health bones and teeth. In fact, ragi has three times more calcium than an equivalent amount of milk. In addition, ragi contains considerable quantities of vitamins C and E, to boost immunity, and skin and hair health.
Oats
Oat is a gluten-free whole grain, which is rich in carbohydrates and fiber, but also higher in protein and fat than many other grains. They are high in many vitamins and minerals, and contain many powerful antioxidants. Oats are high in the soluble fiber beta-glucan, which has numerous benefits. It helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, promotes healthy gut bacteria and increases feelings of fullness, hence helping in weight reduction.
Pulses
Pulses are a great source of plant-based protein and fibre. In fact, pulses are made up of over 25%-30% protein, which makes them excellent sources of proteins for vegetarians. They are also good source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are a good source of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, minerals, fiber, and rich in various antioxidants. They are high in magnesium which helps in lowering blood pressure. Sesame seeds are highly rich in calcium, which is good for strong bones and teeth.
This recipe was awarded as a 2nd Runner-Up of the Meri Poushtik Rasoi (2022) competition, organized by Idobro and Glenmark Foundation.