Cheela Taco Shell 

with Pulao (Rice Pilaf) Filling

For the first time, I participated in #tacotuesday on Instagram. This "taco" is made of a protein shell, in the form of a Cheela, and a carb filling, from Pulao. The Cheela is like an Indian crepe, made with a chickpea-flour batter (which I leave to ferment for a few hours so it's lighter). When I'm ready to cook, I add the seasonings, which here were grated fresh ginger, onion powder, turmeric, pav bhaji masala, and salt. I use only a little oil for the Cheelas, and this time, I covered them while cooking. I didn't measure anything except the chickpea flour, but I liked the results, so I guess it turned out okay. 😉 The Pulao is an Indian rice pilaf, with green peas, carrots, and cauliflower, that I made a couple days ago. I was glad to finally be part of this Tuesday special! 

Quinoa Flakes Cheela 

(Indian Savory Pancake)

This was inspired by the Ground Oats Cheela from August 30, of The Gutless Foodie on Instagram. Instead of using ground oats, I used ground quinoa flakes (which I ground up in a coffee/spice grinder), along with mustard seeds and some spices. I was glad to find a use for the quinoa flakes (that I was advised could add some protein to my diet). It was a very delicious use, too. 

(I'm adding links here to the company that makes these quinoa flakes, in case anyone is interested.)


The Gutless Foodie Facebook

The Gutless Foodie Instagram, Ground Oats Cheela

Ancient Harvest Website, Quinoa Flakes

Ancient Harvest Website, How to Use Quinoa Flakes

Paniyaram (South Indian dumplings)

These dumplings were made in a Nordic Ware æbelskiver pan (which is similar enough to the Indian pan used for this). They were made from leftover Moong Dal Cheela batter. (You can see my recent post for more details.) I used just a few drops of oil for each one. The trick is, to wait until each dumpling is "done" and ready to turn over. Then, when you use a wooden utensil, such as chopsticks, it will easily turn over, without a struggle. Here, they are accompanied by some store-bought Harissa (a North African pepper sauce). 

Veg Recipes of India, Moong Dal Chilla Recipe

Moong Dal Cheela (Indian Savory "Crepe")

These thin crispy Indian "crepes" are made of yellow split mung beans. The moong dal/mung beans are soaked and ground, and mixed with seasonings. I based these on the recipe of Veg Recipes of India. After the batter was ready, I let it sit on the counter for an hour or so, to ferment (and hopefully become lighter). The cheelas were light, and crispy (with not too much oil). I was glad it was a success!

Veg Recipes of India Website, Moong Dal Chilla Recipe

Besan Aur Pyaz Ka Cheela 

(North Indian Crepe-like Griddlecakes, 

of Chickpea Flour & Onion)

This recipe, from Archana's Kitchen, includes chickpea/garbanzo bean flour, chopped onions and green bell peppers (capsicum), fennel seeds, salt, water, and cilantro. I sometimes find Besan Ka Cheela to be heavy, so after I mixed the flour with water, I left the batter on the counter for 3 hours to ferment (before mixing in the other ingredients). That did seem to lighten the batter.

As I didn't have any green chutney to accompany this, I used leftover Healthy Greek Spinach & Kale Dip instead. (You can see the post for that from a couple days ago, if you like.) After both sides of the cheela were cooked, I spread some dip on the one side, and then folded it over. Normally, I prefer my onions and peppers very well cooked, but here, I found that I liked the stronger flavor, mixed with the fennel seeds. I'm glad I tried this! 

Archana's Kitchen Website, Besan Aur Pyaz Ka Cheela Recipe

Archana's Kitchen Facebook

Sooji/Suji/Rava Cheela

(Indian Savory Cream of Wheat Griddlecake)

This is based on a recipe from Priya Vantalu on YouTube.  A cheela is an Indian griddlecake, sort of like a crepe. The photo shows how I topped it with some leftover Baingan Bharta (Indian mashed roasted eggplant and tomato). Quite yummy. 

This version contains sooji/rava (like Cream of Wheat), plain yogurt, fresh ginger, dried cilantro, salt, and baking soda, as well as the last of the leftover bhaji veggies from the other day (tomato, onion, and green bell pepper). I mixed the sooji, yogurt, and water together, and left it for two hours (longer than in the recipe), as I hoped that would make a lighter batter. I then added all the other ingredients, and cooked it with as little oil as I could get away with. (I still wanted it to be tasty and somewhat crispy; I just can't eat too much rich food.)

Priya Vantalu YouTube, Sooji Cheela Recipe

Cheela Sandwich,

with leftover Gingered Green Peas,

on toasted soft Italian bread. 

I didn't have any chutney, so I spread some pizza sauce on the toast. The peas will actually be more likely to remain on the sandwich, if they are between the bottom toast and the cheelas (unlike here). These are from the same batch of Cheelas as pictured yesterday. A nice vegetarian sandwich -- yum!

Cheelas (or Theplas?)

The recipe I consulted said these Indian griddlecakes were called Theplas, but they seem more like Cheelas. They were made with a batter of gram/besan/chickpea and rice flours, with some seasonings. To doubly make sure they weren't too heavy for me to eat, I left the covered batter out on the counter for a couple of hours, and I also added a dash of baking soda. I don't know if that's what did it, but they were very light.

I topped the first few with some tomato and onion, but those fell apart and aren't pictured here -- though they were also delicious! My experimenting with the recipe gave the griddlecakes a strong flavor -- but I found that I liked it. I certainly have been looking forward to eating them for dinner, the last couple of days.

Here are a couple of recipes, which I haven't yet tried:

Archana's Kitchen Website, Gujarati Methi Thepla (Spiced Indian Flat Bread with Fenugreek Leaves)

Nisha Madhulika Website, Besan ka Cheela Recipe

Zucchini & Whole Green Moong Dal Cheela 

(Indian savory griddlecakes with whole green moong dal, 

like pesarattu). 

This recipe is from Archana's Kitchen (Instagram, 15 June 2016; website, 31 Jan. 2016) although the original includes lauki, rather than zucchini. I soaked the dal overnight, and left out the chilies.

I found it had a "meaty" taste, which probably is from the heartiness of the dal. If someone has to eat less meat for health reasons but misses it, perhaps this could be a good substitute to eat at breakfast or in a sandwich? If you use a nonstick pan and not too much oil, it should be really healthy. 

Archana's Kitchen Website, Lauki & Whole Green Moong Dal Cheela 

Archana's Kitchen Facebook

Pudlas (Chickpea-Flour Griddlecakes)

The recipe is from Meera Sodha's Made in India, which contains several Gujarati recipes from India's west coast. A little baking powder in the recipe made these lighter. I have heard that pudlas tend to be thicker and more like pancakes, while the similar cheelas are thinner like crepes. 

Some helpful websites (whose recipes I haven't tried yet):

What is pudla & cheela? 

Pudla recipe: Besan chilla with vegetables 

Cheela | Pudla | My Style

Pesarattu (South Indian Savory Griddlecakes)

These were inspired by@archanaskitchen recipe for Lauki and Whole Green Moong Dal Cheela, and @abitwholesomely photo and description of Pesarattu.

I soaked whole green mung beans (sabut moong) for several hours, then put them through a Cuisinart with a little mashed rice and some seasonings (no vegetables this time). I fried them, a couple tablespoons at a time, with a little oil, like a dosa. 

Very hearty and energy-giving.