Chilla is a tasty pancake preparation made with gram flour (besan) and sometimes rice flour as well. It is among the healthy breakfast meal menus with versatile taste options. Chilla can be made into various types of ingredients and flavors, as per taste and dietary requirements. Here are 10 types of chillas for breakfast:
1. Moong Dal Chilla
With this protein-rich moong dal chilla, dal is soaked overnight and ground to a batter consistency. The traditionally spiced watery batter salted with turmeric, ginger, green chillies, and asafoetida is dolloped onto a hot griddle, spread into a thin and crispy pancake. You can also add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and coriander leaves to the batter for flavoring and crunchiness. It is healthy and a filling breakfast recipe which could be served with green chutney or yogurt.
2. Besan Chilla
This is one classic and simple chilla made from besan or chickpea flour one which is protein rich as well gluten-free. The batter of besan mixed with water, salt, red chili powder and carom seeds cooked on tava until golden brown. Rava chilla may be further enhanced by topping it with a few onions, tomatoes, capsicum, and coriander leaves similar to the above procedure after applying the batter. Sprinkle some chaat masala or even some lemon juice as well at the top for a tangy feel.
3. Rava Chilla
This is a quick and easy chilla made of rava which happens to be a rich source of carbohydrates as well as energy. The batter of the chilla consists of properly mixing the rava with yogurt, water, salt mixed with baking soda and keeping aside this batter for 15 minutes. It is then seasoned with chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves, and mustard seeds and cooked on a tawa till crisp and fluffy. The dish comes out as a light and delicious breakfast and goes best with coconut chutney or tomato sauce.
4. Oats Chilla
It is a healthy variation of chilla made from oats that are high in fiber content and antioxidants. The batter is easily made by grinding these oats with water, some salt, and cumin seeds and when ready is mixed up with some grated carrots, cabbage, and spinach. The batter is then spread on a tawa and cooked till crisp and brown in color. Oats chilla is a fabulous recipe to begin a day, which endows the body with a dose of vitamins and minerals. You can serve it alone or with mint chutney or peanut sauce for a delightful combination.
5. Spinach Chilla
Green and beautiful spinach chilla is a chilla made with iron, calcium, and vitamin K containing superfood - spinach. The spinach leaves ground into batter few waters, salt and ginger are mixed it with besan together. The batter is further spiced with garam masala, chaat masala, and ajwain and cooked till crisp and golden on a tawa. Serve it along with curd or pickle to increase the tanginess of this healthy dish of spinach chilla.
6. Paneer Chilla
This chilla is cheesy and creamy as it has paneer, cottage cheese, which is a rich source of proteins and other important nutrients especially calcium. The paneer is mashed along with some water, salt, and cornflour added to it along with some chopped green chilies, coriander leaves and kasuri methi. This batter is then spread on a tawa, just like an Uttapam or Dosa, and cooked until golden soft. Paneer chilla provides a highly palatable and heavy breakfast, served with khajur-ki-chutney or green chutney to give tanginess to the dish.
7. Ragi Chilla
A gluten-free, diabetic-friendly chilla made from ragi, which is an excellent source of calcium and iron. Ragi flour is mixed with a little quantity of water, salt, and curd to make it into a consistency like a batter, grated cucumber, onion, and carrot. The batter is later flavored by chopped green chilies, curry leaves and cumin seeds, and cooked on tawa until crisp and brown. Ragi chilla is thus a wholesome and nourishing breakfast that can be served with sambar or chutney for a south Indian touch.
8. Rice Chilla
This is a crisp and crunchy chilla made out of rice, a staple food providing carbohydrates in body for energy. It is made with soaked and ground rice adding water with salt and fenugreek seeds into the batter, kept to ferment overnight. Till it is golden and crisp, the batter is cooked in a tawa. To rice chilla batter, few chopped onions, tomatoes, capsicum, and coriander leaves can be added to make it interesting. You can even garnish with some sesame seeds or cheese on top to give it a nutty or cheesy flavor.
9. Quinoa Chilla
An exotic and contemporary chilla with latest ingredients like quinoa, which is a super healthy food with all the essential amino acids and antioxidants. The batter should consist of quinoa cooked in water, salt, and turmeric. After grinding it with boiled water, besan, and little oil, the matter is mixed well with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and coriander leaves. The matter is made into a proper consistency batter and is cooked on a tawa to make sure it turns out golden and crisp enough. Mediterranean in taste, quinoa chilla is a powerful and tasty breakfast that could be relished with yogurt or hummus.
10. Buckwheat Chilla
Devoid of gluten and coarse in cushioning, this is rustic and coarse chilla made out of the high fiber buckwheat grain. In this, batter for buckwheat is soaked and then ground using water, salt, ginger, later some pieces for potatoes, onions, chopped coriander leaves and then it is added to it. The batter is then seasoned by black pepper, red chili powder and chaat masala and cooked onto tawa while brown and crisp. Buckwheat chilla is a tasty breakfast that will help you feel full and heavy, so pairing it with mint chutney or aloo sabzi will be an icing on the cake to make it a perfect meal.
These were some of the best types of chillas which you can try for your breakfast to make your morning routine more interesting as well as healthy. Chillas are easy to prepare and can be done according to the person's preference and taste. A person can experiment with a wide variety of flours, veggies, spices, and can also use different toppings in order to prepare a variety of chilla recipes on his own choice and taste. Chillas are not only tasty but also constitute a nutritious part of the diet as they provide a balanced combination of protein, carbohydrates with low glycemic index and fiber. –(IVNTV)