Its hot and humid but soaking in the warmth while browsing cookbooks is how I tend to enjoy my weekend afternoon. I was looking a vegan lunch idea and stumbled upon so many wonderful “Chilla” recipes, These crepes called “Chilla” or “Cheela” are so simple, wholesome and savory that I couldn’t wait to experiment with a version of my own.
I have used 3 types of lentils here…Urad, Masoor and Chana and some rice flour. You could use soaked rice as well but I had the rice flour in my pantry so went with it.
The lentils have been washed and soaked for a few hours. They were then ground into a paste along with the rice flour and then I let the batter ferment overnight. I just put it in my cool oven. It was so cool to see it bubble and rising by the morning.
Once the batter is fermented, add the herbs and spices and use water to bring out the consistency of pancake batter.
Cooked on both sides to a warm golden brown and served simply with coconut yoghurt raita and pickles was just perfect.
The recipe measurements below are just setting some guardrails but this is not an exact science. Feel free to experiment and taste along the way!
Chilla - Lentil Crepes
A Wholesome Savory Treat
Credit: foodforthesoul00.com
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Urad Dal/Lentil
- 1/2 cup Masoor Dal/Lentil
- 1/2 cup Chana Dal/Lentil
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- Chopped cilantro
- 1 inch Finely chopped ginger
- 3 -4 Finely chopped red or green onions
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
Directions
- Wash the lentils thoroughly and soak for 4 hours
- Grind the lentils in a food processor, add the rice flour and blend until a batter like consistency
- Let ferment in a cool oven overnight
- The batter will rise a little which will tell you that it has some fermentation. Add the herbs, veggies and spices and use some water to bring it to a pancake consistency
- Heat the griddle or cast iron pan until quite hot. Keep the heat to medium and pour in the batter. Use a teaspoon to oil the edges and the middle. Once bubbles start to form and the edges are brown, flip the pancake/crepe and cook the other side for a couple of minutes.
- The crepes should be soft and warm brown.
- Serve hot and deliciously!
Sharing at at Angie’s Fiesta Friday # 283. Thanks to the co-hosts Antonia @ Zoale and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook
Food For The Soul 
This is genius. I love the vesatility of Indian cuisine, sounds so good!
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Thank you Hadia. I love all your fantastic recipes ❤️
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This is awesome, I love healthy takes like this. The crepes look delicious and you could do so many things with them. Thank you for bringing them to the party! Happy Fiesta Friday!
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Thank you Antonia 🙏
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This looks so good, Zeba! I have lentils coming out my ears, I bought some over at a market in Minneapolis…if I only had the ambitions. Isn’t it fun to see food ferment? It always reminds me that all around us there is life, even if we can’t see it!
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Thanks Mollie. I totally enjoyed making these crepes for the first time. Love fermenting. This weekend I made a batch of cultured veggies and can’t wait for them to be ready in a few days😀
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Do you think I can make this just with the little brown lentils and red lentils only?
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Just do the red lentils and rice (flour or soaked grain) to start with. Let me know how it goes…
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Zeba these sound delicious. I actually made lentil pancakes (using red lentils) for the first time last week, but I didn’t let them ferment – does it change the taste a lot do you know? Maybe this could be dinner tomorrow! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday.
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It does change the taste slightly but should be good. Fermentation will add some good bacteria and it’s just fun to see the batter bubble and expand. It’s a perfect dinner 👍
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Excellent… prepping my batter for tomorrow! 🙂 Thank you!
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Wow, you make it look so easy with the delicious dish !
Check out my drink recipes on Fiesta Friday and http://ParsiCuisine.com
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