Moong Dal Chilla is the breakfast you didn't know you needed: savory, lightly spiced with ginger and green chili, and ready in minutes once the batter's blended. Endlessly versatile, pile it with pickle and chutney, roll it up around your favorite fillings, or use it wherever naan, parathas, or roti would normally go!
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These are the Indian lentil pancakes I grew up eating! Crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, no fermentation or leavening needed the way dosa or idli batter requires. If you love Masoor Dal Chilla, the red lentil version that went viral for me a few years back, or Besan Chilla, the gram flour one, this is another easy variation to add to the rotation.
Moong Dal Chillas make a great gluten-free option in place of naan or soft, no-yeast naan, and on their own they're just as good with pickle and a cup of ginger chai. They also work well swapped into any of my Indian flatbreads that are perfect for soaking up curry!
A Few Things I've Learned From My Readers
- Short on time? The onion and cilantro can go straight into the blender with everything else instead of being folded in separately; a reader tried this, and it worked just as well. The texture comes out a little more uniform but still good.
- If you're not making this gluten-free specifically, all-purpose flour can stand in for rice flour, though the chilla won't be quite as crisp at the edges.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Moong Dal - Mild, versatile, and soaks faster than most other lentils. Whole green mung beans or split mung dal with skin (chilkewali) both work as substitutes. I'll sometimes soak 2-3 tablespoons of quinoa in with the dal for extra nutrition.
- Rice Flour - This is what gives the chilla its crisp edge. You can skip it entirely if you don't need that crispness, or swap in ¼ cup of poha ground in with the dal instead.
- Veggies - Finely diced red onion is the only vegetable I add, for color and a touch of sweetness once cooked. Diced tomato, spinach, or grated carrot all work too.
How to make Moong Dal Chilla
Storing
These savory pancakes are a perfect make-ahead recipe. You can refrigerate the batter for 2 to 3 days. Add the onions and cilantro just before cooking the chilla. If you have leftover batter with onions and cilantro, you can still refrigerate it for a day. Refrigerate any leftover chillas in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a hot pan, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
★ Tried this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it-I love seeing your creations. If you're on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Traditional Moong Dal Chilla (Indian Lentil Pancakes)
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal (green gram lentils)
- 3 cups water for soaking lentils
- 1 green chilli
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup water (divided for the batter)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 tablespoons rice flour
- ½ cup red onion (finely diced)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Rinse and drain moong dal and soak in water overnight or for at least 2 hours.
- Drain out all the water. Add the dal to a blender jar.
- Add green chili, ginger, cumin seeds, salt, and half of the water.
- Blend to make a fine batter.
- Take the batter out into a mixing bowl. Add turmeric, rice flour, and the remaining water, and mix well.
- Add onions and cilantro. Mix well and rest the batter for five minutes.
- Preheat the pan to low-medium heat. Lightly oil the pan.
- Ladle ⅓ cup of batter and spread it into a 6-inch circle. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add a few drops of oil and then carefully flip the chilla.
- Drizzle oil on top and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the chilla has light brown marks. Take the chilla out and repeat with the remaining batter.
Nicole says
Just made these tonight, and the kids LOVED them. I only had brown onions, so I used about a quarter of a small one. Because I’m lazy, I threw all the ingredients—including the onion and cilantro—in the blender. Used my crepe pan to cook them on. Thank you!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback. Always a winner when the kids enjoy it!
Ramesh T M says
Very usefull tips tasty
Archana says
Thank you!
Mary says
Hello! Can white flour be substituted for rice flour in this recipe? (Our house does not need to avoid gluten)
Archana says
Rice flour helps add crispy texture. You can also skip it altogether 🙂
Maneesha says
AMAAAAZING RECIPE, ARCHANA! My husband and I devoured these chillas! We paired it with morabbo, and it was perfect!
Archana says
Thank you! I love the pairing!!
Jennifer Lumley says
Made this recipe for breakfast yesterday and was very pleased with the results! Will definitely make again. This is the second if your chills recipes that I have tried and I look forward to making the third 🙂
Archana Mundhe says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying my recipes, and I can't wait for you to try the third one! Let me know how it turns out!
Meera says
How long can the batter keep for? It’s delicious
Archana Mundhe says
The batter can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Add the onions and cilantro just before cooking the chilla for best results.
Syeda Zaki says
I was looking for some easy lunch recipes and this one hit the spot!! It gave me aaloo paratha vibes (a childhood fave!) without all the fuss of making dough or stuffing it with boiled potatoes etc. I did end up adding onions to the whole batch so will see how the mixture held up on day 2! Looking forward to trying your other chilla recipes soon!
Archana Singh says
Quick and healthy protein packed meal I made some paneer and bell pepper sauté side along with green chutney.