Chilla is a Sindhi favorite often seen in the streets of Crawford Market in Mumbai, India. They are made with a combination of cheese, herbs and vegetables incorporated into the batter. These are a house favorite for us! These are way easier and just as delicious as a breakfast dosa.
Makes 5 to 7 chillas
ingredients
2 cups chickpea [besan] flour
1 cup room temperature water
5 to 6 eggs or 6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
2 1/2 cups shucked corn
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup green onion, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
instructions
Whisk the flour with water, should have the thick consistency of pancake batter, mix batter thoroughly. Add the eggs, oil, veg, and spices.
Add 1 tablespoon oil or ghee per chilla and heat the seasoned skillet. To make one larger pancake, scoop 1/3 cup of the base mixture or for smaller pancakes scoop 1/4 cup.
Cook at medium heat until bubbles appear through the pancake and the edges are brown; flip over gently and cook the other side.
Add toppings such as instant peanut chutney (our favorite for this one) or an egg, cilantro chutney, cheese, pickled onions, etc.
Repeat for each additional chilla.
notes & variations
Sift flour if it is very lumpy.
These take a little longer to cook than you would expect. Be patient and let the inside cook. They are well worth the wait.
If wanting to ferment the batter, place it in the oven overnight with the oven off but the oven light on. This will create a warm enough environment for fermentation.
You could let batter (just chickpea flour and water, don’t add eggs or oil) sit in a warm part of your kitchen for roughly one day (could take 2 days during the winter) in a covered container. It will smell of fermentation bacteria! Don’t be alarmed.
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