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 a batter. These are a house favorite & way easier (just as delicious) than a breakfast dosa.
Makes 5 to 7 chillas
ingredients
batter (5-7 chillas):
1/3 cup millet flour
1 1/4 cup room temperature water
5 to 6 eggs
1 tablespoon ghee or 1 tablespoon EVOO
2 serrano chiles, sliced into rounds
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed coriander
batter (1-2 chillas):
1 tablespoon millet flour
1/4 cup room temperature water
1 egg or 1 tablespoon water
1 tsp ghee or 1 tablespoon EVOO
1/4 serrano, sliced into rounds
1/4 to 1/2 cup portobello mushroom, sliced
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of crushed coriander
instructions
Whisk the flour with water, should have the thick consistency of pancake batter. Add additional water if necessary. Add the eggs, oil, and spices. Incorporate the vegetables into the batter now or wait to add when chilla is on the skillet to let them stand out.
Put 1 tablespoon of oil into skillet and let it heat up. To make one larger pancake, scoop out 1/3 cup of the base mixture or for smaller pancakes scoop out 1/4 cup. If adding vegetables at this step, place desired amount of veg, nuts, and seeds onto the face up side of the pancake.
Cook at medium heat until bubbles appear through the pancake and the edges are brown; flip over gently and cook the other side.
Top with an egg and avocado or your favorite chutneys and pickles! Repeat for each additional chilla.
notes & variations
Millet flour absorbs a lot of liquid. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time if you find that the mixture is thick.
These take a little longer to cook than you would expect. Be patient and let the inside cook.
Let batter (just chickpea flour & water, don’t add eggs or oil yet!) sit in a warm part of the kitchen for roughly one day (could take 2 days during the winter!) in a covered container. One trick is to put it in the oven overnight with the oven off but the oven light on. This will create a warm enough environment for fermentation. It will smell slightly, but this is the good fermentation bacteria! Don’t be alarmed.
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