My Rajasthani friends insist that Besan Ka Cheela is their proud contribution to Indian cuisine. I have no reasons not to believe them. Rajasthani cuisine has a lot of gram flour dishes and cheela looks like their independent take on a great all day food. Cheela is simple to cook and great to eat. One of the best things about cheela is that it doesn’t taste bad even when it turns cold and of course, it has a wide room open for innovation.
Some people say that cheela is called a cheela, because it is so hot and tasty that you may start screaming after eating it. Of course, no citations are available for this little story. Going by what goes into the cheela, it is possible for it to be very hot and tasty at the same time.
Ingredients
- Besan
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Green chillies
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Red hot chilli powder
- Black pepper powder and whole peppercorns
- Ajwain
- Amchoor
- Salt to taste
- Water for batter
- Oil for cooking
Besan Ka Cheela Recipe
If making an omelet is a cake walk for you, then making cheela isn’t much different. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add water till you get the consistency of a beaten egg, or that of dosa batter. You need a heavy bottom frying pan, non-stick works best. A little oil and there you go. Use a good deep serving spoon to transfer batter onto the pan. The serving spoons which are used for semi-liquids like daal or raita work best. Pour the batter onto the pan and use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly in a circular shape. Once spread evenly, reduce heat and cover it for a while. Turn it upside down and cook till both sides are crisp. Serve with sides of pudina chutney or tomato ketchup. Enjoy!
