My yummy, crispy-around-the-edges moong chilla is loaded with bean sprouts and veggies! This is a wonderful recipe to serve for a delicious Indian breakfast or for a light lunch or dinner.
Table of Contents
What is sprouted moong chilla?
Moong chilla is a savory north Indian pancake made with a batter of blended mung lentils or moong dal and spices. It's very much like besan chilla, a healthy breakfast pancake made with chickpea flour, or moonglet, an Indian street food made with blended mung beans.
The recipe I'm sharing with you today is for sprouted moong chilla made not just with mung lentils but sprouted mung beans. Sprouting the beans makes the chilla stratospherically healthier, tastier, and easier to digest.
This is a simple recipe that takes barely minutes to put together. Sprouting the beans is so easy and you don't need any special equipment--I do it with a colander and a bowl. If you are new to sprouting beans or just want to brush up on your skills, I have a step-by-step tutorial on sprouting mung beans that you can follow.
Sprouting breaks down the amino acids in beans, making their protein content more available to the body. It also reduces the carbohydrate content of beans because the bean uses up a good amount of energy to sprout. Sprouting increases the Vitamin B and Vitamin C content of beans, and what's more, sprouted beans are far more easily digested by the body than the unsprouted legume. Sprouted beans are a healthy food for diabetics as well.
I hope I've convinced you why your next moong chilla should be made with sprouts instead of moong dal! And I am sure you will love how this chilla tastes: savory and slightly spicy with crispy edges.
To make the recipe even healthier I add to it grated vegetables. I used carrots and radishes but you can also use other quick-cooking veggies like grated cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini, corn kernels, beets and leafy greens like spinach. Kids will barely notice the veggies as they wolf the chillas down.
The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, and you don't need to be a seasoned cook to make it. Just be sure to give the chilla enough time to set up on the hot griddle so you can flip it easily.
Let's cook!
Recipe card
Sprouted Moong Chilla
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried mung beans (sprouted per directions above. For a moong dal cheela, made with mung lentils, you can soak the lentils for eight hours and use, no sprouting required)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (If you don't have ginger garlic paste chop four cloves of garlic and a one-inch piece of ginger and add to the blender instead of the paste)
- 1-2 green chillies
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoon rice flour (If low carb you can use tapioca flour or skip altogether)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (grated using the side with the largest-size slots on your grater-- you don't want this to be too fine)
- 6 radishes (grated. If using a daikon radish use ½ cup of the grated radish)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (or cooking spray, for coating the griddle or skillet)
Instructions
- Place the beans or lentils, all water drained out, in a blender with the ginger garlic paste, green chili peppers, turmeric and salt. Add ¾th cup of water and blend into a very smooth batter. You can add ¼th cup more water if needed--the batter should be fairly runny, thicker than a crepe batter but thinner than a pancake batter. The veggies will also express some water into the batter, so keep that in mind.
- Place the batter in a bowl and stir in the rice flour.
- Next stir in the veggies and finally add the cilantro. Taste and add more salt if you want at this time.
- Set the batter aside for 30 minutes. This will allow some time for the veggies to express any liquid into the batter.
- Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until water sprinkled on the surface skitters off and dries up immediately. Brush on some vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Use a heat-proof ladle to pour approximately ½ cup batter on the ladle. I pour about ¼ cup first, spread it around with the rounded bottom of the ladle, then add the remaining ¼ cup to shape the chilla into a circle as best as I can. You want the chilla to be fairly thin but it doesn't have to be perfectly round. If it is really hard to spread the batter on the hot griddle you might need to add more water to the batter.
- Let the chilla cook on the griddle about two to three minutes over medium heat or until the bottom is golden and the edges are crispy. Flip over and cook for another minute or two.
Nutrition Information
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How to make sprouted moong chilla
- Sprout the beans or, if using moong dal or lentils soak the lentils overnight or for 8 hours.
- Place the beans or lentils, all water drained out, in a blender with the ginger garlic paste, green chili peppers, turmeric and salt. Add ¾th cup of water and blend or grind into a very smooth batter. You can add ¼th cup more water if needed--the batter should be fairly runny, thicker than a crepe batter but thinner than a pancake batter. The veggies will also express some water into the batter, so keep that in mind.
- Place the batter in a bowl and stir in the rice flour.
- Next stir in the grated carrot and radishes or whatever veggies you are using, and finally add the cilantro. Taste and add more salt if you want at this time.
- Set the batter aside for 30 minutes. This will allow some time for the veggies to express any liquid into the batter.
- Heat a cast iron or non stick griddle and brush on some oil or cooking spray.
- Use a heat-proof ladle to pour approximately ½ cup batter on the ladle. I pour about ¼ cup first, spread it around with the rounded bottom of the ladle, then add the remaining ¼ cup to shape the chilla into a circle as best as I can. You want the chilla to be fairly thin but it doesn't have to be perfectly round. If it is really hard to spread the batter on the hot griddle you might need to add more water to the batter to get the right consistency. A tip I want to share here is to make these smaller when you first make this recipe--this will make the process far easier and you will get better with practice.
- Let the chilla cook on the griddle about two to three minutes over medium heat or until the bottom is golden and the edges are crispy. Flip over and cook for another minute or two.
Recipe FAQs
Moong dal chillas are often touted as a weight loss food and they really can be a helpful aid in both a healthy or a weight-loss journey. The sprouted chilla is even better for you with just 99 calories in each pancake. There are also four grams of protein, three grams of fiber and just 10 grams of net carbs in one chilla. Use cooking spray instead of vegetable oil to coat the griddle to keep calories even lower.
The chilla is absolutely delicious served hot with coconut chutney.
You can also serve the chilla with an Indian lime pickle or a vegan raita.
Some kids love this with tomato ketchup. Or just eat the cheela by itself.
Make only as many chillas as you need at a time and store the remaining batter in the fridge for up to three days. Make the chillas fresh right before you eat them.
I don't recommend storing the chillas because their texture will change. But if you've already made them, refrigerate them in a dish covered with cling wrap or jn a container for up to three days. Warm the chillas on a griddle before serving.
Upasana Malhotra says
Vaishali: I am not clear from the recipe card whether I can make this chilla with sprouted moong. In the ingredient list, you say sprouted moong dal but then you go on to say for the moong dal chilla you don't need sprouted dal. So I need to confirm if I can make this Chilla with sprouted moong dal that I can buy at the Indian store. Thanks.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi, if you're using whole moong beans - the green ones - sprout them. If you are using moong dal - the split yellow lentils - don't sprout them, just soak them for eight hours. I assume the moong you are buying from the Indian store is the green whole moong beans that have been freshly sprouted? In that case use three cups of the sprouted moong beans, because that's roughly the volume you'd get after soaking and sprouting 1 cup of dried whole green moong beans.
Gayatri says
I am so glad you suggested that the sprouts not be too long because past 48 hours the amount of vitamin B12 that vegetarian food needs so badly starts to reduce in the sprouts. I never sprouted for more than 48 hours. Another version of this recipe that I had seen before uses chickpea flower instead of rice flour. This makes the chilla hold together really well but the crispiness is compromised. This recipe works with almost any kind of whole bean including Pinto and Black Eyed Peas.
Ann says
This recipe didn't work for me, although it's entirely my fault. I sprouted my mung beans for way too long I think. I used some I had sprouted for about a week. I wasn't sure what to do with them and tried this recipe but it didn't work at all. Just a heads up in case anyone else is thinking of using mung bean sprouts instead of sprouted mung beans.
Vaishali says
Hi Ann, beans sprouted for too long will have too much liquid in them and that won't work for this recipe.
Stevie says
Thank you for the recipe!
Dido says
Vaishali: Thank you for posting the recipe on the sprouts. A question ... quantity-wise, how much does 1 cup of mung beans increase to when sprouted? Thanks, Dido.
Vaishali says
Hi Dido, I'd say about three cups, approximately.
Chandrashekhar says
Are you sure 1 chilla has 61kcal??
Vaishali says
I use an online calculator so there's no way for me to be 100 percent sure, you can do the same by plugging in the ingredients if you'd like to verify.
Pramilla Karnad says
I've been making sprouted moong chillas for a long time. A real nutritious breakfast . Thank ufor the tip about adding chopped veggies. I normally add only onions & coriander leaves. Am making them today. !
Taranjeet Kaur says
Hi....can I avoid rice flour??
Ananda says
Yes. Sub with more chickpea flour. It will be less crispy
Trisha says
How long do the sprouted mung last in the fridge?
Chitra says
I have for upto 4 days without losing any of its goodness
Alpa Jani says
Lovely recipe. I tried sprouted moong Chilla and it tastes so yummy! Many blessings to you for sharing a very healthy recipe. Love.
Vaishali says
So happy you liked it, Alpa!
Veronica says
Hi Vaishali
Thanks for the recipe. It's a big hit in my family. Love the write up before the recipe too!
Cheers.
Priyanka says
Hi.
Can I make the batter the night before ?
And then leave it in the fridge and use the next morning?
Thx.
Vaishali says
Yes!
madhu says
Hi Vaishali
Do we have to pressure cook the sprouted moong before using it for making the chilla dough?
Cheers
Madhu
Vaishali says
Hi Madhu, no need to pressure-cook. Use the sprouts raw.
Ginni says
Delicious..I m fond of making chillas..Thanku. Please clarify one thing I have heard cooking sprouts robs them off of most of the nutrition.
Fareeda says
We made this chilla over the week-end, and it was absolutely delicious. We didn't have rice flour on hand, so used cornmeal instead. We ate it with coriander chutney on the side. We will definitely make this again.
Thanks.
Jyothi says
I love this recipe! I've made it twice already, and it comes out beautifully. Thank you!
Vaishali says
Jyothi, thanks, glad you liked it. 🙂
Anonymous says
Delicious and Healthy.I just tried this recipe.We liked it.
Vaishali says
Anon, glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
delicious chilas!! i love the line where you have said - 'It also reduces the carbohy'drate content of beans because the bean uses up a good amount of energy to sprout." very informativeSowmya
willworkforfoodgirl says
I love sprouting moong, but can rarely figure out anything to do with them. Thanks for the recipe! You're lovely!
Priya Sreeram says
healthy fare-love that; loks swell
Swati Sapna says
We make chillas pretty often for breakfast. But have never tried sprouted moong! Sounds incredibly healthy and I can just imagine the extra crunch it would lend to the chillas 🙂 And i also love the idea of adding all those different veggies! Gotta try this soon...
GAYATHRI says
healthy and nutritious recipe.. looks yummy..
Amu Vegan says
Oh my god!! These look so yummy!! Thanx for sharing!!
Priya says
Chilla looks absolutely nutritious and highly inviting...Sprouts are my favourite.
coconutandberries says
Oh wow these look yummy. Do you just serve them with chutney for a meal? Wondering what to make alongside...
Vaishali says
Yes, chutney is perfect with these. See post for the cilantro-coconut and tamarind-date chutney links.
Gayatri says
Hi Vaishali. I made something very similar a few months ago (without brown rice) and the chillas turned out quite bitter. I've been meaning to make them again because they're so nutritious. Is there something I need to specifically do to avoid the bitterness?
Vaishali says
I would advise making the chillas rather thin so it doesn't remain uncooked inside. That could be causing the bitterness.
Manasi says
I like this twist. Moong does take a while to sprout in winter, even here in Dallas, I usually stick the moong wrapped in the towel in the oven overnight, like we leave dosa batter. Helps me.
Anonymous says
Hey,
This one tastes really good. I too add veggies to it - mix veg - peas, beans, carrots etc. Will try beet sometime.
Thanks for sharing.
Priya Yallapantula says
Looks super delicious, I too make it in a similar manner. Please do send it to my "Healthy Me & Healthy Us" event. Please do read the event rules 🙂
Vaishali says
Priya, just sent it along. Thanks for letting me know.
Ashwini Deshpande says
HI;
I have a problem with sprouting moong in winters. They start having a weird smell after a day, you say it takes 3 days for you in winter. I do the shake every 12 hrs method. Any idea where I may be going wrong? I love making the mug ghavan and also the mug wade with sprouted mug. Lovely, fast and healthy in one dish is never bad.
Love Ash.
Vaishali says
Hi Ash, are you keeping them in a colander, after you have drained them? Also, try and keep them in a cool, dark place-- you don't want lots of light and heat getting to your beans while they are sprouting. Don't oversoak them either, the first time-- no more than eight hours or thereabouts.
Also wash them thoroughly every 12 hours. In my experience, the funky smell begins only if you leave them untouched for a day or two, and they sit on top of each other spoiling away. Hope this helps.
Prakash says
Hi,
Place the moong to sprout in your oven with the door closed (Dont' switch n the oven :))
divya says
OMG.. mouth watering here.. Awesome clicks dear 🙂