Moong Ka Cheela / Lentil Pancake

                                                                               

                                                                               

Although my daughter is a good cook, till recently she was most reluctant to try making a dosa , probably thinking it would not come out well.  Knowing how much she loves them I would urge her to give it a try but she would put it off saying " It is too much of an effort" or " I don't have the time" and so on.  Then one day, on a whim, she decided to try out the rawa dosa from the recipe I had posted on the blog. She was thrilled when it came out really great. I was equally elated feeling as if I had cleared some major test!! So now that she has shed her dosa making inhibitions I  am hoping she will give this recipe a try too!

Moong ka Cheela doesn't involve as much effort or time as the regular dosa  as there is no need to ferment the batter. It tastes as good though! I have found it a handy recipe for week nights as it is nutritious, light and a complete meal.  All you need is a good chatney to go with it.

Ingredients: 

1 cup Moong dal ( split green gram)
2 tbsps rice flour
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of  hing( asafoetida )
Water as required
Oil as required

Method:   Soak the moong dal in warm water for about an hour.   Drain the water and grind to a smooth paste using a little water.

                                                                           

To the moong dal batter add rice flour, salt, red chilli powder, cumin seeds and asafoetida.  Add more water if required to get the right consistency. The batter should not be too runny or too thick. Cover and leave the batter aside for at least half an hour.
                                                                           

Heat a  non stick tawa ( flat pan) and grease it with a tsp of oil.  Once the tawa is well heated , pour a ladle full of batter at the centre of the tawa. Using the ladle spread a thin layer of the batter into a round shape.
                                                                         

Let it cook till the underside is firmed up and browned. Drizzle a little oil on the sides and some on top of the cheela. Flip to the other side only briefly as there is no need to brown the other side.
Remove and serve hot with chatney.
                                                                                   

If you want you can grind ginger, green chillies with the dal and add chopped coriander leaves to the batter.