Besan Ka Chilla

Besan ka chilla is a delicious and savoury Indian pancake made of gram flour (you can also use chickpea flour). It’s one of those recipes thats comes in under 10 minutes, super customizable, is healthy, balanced and tastes great. It usually contains sweet red onions, tangy tomatoes, green chilli peppers and a few spices to make it flavourful.

Ingredients to make Besan Ka Chilla:

Ingredients displayed to make Besan ka chilla (chickpea flour pancake): tomatoes, onion, chickpea flour, green chilli, red chili powder, salt, water - 2

Besan/Gram flour:

This is the most commonly used ingredient in India but you can also sub with chickpea flour for this. Besan/gram flour is a flour made from chana dal also known as split brown chickpeas, while Chickpea flour or garbanzo flour is made of white chickpeas that are ground up. They both have a similar flavor and behaviour and won’t make a difference in this recipe.

Veggies:

Usually we use tomatoes and red onions to make savoury Indian pancakes but you can always add other veggies like diced bell pepper, mushrooms etc.

Aromatics and spices:

To keep this besan ka chilla simple, I used green chillis, red chilli powder and coriander/cilantro. But you can always add some carrot seeds for a thyme-oregano-like pungent flavour. You can also add some chopped ginger for an extra hit of flavour.

3 Besan ka chilla (chickpea flour pancake) served on a plate with a side of soy yoghurt and some onions and tomatoes - 3

Tips to make Besan chilla (savoury Chickpea flour pancakes):

While cooking these pancakes on the skillet, keep a low to medium-low heat until the top begins to look cooked or you start begin to see some bubbling air-pockets.

Besan ka chilla (chickpea flour pancake) cooking on a skillet - 4

To flip or to not flip is totally up to you. If you want to flip the chillas, do it when the top looks 70-80% cooked. You can also cook the pancake on one side on low flame until the top looks cooked through and remove from the skillet without flipping.

chickpea flour pancake being flipped on a skillet - 5

Serving suggestions: Serve these pancakes or chillis with a simple yoghurt sauce (soy yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, coriander/cilantro, chaat masala), a mint coriander chutney or Indian pickle (easily found in any Indian store). As a child, I used to always eat it with ketchup. I still do it 😛

Prepping and Storage Suggestions:

Batter:

The batter can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Before making the pancakes, mix the batter well.

Chillas/pancakes:

Besan Chilla/Savoury Chickpea flour pancakes are best served hot as they are made. But here’s what to do if you plan to prep them ahead of time. Once cooled, stack them in an airtight jar, then refrigerate for up to 3 days. Once, ready to eat, lightly reheat them with some oil on a hot skillet again or microwave them.
Keep in mind though, refrigeration makes the chilla/pancakes dry and a bit dense. It doesn’t taste the same once reheated. So it’s best to make them fresh.

You can watch the making of the besan ka chilla over on my Instagram , YouTube or TikTok .

Other breakfast recipes from the blog:

Meanwhile, you can check my other breakfast recipes:

Til Pitha – Rice crepe with sweet sesame filling
Paniyaram recipe (Kuzhi/KuliPaniyaram/Paddu)
Khaman dhokla recipe
Vegetable Upma recipe
Tofu Masala Sandwich
Baked Aloo Tikki – Crispy and Healthy

Besan Ka Chilla

Ingredients1x2x3x

1 cup Besan (Gram flour) sub with chickpea flour
⅔ cup Water
½ Red onion (diced) you can also use yellow onion or shallots
½ Tomato (diced)
2 Green chilli peppers (chopped) adjust according to taste
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
3-4 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
½ tsp Carrom seeds/Ajwain Optional

Instructions

Sift the besan/chickpea flour through a sifter to prevent lumps (you can also skip to save time).
Add the rest of the ingredients except water and oil and mix well. Then add water to the mix and form a loose batter (not too thick or thin. Adjust water,according to feel).
Season a skillet with a thin layer of oil. Bring it to about medium heat.
Pour 1/3 cup full of the batter on the skillet and with the back of the spoon, spread it a little to form a roughly round shape.
Cook for until the top looks about cooked and then flip. You can also cook the pancake on one side on low flame until the top looks cooked through and remove from the skillet without flipping.
Serve chilla/pancake hot or warm with a side of Indian pickle, mint coriander chutney, ketchup or a simple yoghurt sauce.

Notes

Besan Chilla/Savoury Chickpea flour pancakes are best served hot as they are made.
If you plan to prep them ahead of time stack them in an airtight jar once they are cooled down and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once ready to eat, lightly reheat them with some oil on a hot skillet again or microwave them.
Keep in mind though, refrigeration makes the chilla/pancakes dry and a bit dense. It doesn’t taste the same once reheated. So it’s best to make them fresh.
The batter can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Before making the pancakes, mix the batter well.

Here’s the recipe for Til Pitha which is an Assamese dish with a @beextravegant twist. This dish can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. Til Pitha or Tilor Pitha is traditionally prepared during special occasions and major festivals, like Bihu. It tastes great with some Assam chai or Masala Chai . Til Pitha is made from coarsely ground, soaked rice spread over a hot pan and stuffed with jaggery and sesame mixture in the middle. They look like a spring roll, lightly toasted to get a crispy texture.

Til Pithas rolled and stacked one upon each other on a plate - 7

The main ingredients are rice, jaggery and til (sesame). Although the preparation looks simple and easy, it takes a lot of practice to master this dish. I tried multiple ways to prepare this dish and would fail every time. Nevertheless, I have revamped the recipe for beginners to easily roll the pithas but I suggest you try making them in the traditional way to get those perfect and crispy Pithas. Let’s enjoy my version of Til Pitha, now!

One til pita broken to show the inside of the roll - 8

How to make Til Pitha?

Crispy rice wrapper

The Til Pitha recipe is divided into two parts – rice wrapper and sesame jaggery filling. The filling recipe is quite easy to prepare. Of course, the trickiest part is preparing the rice wrapper in which the filling is rolled. To make crispy pithas, the rice used has to be glutinous and sticky. The traditional recipe asks for Bora Saul rice, which is pounded into a dry powder with a mortar and pestle (called Ural or Dheki in Assamese). Although, I couldn’t find a large enough mortar and pestle so I stuck by my electric grinder. To make the rice wrapper, soak the glutinous rice for 6-7 hours and drain the excess water. Do not dry all the water off (definitely don’t leave the rice to dry in the sun). Grind the rice into a fine powder and set it aside.

Tips :

While grinding the rice, make sure it does not become too hot, else the rice will lose its stickiness and the pithas will fall apart on the pan.
So, some suggest that after grinding the soaked rice into a fine powder, pour it into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until use. But since we believe in saying no to plastic, you can substitute it with a damp muslin cloth.
Leave it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or overnight. I recommended you to not make it immediately.
Another tip is to not wait until you have ground all the rice. Try grinding the rice in batches and layer them into the bowl as you go. So grind one batch, and pour it into the bowl. Move to grind another batch, pour it over the previous batch and so on.

Steps to follow:

In a large bowl, soak the rice in around 6 cups of water for at least 6-7 hours. Drain the water with a colander or sieve and let it drain for about 30 minutes.

Place it in a cool and dry area. Grind the rice into a fine powder and set it aside.

Til Pitha: Til (sesame) and Jaggery filling

To make the til and jaggery filling, dry roast the sesame seeds and pound them into a coarse powder in a mortar and pestle. Then mix the sesame seeds powder with jaggery by rubbing it between your fingers. You should get a coarse mix.

Tip: If you have jaggery granules or blocks, then you can blitz them a little in the blender or just finely chop them. I suggest you use jaggery that can easily crumble upon pressing between fingers.

Steps to make Sesame and Jaggery filling

First, dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat in a pan/wok/kadhai for about 5 minutes until the sesame seeds are aromatic.

Pouring black sesame seeds on a heated pan - 11

Secondly, pound it in a mortar and pestle or blend it in a blender or food processor until you get a rough powder.

Putting black sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle - 12

Chop up jaggery into small pieces or turn it into a coarse powder.

Start by mixing the sesame seeds and jaggery by rubbing it between your fingers. Try to get the jaggery and sesame powder well mixed.

Mixing jaggery and sesame powder by rubbing it between your fingers to make til pithas - 14

Creating crispy, Til Pithas

It is essential to use the right kind of griddle to make the pitha. Look for a cast iron Tawa if possible. The thicker the Tawa, the better the pitha. Thick griddles allow equal heat all over and won’t leave the pithas brown and burnt. Heat the pan sufficiently and use a sieve or a ladle to add the rice powder to the Tawa and shape it like a circular crepe. If you are feeling adventurous, use your fingers to gently pat them into shape. Keep the heat low.

Meanwhile, slowly roast the pithas until they start to look like crispy pancakes. Pour the til and jaggery stuffing over the pithas. Fold the pita from its side and roll it into a cylinder. If it seems difficult for you to work with dry rice powder, then mix a little bit of water to make a batter and use this to make the pithas. Take it away from the flame before the jaggery melts. You can now demolish the Til Pithas.

Storage: You can store til pithas for 3-4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Steps to make Til Pitha

If you’re making traditional Til Pitha, then here’s how you make it. Heat the pan sufficiently and use a sieve or a ladle to add the rice powder to the Tawa and shape it like a circular crepe.

Spreading rice powder on a heated skillet using a sieve to make Til Pitha - 15

Roast the pithas over low heat until they begin to resemble crispy pancakes. Over the pithas, spread the til and jaggery filling. The pitha should be rolled into a cylinder by folding it from the side.

Placing the sesame jaggery filling in the centre of Til Pitha - 16

As you can see, I went wrong somewhere. So, here’s how I did some damage control by mixing water in the rice powder and creating a smooth batter.

Pouring water into rice powder in a bowl - 17

Once the rice batter is spread, place a long line of the sesame, cardamom powder and jaggery filling in the centre of the crepe. Be careful to put more in the middle and less at the ends. Roll the Pithas into cylindrical shapes.

Pouring sesame jaggery filling in the centre of the rice crepe - 18

Remove the Til Pithas from the skillet and place them on a dish after remaining there for about 20 seconds to firm up. Serve it with some piping hot Masala Tea .

Pulling apart the Til Pitha to show the sesame and jaggery filling - 19

Til Pithas rolled and stacked one upon each other on a plate - 20

Meanwhile, you can check my other breakfast recipes:

Paniyaram recipe (Kuzhi/KuliPaniyaram/Paddu)
Vegetable Upma recipe
Tofu Masala Sandwich

Til Pithas rolled and stacked one upon each other on a plate - 21