Mung Dal Ka Cheela: Savory Lentil and Mung Bean Pancakes

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Summer is officially here, and where I live it has been especially hot and humid for the past three weeks.  On these scorching days, the last things I want to do are spend a lot of time over a hot stove and/or eat something heavy.  That is why this recipe for mung dal ka cheela (savory pancakes made from mung lentils and whole mung beans) is a perfect summertime meal. 

Cheela are often made from besan (chickpea flour), but my mom makes them using mung dal, which is a lentil obtained by stripping the outer covering of a wholemung bean.  When I started making them myself, I used equal parts mung dal and whole mung beans--you can do the same, or use all mung dal or all whole mung beans, whatever you prefer.  I like using a combination because you get the nutrition of the entire whole mung bean as well as some of the crispiness from the mung dal.   

This recipe is as quick and easy as they come--the only time-consuming part is soaking the mung dal and mung beans!

Start by rinsing the mung dal and whole mung beans.  Please them in a bowl or container and add twice the amount of water as dal/beans (so if you have half a cup of dal/beans, add one cup of water).  Allow the dal/beans to soak for at least 4 hours, up to 10 hours.  So if you are planning to make them for a weekend lunch, you can soak them before you sleep or as soon as you wake up; if you are planning to make them for a weeknight lunch, you can soak them in the morning before you head off to work!

Once the dal/beans have soaked, you will notice that they have absorbed most of the water.  This helps to soften the dal/beans and make it easier to create a batter.

Drain the soaking water from the dal/beans.  Add fresh water--the amount should be half the amount of dal/beans (so if you soaked half a cup of dal/beans, add one-fourth a cup of fresh water).  Then use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the dal, beans, and water.  This will create a nice batter! 

Add the salt to the batter.  You can use any type of salt, but I would recommend regular fine table salt rather than sea salt or kosher salt.  Next, chop the onion and green chilies, and peel and grate the ginger.

Add the onion, green chilies, and ginger to the batter and stir so that its thoroughly combined.

To cook the cheela, heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add one tablespoon of cooking oil and spread the oil over the entire surface of the skillet.  Once the oil is hot, add some of the batter to the skillet--I usually add about one-fourth a cup at a time.

Use the back of a curved spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread the batter on the skillet into a round(-ish) shape.  The batter is denser than breakfast pancake batter, and it contains onions, so you will need to help shape each cheela.

Once one side is cooked--about 2 minutes--flip the pancake over to cook the other side for another minute or so.  Keep in mind these will not be as crisp as a dosa, but if you want them to be crisper you can keep them on the skillet for longer.

Voila!  I told you a recipe cannot get more simple than this.  Serve the cheela with green chutney, or my personal favorite--a mixture of ketchup and Sriracha sauce!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mung dal (mung lentils)
• 1/4 cup whole mung beans

         Note:  you can use all dal or all beans, rather than a combination.

• 1 and 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/4 onion
• 1 1-inch piece ginger
• Optional:  3-4 green fingerhot chili pepers (or 1 Serrano pepper)
  

Equipment:

• Immersion blender or regular blender
• Skillet
  

Recipe:

1. Rinse the mung dal and mung beans.  Add them to a bowl or container and add 1 cup of water.  Let the dal and beans soak for 4 to 10 hours.  Note:  you can use all dal or all beans, rather than a combination of the two.
2. After the dal and beans are done soaking, drain the soaking water and add 1/4th cup of fresh water.
3. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the dal, beans, and water.  This will create a batter.
4. Add the salt to the batter and stir to combine.
5. Chop the onion and green chilies, and peel and grate the ginger.  Add the onion, chilies, and ginger to the batter and again stir to combine.
6. Heat the skillet over medium heat.  Add 1-and-1/2 teaspoons of cooking oil to the skillet and spread the oil over the entire surface of the skillet.
7. Once the oil is hot, add some of the batter to the skillet--about 1/4th a cup.  Use the back of a rounded spatula or spoon to spread the batter out into a circular shape.
8. Allow the pancake to cook until done on one side, about 2 minutes.  Then flip the pancake over to its other side and allow that side to cook, about 1 minute.
9. Serve hot with chutney, ketchup, or Sriracha sauce!