Moong Dal Cheela with stuffed Paneer recipe| Moong Dal Chilla for weight loss| Kali Mirch by Smita

Moong Dal Chilla should be your go-to breakfast choice if you are looking to incorporate something that is healthy, rich in nutrients but mustn’t be bland and insipid either-qualities that we have come to associate with weight loss diet. Moong Dal Chilla is one such nutritious option that ticks all the right boxes and must feature prominently in your weight loss regime.

We celebrated Holi past week and it goes without saying that my diet for the past week went topsy turvy. Along with the haywire diet plan my workout regime too went for a major toss. With the new week, I quickly decided to make amends and put myself back on track with my workout and diet too. I am pretty sure this must be a regular occurrence for many of you- at least it is for me. With major festivals, I like to relax some of the self-imposed restrictions on my lifestyle and I, as they say “go with the flow”. For Holi week, we had made Thandai , sweets like Gulab Jamun , Gujiya and if you would recollect I had shared my plans to make Murg Chole for the dinner on festive evening.

I have fast-tracked the process of putting my diet on track and have begun exploring healthy breakfast choices-one of the most important meals for me in a day. While most of the days I resort to a bowl of Oatmeal cooked in Milk with some Almonds thrown in for my breakfast, there are days when boredom may creep in. For such days, I have a list of some delicious breakfast choices that not only cater to my taste buds but also fulfill my calorie intake in a healthy way. Moong Dal Chilla is one such healthy and delicious choice. Inspired from the Besan Ka Cheela , Moong Dal Chilla is much nutritious and can help you begin your day on a healthier note.

Moong Dal also identified as Yellow Petite lentils is one of the most commonly found Dals in an Indian kitchen. Its versatility can be understood from range of dishes that can be prepared using these lentils- A bowl of Dal, Moong Dal Khichdi, Moong Dal Soup, Moong Dal Paratha, Moong Dal Koshimbir or Moong Dal Chilla. Inclusion of this Dal in your diet is must if you are a vegetarian and are striving to achieve that shredded look. Being a vegetarian does impose restrictions on type of food that you could consume for meeting your daily protein intake and Moong Dal can help you in your endeavor.

Here’s an interesting article that talks in great length about the health benefits of Moong Dal

I will highlight the important points here from the same article-

Moong Bean is:

High in Protein: Every 100 gms Moong has 24 gms protein

High in Fiber:  Every 100 gms Moong has 16 gms fiber

Low-fat: Every 100 gms Moong has 1.2 gms fat

The combination of high protein, high fiber and low-fat makes Moong Dal an ideal choice for your weight loss diet. It also has a high potassium content which helps in keeping blood pressure levels in check.

Are you now convinced with Moong Dal’s nutritional benefits and are more interested in ways, it could be incorporated in your diet? What a coincidence, this blog post has a dedicated recipe with Moong Dal. Okay, pun aside, if you are really bored of Dal as a choice for including Moong in your diet, then Moong Dal Chilla would definitely excite your taste buds. The best part, it doesn’t require lot of preparation and the cooking time is not exhaustive either.

Make this delicious Moong Dal Chilla for your family and remember to share your feedback with us in the comment box below.

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Moong Dal Cheela with stuffed Paneer recipe| Moong Dal Chilla for weight loss| Kali Mirch by Smita

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 Cup=200gms Moong Dal-washed, and soaked for 2 hours. Drain water.
• 1 Cup=180 gms Paneer-cubed
• 1 small=60gms Onions-finely chopped
• ¼th cup fresh Coriander Leaves-finely chopped
• 1-tbsp Besan (Gram Flour)
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 4 Green Chilies
• ½-inch Ginger root
• 1-tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼-th tsp Asafoetida Powder
• ¼-th tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1-tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• 1-tsp Coriander Powder
• ½-tsp Garam Masala Powder
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Oil

Instructions

1. In a grinder jar, put soaked Moong Dal. We have soaked Dal for couple of hours. It can also be soaked overnight. Now add Green Chilies, Garlic and Ginger. Add Asafoetida Powder. I have taken 1 cup water. Add some water and grind into a fine paste.
2. I have added total 1 Cup water in the batter. Add Gram Flour, some chopped Coriander leaves and ½ tsp Salt and mix well. Ensure batter is lump-free. We need this batter to be of pouring consistency. Add more ½ cup water and whisk well.
3. Batter must become light. We have added total 1½ Cups water. Let the batter rest for 15 mins.
4. In a pan, heat 1½ tbsp Oil. Add Cumin Seeds. Add chopped Onions and fry until it becomes soft. After 3-4 mins, add dry spices- turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well.
5. Add 1-2 tbsp water and fry the masala. We have cooked Masala for 4-5 mins and Oil begins to ooze out from the Masala. Add Paneer Cubes and mix well. Cover and cook Paneer cubes on low heat for 2-3 mins.
6. After 2 mins, add Salt to taste and chopped Coriander leaves and mix well. Paneer Stuffing is now ready. Turn off the heat. Let's make Chillas now.
7. Heat the Pan and grease the pan with 1-tbsp Cooking Oil. Lower the heat and put 1½ ladle of batter on the pan. Spread it in circle like you would do for Dosa. Cook underside for 3-4 mins on low heat. Turn sides and cook for 2-3 mins.
8. Cook from other side for 2-3 mins. Place the cooked Paneer at the center (2-3 tbsp).
9. Bring the two opposite sides to the center and remove from the Pan. Similarly, make remaining Chillas.
10. In these measurements, we can make 6-8 Chillas. Let's serve it hot.

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