With the arrival of the winter season, mornings often bring a strong craving for something hot, spicy, and satisfying to start the day. In Dholpur, whole moong dal cheela has emerged as a top choice for a delicious and wholesome breakfast during the chilly months. Beyond its fantastic taste, this dish is quite simple to prepare in a home kitchen. The best part about this recipe is that nearly all the required ingredients are readily available in household pantries. The spiced potato stuffing packed inside takes the overall flavor to the next level. This versatile dish can be served easily for morning breakfast, evening tea, or packed cleanly inside a children's school tiffin box.
Preparing the Dal Batter
Whipping up this crispy breakfast item at home starts with properly cleaning the whole moong dal. According to Prabha Sharma, the dal needs to soak in water for roughly 4 to 5 hours to soften up. Once the lentils swell up nicely, the excess water is drained out before transferring them into a mixer jar. A piece of ginger, green chilies, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt to taste are added directly into the jar. All these components are blended together finely in the mixer to achieve a smooth batter. This mixture is then covered and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes so that the batter settles down properly.
Making the Spicy Potato Stuffing
The delicious filling tucked inside the cheela is what makes the entire dish truly remarkable. To prepare this, potatoes are first boiled thoroughly in a pressure cooker until tender. Once the boiled potatoes cool down completely, their skins are peeled off and they are mashed well by hand. Coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, amchur powder, finely chopped green chilies, and salt to taste are blended into the mashed potatoes. Mixing all these spices thoroughly creates a tangy and flavorful potato stuffing ready for assembly.
Cooking and Serving the Cheela
A non-stick griddle is placed over the stove and heated up moderately before brushing it lightly with some oil or ghee. A large spoonful of the prepared moong dal batter is poured right onto the hot griddle and spread out smoothly into a round shape. The cheela is cooked on low to medium flame until the bottom turns light golden and wonderfully crispy. It is then flipped over carefully to cook the other side equally well. Once the cheela achieves a nice crunch on both sides, a portion of the prepared potato stuffing is placed down the center and rolled up neatly. This hot, crispy, and spicy whole moong dal cheela is ready to be enjoyed. Serving it alongside fresh green coriander-mint chutney or chilled curd enhances its taste immensely.
