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Moong Dal Chilla with Paneer-Vegetable Filling
Moong dal batter crisps on the tawa without besan or rice, and a raw paneer-vegetable filling turns a light chilla into a complete breakfast.
- Region
- Rajasthan and wider North India
- Status
- Adaptation — moong chilla is a traditional Marwari breakfast; the generous paneer filling is a protein-focused addition
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Soak 3 h (or 30 min in hot water) · Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min
- Serves
- 2 (3 chillas each, about 310 g cooked)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Weekday breakfast, tiffin, light dinner
- Tags
- High protein · Quick · No added sugar · Whey-free · Soy-free · Gluten-free*
- Allergens
- Milk
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 405 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Headline values are per serving, as written.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per serving | 405 | 25 g | 43 g | 14 g | 6 g | 8 g | 9 g | 6.5 g |
High protein · 6.5 g per 100 kcal. 8 g protein per 100 g. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- Batter: 120 g yellow moong dal, dry (⅔ cup) · 15 g ginger and green chilli · 3 g salt (½ tsp) · ¼ tsp turmeric · ½ tsp cumin seeds · pinch of hing · 60–80 ml water
- Filling: 100 g full-fat paneer, crumbled · 60 g onion, finely chopped · 60 g tomato, deseeded · 40 g capsicum · 40 g spinach or methi leaves · 10 g coriander · ½ tsp chaat masala
- Cooking: 10 g groundnut oil (2 tsp) for 6 chillas; mustard oil suits the Rajasthani style
- Optional: 75 g hung-curd mint dip per serving
Method
- Rinse the dal until the water runs clearer. Soak 3 hours in 500 ml water, or 30 minutes in just-boiled water. Drain.
- Grind dal, ginger and chilli with 60 ml water to a thick, smooth batter that drops slowly off a spoon. Stir in salt, turmeric, cumin and hing. No fermentation is needed.
- Mix all filling ingredients with a pinch of salt. Keep it raw.
- Heat a tawa on medium until a water drop sizzles away in 2–3 seconds. Smear ¼ tsp oil and wipe with paper towel.
- Pour 60 g batter (1 ladle) in the centre and spread to a 15–18 cm circle. Drizzle ¼ tsp oil around the edge.
- Cook 1½–2 minutes until the top looks dry and the edges lift and turn golden.
- Spread 50 g filling over one half, fold, press, and cook 1 minute more. Repeat; serve hot.
Protein optimisation
- Moong dal gives about 14 g per serving and paneer about 9 g.
- Boost: 75 g hung-curd mint dip per serving adds about 4 g protein, 70 kcal and 4 g fat.
- Avoid stirring whey into the batter; it scorches and turns rubbery.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Gujarati-style — 1 tbsp grated lauki and ½ tsp ajwain in the batter.
- Lower-calorie swap: 50 g firm tofu plus 50 g paneer saves about 30 kcal and 3 g fat per serving (adds soy).
- Serve with green chutney or a bowl of curd.
- Storage: batter and filling keep 24 hours refrigerated; cooked chillas 1 day, reheated on a dry tawa.
- Food safety: keep paneer filling at or below 5 °C; discard batter that smells sour or fizzes.
- Meal prep: grind batter and chop filling the night before.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com