Moong Dal Cheela/Moonglet/Moong Dal Adai

Today’s recipe is: delicious pancakes made using Moong Dal. You can call them Moong dal Cheela, Moong Dal Adai, Moonglet (Omelette made with Moong Dal) or simply Moong Dal Pancakes.

Moong dal is known to be very light on the stomach as it is easy to digest. That is the reason it is the preferred dal for making simple comfort foods such as khichdi and pongal. Rich in protein and fibre, this dal must be included in your meals.

Moong dal is commonly available in two forms- with and without skin. The one without skin is yellow in colour, and the one with skin is green. This means that moong dal is a yellow-coloured dal with green skin. Both are rich in protein, but the fibre content in the latter is more.

Moong dal with skin is available as a whole or in the split form.

I have already shared a couple of recipes with moong dal, like Quinoa Pongal (Made with Quinoa and Moong Dal), Bonda Soup (Urad Dal Fritters in a piping hot Moon Dal Soup), and Moong Dal Parantha ( Paranthas made with sprouted Moong Dal) and Pesarattu ( dosa made with moong dal and rice) Do check them out!

Moong Dal Cheela/Moonglet/Moong Dal Adai, is made using moong dal without skin. The dal is soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours. Then, it is ground to a fine paste and whisked till it becomes light and fluffy. Loads of vegetables are then added to make the dish delicious and nutrient-dense. In my recipe, I have added carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbage. You can add finely chopped beans, capsicum, soft peas, etc and make it as per your preference.

In my recipe, I have also made a fine paste with coconut and added to the batter. It makes the pancake even more delicious. If you don’t have fresh coconut, add about 1/2 a cup of coconut milk. If you don’t like coconut, skip it and add water to adjust the consistency of the batter.

Let’s start with the recipe:

Equipment Needed:

• Mixing bowl
• Knives
• Pan
• Spatula
• Mixer grinder

Ingredients needed to make Moong Dal Cheela/Moonglet/Moong Dal Adai

• 1 Cup Moong Dal; washed and soaked overnight in water
• ½ Cup Grated/Thinly cut Cabbage
• ½ Cup Grated Carrot
• ½ Cup Grated Potatoes
• ½ Cup Finely Chopped Onion
• ¼ Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves
• 2-3 Green Chillies; Finely Chopped
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Salt
• ¼ Medium-Sized Coconut
• 1 tbsp Chopped Curry Leaves
• Water; for grinding the coconut and adjusting the consistency of the batter

For Garnishing/Topping

• Dill Leaves
• Sesame Seeds

In Addition

• Oil; for pan-frying

Notes about Ingredient sourcing in Germany:

Moong Dal with skin is available in some supermarkets in Germany, but Moong Dal without skin, which is needed for this recipe, is available in Indian shops.

Fresh vegetables, coconut, sesame seeds, salt and even cumin (called Kreuzkümmel in German) are available in supermarkets.

To learn about other ingredients available in German Supermarkets, click here.

Dill leaves are available in Turkish stores at reasonable prices.

You can easily get the Indian ingredients needed for this recipe, such as curry leaves, green chillies and moong gal without skin, from an Indian shop near you, or you can check the online store of  Spiceland. Their quality is good, prices reasonable and they deliver all across Germany.

Method to make Moong Dal Cheela/Moonglet/Moong Dal Adai 

• Wash the overnight soaked moong dal with water.
  
  
  
• Grind it into a fine paste.
  
  
  
• Whisk this paste for about 5 minutes so that it becomes light and fluffy. Add cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
  
  
  
• Add salt, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, green chillies and onion. Mix.
  
  
  
• Grind coconut into a fine powder. Add a little bit of water to grind it well.
  
  
• Add this ground paste to the dal and vegetable mixture. Add curry leaves.
  
  
  
• Mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding water if needed.
  
  
  
• Heat a pan. Brush some oil. Pour in a thin layer of the prepared batter. Brush oil along the edge and on the surface and fry it on low-medium heat. Top it with dill leaves and sesame seeds.
  
  
  
• Flip and cook till the pancake is cooked from the inside. Serve hot with ketchup/chutney.
  
  

Here is the recipe in printable format:

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Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

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