Oats and moong chilla
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Oats usually arrive at breakfast as something sweet and milky, which wastes them. Their real value is soluble fibre, the kind that helps carry cholesterol out, and that works just as well in something savoury.
Combined with moong dal you get fibre and protein in one pan, which is a considerably better start to the day than either alone.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup split yellow moong dal
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- A handful of coriander, chopped
- 1 green chilli, chopped, optional
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt to taste
- Water as needed
- Oil for cooking
Method
- 1
Soak the moong dal in water for thirty minutes. Drain.
- 2
Grind the oats to a coarse powder, then grind the drained dal with a little water to a smooth paste. Mix the two with enough water to make a batter the thickness of cream.
- 3
Stir in the onion, carrot, coriander, chilli, cumin and salt.
- 4
Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat, pour in a ladleful and spread it gently into a round.
- 5
Cook two to three minutes a side, until golden. Serve hot with curd or chutney.
Good to know
- Grinding a batch of oats to powder in advance saves five minutes every morning.
- A spoon of curd in the batter makes it softer and adds a little more protein.
- Eat these fresh. They go leathery on reheating, so make what you will actually eat.
- Between the oats and the dal this is a genuinely useful breakfast for anyone working on cholesterol or blood sugar.