Green-flecked pancakes of soaked moong and foxtail millet, ground coarse with ginger and green chilli. Nutty, savoury and properly filling.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour 1 cup

Fresh

• Whole green moong, soaked 6 hours 1 cup
• Green chillies 3
• Ginger, roughly chopped 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Curry leaves 1 sprig
• Onion, finely chopped 1
• Coriander leaves, chopped 3 tbsp
• Asafoetida ¼ tsp
• Coconut oil 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Grind the moong

   Drain the soaked moong and grind with green chilli, ginger and a little water to a coarse batter with visible flecks of skin.

2. Whisk in the flour

   Beat Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour into the ground moong until smooth, adding water to reach a thin dosa consistency.

3. Season the batter

   Stir in cumin, torn curry leaves, asafoetida, coriander and salt. Leave the onion aside for scattering.

4. Rest fifteen minutes

   The flour needs time to absorb; the batter will thicken noticeably, so check it before cooking.

5. Pour and scatter

   Ladle onto a hot oiled tawa, spread gently outward, then scatter chopped onion over the wet surface.

6. Cook until lacy

   Drizzle coconut oil around the rim and cook three minutes on medium until the base is browned and the edges have gone lacy, then flip briefly.

Why this works

Grinding the moong coarsely rather than smooth keeps texture in the finished chilla and stops it turning rubbery. The foxtail millet flour absorbs excess moisture from the wet dal batter and firms up the structure, which is what lets you spread it thin. Scattering onion on the raw surface means it steams into the pancake rather than burning on the pan.

Make it your own

• Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour → Sprouted Ragi Flour Darker, maltier chilla with a softer bite.
• Whole green moong → Split yellow moong dal Paler and smoother; soak only two hours.
• Coconut oil → Ghee Nuttier crust and a rounder finish.