These vegan Oats Chilla are savory pancakes made with rolled oats, besan (gram flour) and veggies. These are mildly spiced, packed with fiber, nutrients and are great for breakfast or lunch!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 5 chilla
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: Kitchen notes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, 100 grams)
  • 2 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
  • 1 tablespoon sooji (semolina)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • pinch Kashmiri red chili powder (optional, or use regular chili powder)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)
  • 1 green chili (finely chopped, add more to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1/4-1/3 cup grated carrots (I used the thicker side of the grater)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup red onion (finely chopped, I used a food processor to finely chop it)
  • water (as needed to form a batter, around 1 & 1/4 cups of water)
  • 4-5 teaspoons oil (as needed, to cook the chilla)

Method

  1. To a pan on medium heat, add the rolled oats. Dry roast for 2 to 3 minutes until the oats are little fragrant, we are not looking for any color change here. Remove pan from heat.
  2. Transfer the oats to a grinder/blender. I like using a spice grinder for this. Pulse a few times to grind the oats into flour. Your oat flour is now ready.
  3. Transfer the prepared oat flour to a large bowl and also add the following: besan, sooji, ajwain, turmeric, salt (to taste) and pinch of Kashmiri red chili powder (optional).
  4. Then add the following: chopped ginger, green chili, cilantro, grated carrots and finely chopped onions. Stir it together using a spatula.
  5. Now, start adding water and mix everything using a wire whisk. I added around 3/4 cup water at this point. Then cover the bowl with a plate and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  6. After 10 minutes, the mixture would appear thicker as it will absorb water. Now, add remaining water and stir. In total, I added around 1 & 1/4 cup water. It can be little more or less depending on the brand of flour being used. The final consistency of the batter should be reasonably and pouring. It should not be runny and it should not be super thick either.
  7. Heat a pan on medium heat, I like using my cast iron skillet. Pour a ladle full of batter into the center of the pan. You can make smaller or bigger chillas depending on how much batter you use.
  8. Spread the batter using the ladle until you have a circle of around 6-inches diameter. Pour little oil (around 1/2 to 1 teaspoon) around the edges of the chilla and also few drops in the center.
  9. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Once one side has cooked, flip the chilla carefully using a spatula. Press and cook the other side (uncovered) for additional 2 to 3 minutes until it is cooked and has brown spots.
  10. Carefully remove chilla from the skillet. Make all chilla similarly until the batter is finished. You will get 5 to 6 chillas from the batter (or more of you have smaller chillas). Serve them with cilantro chutney or ketchup.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.