Oats Cheela - Mumbai Sanctuary Recipe

Oats Cheela is a savory breakfast pancake that is made with oats and different vegetables. This popular India breakfast can be enjoyed warm or hot with chutney.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup instant oats
• ½ cup besan (chickpea flour or gram flour)
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds or carom seeds (ajwain) 
• ½ inch ginger, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• ¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped (cilantro leaves)
• ¼ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¾ cup water or add as required
• Salt as required
• Oil as required

PREPARATION

1. Take ½ cup instant oats in a mixer or grinder and grind to a fine powder.
2. Put the ground oats flour in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour or gram flour).
3. Next add all ingredients to the mixture except for oil and water.
4. Pour about ⅔ to ¾ cup of water into the bowl.
5. With a wired whisk begin to mix everything together, if the batter looks thick, then add 1 to 3 tbsp more of water.
6. Whisk to a smooth flowing consistency until the batter has no lumps.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pan over low heat add a bit of oil to the bottom, you can also use a nonstick pan or cooking spray.
2. Take a ladle full of the batter and pour into the pan.
3. Gently with the back of the ladle, begin to spread the batter. Spread lightly and gently so that the cheela does not break.
4. On a low-medium heat cook the oats cheela until the top begins to look cooked.
5. Drizzle ½ to 1 tsp oil on the cheela and around the edges and with a spoon spread the oil all over. Skip oil if you want to prepare oil-free oats cheelas.
6. Continue to cook till the base gets light golden, then flip and cook this side until you see golden spots on the oats besan cheela.
7. Fold and serve hot or warm.
8. Serve oats cheelas plain or with any chutney of your choice or ketchup.