Make A Wholesome Evening Snack With This Panchratan Dal Cheela
Image Credit: This cheela recipe is a must-try.

Do you know what a common cause of increase in weight is? Untimely snacking. Between meals, late at night are some of the odd hours when people tend to snack and that’s what harms the body the most. Since our bodies adjust to the time we eat our meals, in-between snacking disrupts that pattern. That delays the time of actual meal and we end up consuming our last bite late in the night. This gives the body lesser time to break down and digest the food and as a result, the fat gets accumulated in the body. A major reason for this is that what we snack on is usually unhealthy food.

Think about it. Snacks are something that are easy to eat and don’t require too much effort. It is packaged food like chips, biscuits, chocolates, patties etc. They are loaded with preservatives or are carb and sugar-intensive. This isn’t really good for the body and the mind. In such a scenario, it is recommended to resort to fresh fruits and nuts. Now, that may not appeal to everyone’s taste and you may even say that they are monotonous to eat after a point. 

It is important to keep up healthy snacking and for this reason, there are several healthy snack recipes that can really help. Take cheela for instance. Usually, this round Indian pancake is made with gram flour or besan. Chopped onions and coriander leaves are added to the batter and cooked till crisp. This is commonly known as poora in Punjabi households. What if we tell you that you can make a healthier cheela at home? Oh yes, to make a healthy dish, all you need is to substitute one ingredient with another and Voila! It will blow your minds away. 

We’ve found this amazing Panchratan dal cheela recipe for snacks this time. Made with the panchratan dal, the cheela will not only satiate your appetite but also give you a lot of nutrition. Lentils means a packet full of protein going right into your body. Panchratan, as the name suggests, refers to a mix of five dals that are added to the cheela batter. HomeChef Sonia Sarpal shares a delicious Panchratan dal cheela recipe with us. 

Here’s to making a perfect snack at home tonight. 

Panchratan Dal Cheela 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Channa Dal 
  • 1/4 cup Masoor Dal 
  • 1/4 cup Moong Dal 
  • 1/4 cup Arhar Dal 
  • 1/4 cup Urad Dal 
  • Salt 
  • Garam Masala 
  • Red Chilli Powder 
  • Coriander Powder 
  • Bell peppers (Red, Green and Yellow)
  • Onions 
  • Grated Beetroot 
  • Paneer 
  • Green chillies

Method

  1. Start by washing and soaking all the five dals in water overnight. 
  2. Next morning, drain the water and grind them into a smooth paste. 
  3. Take out the paste in a bowl and sprinkle spices like garam masala, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to the batter and mix nicely. 
  4. Pour it in a pan and add sliced bell peppers, onions, grated beetroot and paneer to the mix. Throw in some green chillies for a spicy touch.
  5. Cover it with a lid and let it cook from both sides. Once it is brown, take it out and serve with tomato ketchup and coriander chutney.