Oat Spinach Zucchini Chilla – Hara Bhara Besan Chilla

Hara Bhara Oat Chilla / Cheela / Savory Oat Pancakes with Spinach and Zucchini
Cheela or Chilla or Pudlas/Pudas is a savory and tasty pancake made with gram flour (besan), spices and herbs. It is very quick, easy and comfy recipe.
These Chillas are one of my favorite these days. It could be your breakfast pancakes, light lunch or even a snack! This recipe was actually given by my friend Pravina(A very special thanks to Pravinaben). She is a very creative lady when it comes to food and she is always ready to share with others like me…We are little crazy when together and share many similar characteristics in terms of craziness!!!

I then adjusted the recipe to my liking. It is a great way to sneak in some healthy greens in this recipe. And you can use Instant oat or oat flour for this recipe. This recipe has very high nutritious profile as it contains oat, Besan(Chickpea Flour), Spinach, and zucchini. This recipe is perfect for gluten free and vegan diet followers as well.

Oats are a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
Gram flour, more popularly known as besan is a highly nutritions food which provides us with lots of health benefits. Owing to it’s high protein content it can be easily be consumed by vegetarians to fulfil their protein needs. Besan is also rich in fiber, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, vitamin B-6 and thiamine.
Zucchinis are a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, plus potassium and fiber. It is also a good source of Protein. Zucchini has incredibly low calories that make it a much-preferred part of any weight loss diet.
Spinach Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and vitamin C. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, protein and choline.
Want to add more nutrition? Try with Flax seeds meal. I sometimes add flax meal to many of my recipes. The first unique feature of flax is its high omega-3 fatty acid content. Among all 127 World’s Healthiest Foods, flaxseeds comes out number one as a source of omega-3s! The primary omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseeds is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. The ALA in flaxseed has found to be stable for at least 3 hours of cooking at oven temperatures (approximately 300F/150C), which makes it available after ground flaxseeds have been added to baked goods like muffins or breads.
So with all these high profile ingredients, you can consume these pancakes almost everyday without any guilt.
I simply love the texture and look of the batter. You can make mini pudlas(pudas)-pancakes for kids or make big Chillas.

These no-dye vegan and gluten free green pancakes taste delicious. Your kids won’t know there’s spinach in it! Cheela is great pick for Indian breakfast and is very family friendly recipe and one of the best comfort foods. A vegan vegetable omelet that’s been made in Indian kitchens for the longest time…and now I make with modern twist!

Hara Bhara Chillas or Cheelas

Ingredients

  • Oat flour 1 Cup (16 tbs) or you can soak instant oats and blend with zucchini & spinach
  • Besan flour (Chickpea Flour) 1/2 Cup (8 tbs)
  • Rice flour 1/2 Cup (8 tbs)
  • Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1/4 Teaspoon
  • Ground cumin 1/2 Teaspoon
  • Chopped ginger To Taste
  • Chopped green chillies To Taste
  • Salt To Taste
  • For puree
  • Zucchini 1
  • Baby spinach leaves 1 Cup (16 tbs)

Instructions

  • Mix all flours, turmeric, cumin and salt into the medium sized bowl and keep aside.
  • In a blender, add roughly chopped zucchini, spinach, ginger, green chili and blend little water till smooth paste.
  • Add prepared green puree to the flour mix and prepare easy to pour batter by adding water as needed.
  • Now, if you have some time, allow batter to rest. Allowing batter to rest for some time gives the batter end result of pancakes.
  • When ready to make pancakes, heat up a non-stick pan on medium to high heat.
  • Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter on a heated pan, spread in a circle with paddle spoon. Smear little bit of oil if desired to get better texture of pancakes.
  • Cook pancakes on both sides till golden brown. When done, remove from the pan and serve immediately.
  • If desired, prepare mini pancakes to impress your kids.