Moong Sprouts Pancake with Tofu Olive filling

Offering a bountiful of nutrients and taste, these Mung bean Sprouts Pancake or Moong Chilla with Tofu Olive Filling along with Mint chutney is a must have!

Quick and Easy , this recipe can be made for  Breakfast, if aiming for something light (that goes easy on the gut!) and wholesome for Lunch or Dinner or when you are looking for something savoury for a quick snack. The goodness of Sprouted Green Gram transforms into lovely green coloured pancakes (promising health!). Tofu along with the flavour of Olives for the filling makes for a delightful treat for health conscious, vegans and food lovers alike.

Pancakes for Breakfast, the Indian Way!

Chila/Chilla or Veg Omelette (as many would call it!), is an unleavened Indian pancake and very popular in the Northern part of India. In Southern India it is similar to Pesarattu, Adai or Pudla. Traditionally made from whole gram/chickpea flour combined with finely chopped vegetables, herbs and a dash of robust Indian spices, this instant recipe of lightly crusted pancake can be paired with a variety of chutneys, dips or sauces.

Pancake aka Chilla/Chila is ideally a protein rich dish that saves on time, quite simple to make and can be enjoyed for any meals throughout the day.  

There is more than one way to make your own favourite kind of Pancake Chilla. One can prefer to have it salty or even sweet, or be imaginative with the choice of lentils or grains to make the Pancakes/Chilas with. Whether you choose to make it plain and simple by using fewer ingredients to the Pancake batter and go creative by adding finely chopped veggies as toppings or fillings to make it more enjoyable and nutritious.

I made use of Sprouted Mung Beans/Moong for my pancakes for its intake offers amazing health benefits. Sprouted Mung Beans are legumes that are rich in vital nutrients and are very much included in salads, sandwiches and curries. Mung beans, when sprouted contain fewer calories, are easy to digest but high in vitamins, minerals, proteins and fibre.

I went ahead and got a little imaginative with my ingredients for the filling. So I made use of Tofu (another protein rich plant derivative) with Capsicum, Chillies and grated Cheddar Cheese along with Olives (green or black) which make for an exotic blend of flavours.

How to make Green Mung Sprout Pancake/Moong Chilla with Tofu and Olive filling

• How to sprout Mung Beans- Sprouting the Mung beans isn’t a tedious work though it does take over two to three days for the beans to sprout. All  needs to be done is to soak the grains with enough water (so that it is fully submerged) for 8 hours, wash it again and wrap in fine muslin cloth and keep it aside for the beans to sprout .But then you can always choose to skip sprouting the Mung beans altogether and simply soak overnight.
• Process-Once the sprouts are ready, add water and blend the beans with the veggies (taken for the batter), herbs and the spices into a paste. I made my batter for the Pancakes by blending the sprouted Mung Beans along with Capsicum, Green Chillies, Asafoetida powder, Fennel seeds and salt but just in case if you plan to cook later, refrain from adding salt just yet but do so when you will start cooking the pancakes.

• For the filling (wholesome and simple!), One can go for Ricotta or crumbled Paneer(Indian Cottage Cheese) instead of Tofu. I added grated Cheddar Cheese to my Tofu filling (or one can simply choose to go vegan by not adding cheese at all!) and Olives (green or black) that makes for a warm fusion of flavours.
• Wraps, sandwiches, Patties(and more?), The filling is also perfect to be used in Sandwiches, wraps and patties or any other dish that calls for a wholesome and delicious stuffing.