Besan Chirla/ Panjabi Purra

Makes two

Ingredients

3tb. sps besan (channa dal flour)
1/4 t. sp. aniseed/ajwain
salt to taste
red chilli powder a pinch
1tb. sp. finely chopped onions
1-2 chopped green chillies
3-4 curry leaves chopped
oil to fry


  • mix besan with 2 tb.sps of water till no lumps are left.
  • add the dry and chopped ingredients .
  • add enough water to make the batter easy to spread but not watery.
  • Leave aside for at least 15 minutes for better results.
  • heat 2 t sps of oil to smoking point  in a non stick fry pan and coat the pan well with the oil.
  • drain the extra oil into a bowl.
  • put two tb. sps of batter in the hot pan ,spread it around evenly and cover the pan for a few seconds till the chirla begins to set.
  • flip the chirla, add a few drops of oil around it and fry till evenly brown.
  • flip again and brown the other side
  • serve hot with green chutney/tomato sauce/pickle.


Note:  Paste made with soaked(for 4-5 hours) and finely ground mung/ channa daal can can be used to replace besan.