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Bajra Cheela (Pearl Millet and Besan Pancake)
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Bajra Cheela (Pearl Millet and Besan Pancake)

Bajra (pearl millet)TraditionalNorth IndiaBreakfastFlour (atta)Vegetarian

Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 4

Make

Ingredients

  • bajra (pearl millet) flour — 250 g
  • besan (gram flour) — 50 g
  • onion — 1 (chopped)
  • carrot — 1 (grated)
  • green chillies — 2 (finely chopped)
  • coriander leaves (a few, finely chopped)
  • red chilli powder — 1 tbsp
  • coriander powder — 1 tbsp
  • salt (to taste)
  • water (enough for a flowing batter)
  • oil — 2 tbsp (the source allows ghee instead)

Method

  1. Put the bajra flour and besan in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the onion, carrot, chillies, coriander leaves, spice powders and salt.
  3. Whisk in water until the batter is smooth and flows easily.
  4. Heat a skillet on medium and grease it. Pour on a ladle of batter and spread it with circular strokes, from the centre outwards, into a thin cheela.
  5. Drizzle about a teaspoon of oil or ghee round the edge and over the top and cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
  6. Serve hot.

Tips

  • General practice: bajra batter thickens as it stands; loosen it with a little water between cheelas.

Fresh atta: grind small, use soon

  • Millets keep for months as whole grain; flour is best ground as it is needed, because it turns rancid. (FAO, Sorghum and millets in human nutrition (1995))
  • Bajra changes fastest: its grain stores for months, but its milled flour has a very short shelf life. (ICAR-IIMR scientists, Food Chemistry Advances (2023) (DOI 10.1016/j.focha.2023.100190))
  • In an Indian study, untreated bajra flour stayed within the quality limit only about 2 days at room temperature. (ICAR-IARI, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2016))
  • Ragi flour keeps better than foxtail, barnyard or bajra flour (it carries less fat). (Planta (2024), review)
  • Keep atta closed and cool: bajra flour kept best in polythene and worst in gunny sacks; grains should be dry and in airtight containers. (Chaudhary & Kapoor, J Sci Food Agric (1984); ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines (2024) (DOI 10.1002/jsfa.2740351113))
  • Going off shows first as smell and taste — sour, musty or dusty, then bitter. (Lai & Varriano-Marston, Cereal Chemistry (1980))

So: buy the grain, grind a week’s worth at a time — less for bajra in summer.

Recipe from FSSAI, Shree Anna (Millets) Recipes, PDF p. 22 (printed p. 8), written in our own words.