Suji Ka Cheela | Rava Chilla

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One of those many recipes made with cream of wheat or semolina flour (sooji or rava), which is easy-peasy, gets done in no time, healthy and vegan too – the Suji Ka Cheela is a version of the popular North Indian style savory pancake. The only major time that goes in the preparation of this dish is the time taken to soak the suji. Besides that, this Rava Chilla is quite a quick recipe. The rest of the ingredients too are super basic and available in any Indian home kitchen, most of the times. Thus, one of the most loved Indian Breakfast Recipes too.

suji ka cheela served on a white plate with a cup of tea kept on the top right side and text layover.

About Suji Ka Cheela

Traditionally, a cheela or chilla is an Indian style savory pancake made with various lentils, gram flour or cream of wheat. Just like this Suji Ka Cheela that uses sooji or rava (cream of wheat) as the main ingredient.

Chillas can be broadly classified under pancakes, and are a popular breakfast dish in North India. The texture of a chilla can either be soft or crisp. This depends on the way the batter is spread (thickly or thinly) onto the hot tawa or skillet. 

This soft Suji Ka Cheela is very easy to prepare. Thus, making it one of the easier snack or breakfast dishes to be made at home. However, the taste of this chilla is very different from the Besan Chilla or Oats Chilla. These cheela made with sooji taste more like this Rava Uttapam.

I usually make this Rava Chilla the same way I make the besan chilla. The only ingredient that gets replaced in the recipe is gram flour or besan. In place of which, I add the cream of wheat or rava.

The onions in the recipe bring in a crunch as well as slight sweetness as they get caramelized while the cheelas get cooked. In addition to this, other ingredients that go in this Suji Ka Cheela are ginger, green chilies, coriander leaves and spices like carom seeds (ajwain), red chili powder and turmeric powder.

You can serve this Rava Chilla with any green chutney, tomato chutney or even tomato ketchup. I also like to have it with coconut chutney sometimes. It tastes fab that way too.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Suji Ka Cheela

Make Batter

1. Take 1 cup fine sooji (rava or cream of wheat) in a bowl.

fine rava added in a bowl for making rava chilla.

2. Add 1 cup water.

water added to rava for making rava chilla.

3. Mix very well and allow the batter to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. You can even soak rava in water overnight in the refrigerator. This will make things easy, if you are planning to make these chilla for breakfast.

batter for rava chilla kept for resting.

4. After 20 to 30 minutes, rava will absorb much of the water and will become very soft.

water absorbed by rava.

5. Now, add ¼ cup finely chopped onions, 1 to 2 chopped green chilies (about ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped), ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves in the batter.

finely chopped onions, chopped green chilies, finely chopped ginger and chopped coriander leaves added to the batter for rava chilla.

6. Mix very well and then add the following spices – ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain), a pinch of red chilli powder, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt as required.

Instead of carom seeds, you can also add cumin seeds.

carom seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt added to the batter for rava chilla.

7. Add ¼ cup water again and mix very well.

adding water again in the rava chilla batter.

8. The batter should have a slightly medium thick consistency.

batter made of medium thick consistency for rava chilla.

Cook Suji Ka Cheela

9. Heat a pan and spread a bit of oil in it.

oil spread on a hot pan.

10. Pour a ladle of the batter on the pan.

pouring prepared suji ka cheela batter on the pan.

11. Gently spread the batter on the pan to make small to medium chillas. The pan has to be on low heat when you pour and spread the chilla batter. Otherwise, you won’t be able to spread the batter easily.

Just lightly spread the batter to a neat round shape. Don’t try to spread too much, as the chillas will break.

spreading the batter into a round suji ka cheela.

12. Let the chilla cook on low to medium heat.

cooking suji ka cheela on low heat.

13. When the top of the chilla looks cooked, drizzle some oil on the sides and top.

drizzling oil on top and sides of the cheela.

14. With the spoon itself, spread the oil all over.

cooking suji ka cheela.

15. When the base has cooked and becomes light golden, flip and cook the other side of cheela.

cooking suji ka cheela from the other side.

16. When the second side turns light golden or the onions in the chilla look golden or caramelized, then remove the Rava Chilla.

removing cooked suji ka cheela with a spatula.

17. Serve Suji Ka Cheela hot or warm with any chutney or sauce of your choice.

suji ka cheela served on a white plate with a cup of tea kept on the top right side and text layover.

Expert Tips

  1. If you are planning to make these cheela for the breakfast, then make things easier for yourself and save some time by soaking the rava in water for overnight in the refrigerator.
  2. If you don’t have carom seeds (ajwain) at home, then you can also add cumin seeds (jeera).
  3. To make these cheela healthier, you can add some veggies like carrot, beets, cabbage, etc.
  4. If you want to have spicier chilla, add more green chilies and/or red chili powder.
  5. Make sure the pan is on low heat while you are pouring and spreading the batter to cook. If it is not on low heat, then you will not be able to spread the batter easily.
  6. Spread the batter to a neat round shape, and not too much as then the chilla will break.
  7. This recipe serves 1 to 2. You can easily scale by doubling or tripling the quantities.

More Breakfast Recipes To Try!

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rava chilla recipe, sooji cheela recipe

Suji ka Cheela | Rava Chilla

Suji ka Cheela or Rava Chilla is a popular North Indian style savory pancake made with suji or rava (cream of wheat), onions, herbs and spices. Makes for an easy breakfast or brunch.
5 from 19 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine North Indian
Course Breakfast, Snacks
Diet Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 2
Units

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sooji finer textured, (rava or cream of wheat)
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onions
  • 1 to 2 green chillies chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) or cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • salt as required
  • 1.25 cups water
  • oil as required

Instructions
 

Making sooji batter

  • Take the fine sooji (rava or cream of wheat) in a bowl.
  • Add 1 cup water. Mix very well and allow the batter to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • After 20 to 30 minutes, rava will absorb much of the water and will become very soft.
  • Then add the remaining ingredients in the batter except oil and the remaining ¼ cup water. Mix very well.
  • The batter should have a slightly medium thick consistency.

Making suji ka chilla

  • Heat a skillet or tawa and spread a bit of oil in it.
  • Take a ladle of the batter and gently spread the batter on the pan to make small to medium chilla. 
  • The pan has to be on a low heat when you pour and spread the cheela batter. Otherwise you won't be able to spread the batter easily.
  • Just lightly spread the batter to a neat round shape. Don't try to spread too much as the cheela will break.
  • Let the sooji chilla cook on a low to medium heat.
  • When the top of the suji chilla looks cooked, then sprinkle some oil on the sides and top. With the spoon itself, spread the oil all over.
  • When the base has cooked and become light golden, then flip and cook the other side.
  • When the second side gets light golden or the onions in the chilla, look golden or caramelized, then remove the suji cheela and serve.
  • Serve sooji ka cheela hot or warm with any chutney or sauce of your choice.

Notes

  • Use suji or rava which is within its shelf period. 
  • Do not do much water and make a runny batter. It will be difficult to make the cheela with a flowing runny batter. 
  • Use a well seasoned skillet or tawa, so that the chilla does not stick on it while cooking.
  • The recipe serves 1 to 2, but can be easily be doubled or tripled.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Suji ka Cheela | Rava Chilla
Amount Per Serving
Calories 453 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 12g
Sodium 773mg34%
Potassium 168mg5%
Carbohydrates 67g22%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 42IU1%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.5mg29%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 12mg60%
Vitamin B6 0.4mg20%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Vitamin E 6mg40%
Vitamin K 2µg2%
Calcium 625mg63%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 109µg27%
Iron 29mg161%
Magnesium 43mg11%
Phosphorus 224mg22%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Suji ka Cheela recipe from the archives first published on September 2016 has been republished and updated on November 2022.

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32 Comments

  1. I love this recipe… But my cheela always get stick to the pan and breaks… I never get perfect cheela… But that broken cheela taste good… Please give tips for perfect cheela…

    1. try using a heavy pan and a well-seasoned pan. by a seasoned pan, i mean the pan should be used only for making dosa or chilla. if a tawa or pan used for making roti is used, the chilla will stick. you can find more information on seasoning pans in google. the pan should also be a heavy pan and not a light-weight pan. if the pan is light, then the chilla will stick. hope this helps.

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