Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela

May and June are the harsh summer months and no one wants to stay longer in the hot kitchen. I am no exception and look for recipes which are light on oil and does not require me to stay in kitchen for long. πŸ˜‹

 I prefer one dish meals during summers, which do not require long time in kitchen πŸ•’. I move on to induction plate to cook food in summers instead of gas stove as it allows to work with fan on. Today, I am sharing the recipe of  sooji cheela (semolina pancakes), which does not need much time in preparation and cooking, never the less, it's very tasty and healthy.

Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela
Sooji or semolina is the coarse and granulated product made from wheat flour and wheat millfeed mainly, though it's also made from rice and maize flour too, maize sooji is not so commonly available in India. Grooved steel rollers are used to mill wheat into flour. The space between the rollers are adjusted such that the space between them is slightly less than the wheat kernels. The rollers remove the bran and germ and starch/ endosperm is cracked into coarse pieces. Through sifting, the starch or semolina is separated from the bran. By this method, it's possible to separate the starch into different grades, thus producing different grades of sooji and flour.

Sooji has 72 % carbohydrates, 1.05 % fats, 12.7 % proteins, rich in minerals and has some vitamin B variants too.

It's used all across the world to create savoury, salty and sweet dishes. Boiled sooji turns into porridge and is known as " cream of wheat". Sooji boiled in water and spices is staple food in west Africa and is eaten with soup or stew in lunch or dinner. It makes an important ingredient in making sweets in German, Austrian, Hungarian, Serbian, Romanian, Croatian and other neighborhood countries' cuisines too.

It's boiled in fruit juices and set into mouldes with added raisines and dry fruits to create tasty and rich sweets. ( A new idea to try

 Many times, semolina and chocolates 🍫 hold hands to bring in chocolaty sweets . It also forms a major part of Arabic cuisines with dishes served in funerals and festivals alike.

Semolina pancake or simply sooji ka cheela is a tasty one dish full meal, which does not need much preparation and cooking time and my family's favourite meal. It can be served at any time as breakfast, brunch , lunch, evening tea snack or dinner.

The most popular accompaniments are chutneys. One can serve with onion-tomato chutney, coconut chutney or dhaniya-pudina (coriander-mint) chutney. 🍸Glass of masala chaach or sweet lassi makes a great drink partner with sooji cheela.

Ingredients:

For Sooji Cheela/ Semolina Pancakes:

  • Semolina / Sooji - 1 cup
  • Curd/ Yogurt  - 1 serving spoon
  • Green vegetables - Capsicum / Shimla Mirch , Tomatoes πŸ…, Onion , Coriander 🌿, Cabbage, Spring onion etc (total mixed vegetable - 3/4 cup)
  • Salt and other dry spices as per choice. 

For Coconut Chutney:

  • Curd - 1 cup
  • Coconut powder - 1/2 cup
  • Salt to taste, chillies and sambhar masala.
  • Mustard seeds and oil for tempering / chaunk/ baghaar.

For Mint - Coriander Chutmey:

  • Mint leaves - 1 cup
  • Coriander leaves - 1 cup
  • Onion - 1 medium size
  • Few green chillies
  • Raw mango - 1
  • Garlic cloves - 4 
  • Ginger - 1 inch piece
  • Salt, garam masala to taste


Method:

Sooji cheela/ Semolina pancake:

Mix Semolina, curd, finally diced vegetables, chillies  and salt to taste to a fine paste. It should have a falling consistency like pakora batter. Water or chach can be added to make it of the required consistency.
Let batter rest for 10 minute.

Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela

Now heat a dosa girdle or any flat pan. If it's a nonstick pan, no need to oil beforehand. If it is not a nonstick pan, then spread little oil before spreading the batter.




Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela


Once the side is cooked to a golden brown colour, reverse it. Your pancake is ready to be served when both sides are cooked to nice golden colour.

Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela



You can make small pancakes for snacking with evening tea too!

Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela




Chutneys:

Coconut Chutney:

Mix curd, coconut powder, salt, chillies, sambhar powder to a fine paste.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil and add mustard seeds and chilly powder as oil comes to smoky point. Add this chaunk/ baghaar to coconut chutney and cover immediately to have the smoky flavour.

Mint-Coriander Chutney:

Clean and wash 1 cup each of mint and coriander leaves. Dice 1 medium size onion, 5-6 cloves of garlic, 1 inch ginger  and peel,de-seed and dice raw mango into small pieces. Add all these along with salt, chillies and little water and grind to a fine paste.
Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela




Serve hot, delicious and healthy meal!





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