Light yet Protein-Packed: Low-Fat Cottage Cheese and Yellow Moong Dal Dosa! This simple and nutritious dosa (or crepe) is an easy way to incorporate cottage cheese into your diet while boosting your protein intake.
Last week, I shared a traditional vendhaya dosa recipe, a classic fermented dosai. Today, I’m bringing you an instant protein-rich dosa made with cottage cheese—no fermentation required! While there is some soaking time involved, the preparation is quick and hassle-free.
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You don’t need a wet grinder for this batter—a high-powered blender or mixer grinder (like an Indian mixer jar, Blendtec, or Vitamix) will do the job. If you’re making a smaller batch, a spice grinder works, too.
While I’m referring to this as a dosa, you can also call it a protein-rich moong dal cheela (chilla), crepe, or light pancake. Translating Indian recipes into English can be tricky, as Indian cuisine is deeply interconnected—each regional variation brings its unique twist to a dish.
Ingredients needed
For the batter, the key ingredients are:
- Cottage cheese and yellow moong dal (also known as pasi paruppu in Tamil).
- To add flavor, I’ve used ginger, green chilies, and salt.
- You’ll also need water and oil to cook the dosa.
Variations
- Enhance the batter by adding curry leaves, cilantro, blanched spinach, or carrots for extra nutrition and flavor.
- Can I use paneer instead of cottage cheese? While I haven’t tested it with paneer, you can certainly try it. Just soak it in hot water, chop it into small pieces, and blend it.
- Can I use green mung beans? Yes! Green mung beans work as a substitute, but I opted for yellow moong dal to keep the dosa light, easy to digest, and high in protein.
Dietary notes & serving suggestions
These cottage cheese and yellow moong dal crepes are gluten-free and nut-free. While they pair well with chutneys or sambar, I served them with a butterbeans curry for a wholesome meal—adding fiber and an extra protein boost from the beans. You can also serve it with mushroom curry.
Since the batter contains cheese, be sure to refrigerate it and use it within two days. Enjoy!
How to make cottage cheese yellow moong dal dosa
- Rinse and soak the yellow mung bean/yellow moong dal for 6 hours or overnight for up to 10 hours.
- In a mixer jar, add 1 cup of cottage cheese, peeled ginger, green chilies broken into two pieces, drained moong dal, and 2 tsp salt. Now grind this into a smooth batter by adding ½ cup of water.
- The batter is now ready. We don’t need to ferment the batter. You can start making the dosa right away.
- Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a ladleful of batter and pour it onto the pan, spreading it gently. Drizzle about ½ teaspoon of oil around the edges. Cover with a lid and let the dosa cook in steam—once it’s well cooked and the top side changes color, flip the dosa and cook only for 15 to 20 seconds and remove it from the pan.
- Serve hot with chutneys or curries of your choice. Enjoy your nutritious, protein-packed dosa!
Recipe Notes
Water: Stick to ½ cup water while grinding—avoid adding more.
Storage: Store the batter in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Toppings: Sprinkle chopped onions or drizzle idli podi on top while making the dosa.
Cooking Tip: Don’t spread the dosa too thin—without rice, it can brown quickly. If making it thin, cook on low heat and watch closely.
Ingredient Swaps: Use full-fat cottage cheese or paneer instead of low-fat, or swap yellow moong dal with green mung beans.
More dosa recipes
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📖 Recipe
High-Protein Moong Dal Dosa | Indian Cheela (Cottage Cheese Crepes)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the yellow mung bean/yellow moong dal for 6 hours or overnight for up to 10 hours.
- In a mixer jar, add 1 cup of cottage cheese, peeled ginger, green chilies broken into two pieces, drained moong dal, and 2 tsp salt. Now grind this into a smooth batter by adding ½ cup of water.
- The batter is now ready. We don’t need to ferment the batter. You can start making the dosa right away.
- Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a ladleful of batter and pour it onto the pan, spreading it gently. Drizzle about ½ teaspoon of oil around the edges. Cover with a lid and let the dosa cook in steam—once it’s well cooked and the top side changes color, flip the dosa and cook only for 15 to 20 seconds and remove it from the pan.
- Serve hot with chutneys or curries of your choice. Enjoy your nutritious, protein-packed dosa!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
I make these Moong Dal and paneer cheelas very regularly. Though I stuff them with grated paneer and green chutney.
Your cheelas look like actual dosas – so porus! Will try your recipe next time, its super inviting.
Thanks Vaishali. :-)