Dosa is the Indian pancake.You can make it as a thin wrap or as a thick pancake.
Plain dosa recipe resembles to a vegan gluten-free crepe.
Dosa ingredients are simple.
Batter is a mix of rice and black split gram soaked overnight.
You may add rice flakes and fenugreek seeds to make it extra crispy.It is rich in Iron and protein.
It is also great for your bones and gut as it is fermented.
This dish has gained popularity all over thanks to Udupi restaurants.It is that tiffin recipe which has gain cult status.
While the west goes with plain flour egg loaded pancake,ours is a vegan gluten-free version.It is loaded with proteins thanks to the lentils in it.Nowadays very popular even in the western world.Thanks to eateries like Saravana Bhavan,Dosa Plaza and Dosa hut.
It is as versatile as your pita bread a wrap.Add any filling to it and make it your own special recipe.
Popularity of the humble Dosa
You can find a dosa parlor anywhere from streets of Benaras to down south in Kanyakumari.
Some like it plain others with mashed potato filling.Nowadays, people even make different types of Dosa masala .
I have attended food festivals as a kid.
Hotel Green Park Vizag would sell 108 types in their food festival.
There were so many types of masala dosa both traditional and fusion ones.
Rava masala,onion masala.Schezwan,Mutton,Chicken keema and even chopsuey.
Some eateries like Sai Ram parlour are famous for their crispy and cheap fare.
The most unique stuff,I have even seen is butter loaded version on a mobile stove in the streets of Benaras some years back.
Seeing this south Indian dish in Hindi heartland shows its popularity
Typical street food made mobile as butter is easy to carry.It provides the fat needed for cooking.
Thus,you can cook batter and serve fresh to devotees coming from Ghat post morning prayers.
Vendors sell fresh butter laden dosa and idli on makeshift stalls on steps of shops which are yet to open for the day.
They disappear as soon as the shops are ready to open.
Quite unique arrangements I must say,making best of space and time.
Scroll below to read the recipe of Indian Dosa recipe
Uttapam is a great way to include fermented food in your diet.It is great for calcium and probiotics.
Ingredients
- 1 onion small chopped
- 1 capsicum/1 tomato chopped
- 1/4 cup cabbage,chopped
- Salt as per taste
- Sprigs of coriander/green onion chopped optional
- Few tablespoons of oil for cooking the pancake
- 1 cup urad dal/black lentils soaked
- 3 cups rice(1.5 cup rice, 1.5 cup idli rice/boiled rice) soaked
- Handful of poha /rice flakes
- 2-3 tbsp tuvar dal/ pigeon pea lentils
- 1 tsp methidana/fenugreek seeds
- 2-3 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Wash and soak 1 cup urad dal in a bowl with 2 cups of water overnight.
- Wash and soak rice and all the other ingredients except salt in 6 cups of water overnight.
- Blend rice mix in a mixer with little water,once its nearly done, add the urad dal without any water.
- You may blend the above in 2 or more batches depending on the capacity of the mixer.
- Mix salt in the batter.
- Keep the batter aside to ferment overnight in a warm place.
- Heat the cast iron tawa for few mins on low heat.
- In a bowl take some amount of batter and add some water to get a thin pouring consistency.You may add salt if required
- Once its medium hot,add a ladle of batter and spread it evenly.
- Add the veggies of your choice.
- Add few drop of oil on the edges and on top.
- Let it cook for few minutes ,until rawness dissapears.Flip it and cook on the other side for few mins.
- Using a spatula,take out the uttapam from the pan.Serve with coconut chutney.
- Before you start with the next uttapam, add few drops of water on the tava, so that the temperature of the tava has come down,else the batter will stick.
Notes
During winter, warm up the oven for 2-3 minutes, turn it off and keep the batter to ferment.
You may also use a warm sweater to cover the vessel
Click here to see more South Indian recipes.
Also, click here to see more recipe videos.
Please share your inputs..