Rice Pancakes and Coriander Chutney (Dosa N Chutney)

There are various types of Dosas/Rice Pancakes; crisp, fluffy, spongy, wafer thin, thick, large, small, These are not your crisp and wafer thin type of Dosa; but a spongy and holey one variation. My son loves these and calls them “Holey Dosas”; as you see a large number of holes in them. You can have your ‘Dosa’ with any side dish. Most popular are coconut chutney, coriander chutney, tomato chutney, potato bhaji, sambar etc. I made ours with a Coriander Chutney.  Do try them.

Recipe :
5 cups of rice (I used the ‘Rozana’ Basmati rice).
1 cup urid dal
1 teaspoon yeast
Sugar – 3-4 tablespoons
Salt to taste.

Wash and soak the Rice and Dal separately for at least 4/5 hours or overnight. Grind to a fine batter adding water as required. Transfer the batter in a deep vessel, add sugar, salt and yeast. (Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup luke warm water and wait till it bubbles. Then add to batter. This to ensure that yeast is good).

Take an onion and peel it. Flatten it at the bottom and just make 5/6 cuts on the surface of the outer layer. Put this onion on the surface of the batter and cover with a lid. After 2 hours the batter will have risen and the onion floating on the surface will have disappeared into the batter. (This is an indication that your batter has risen. If not wait for sometime more time till this happens).

Remove the onion from the batter and wash it. Take a cupful of oil and keep aside. Pierce a fork into the top surface of the onion and soak it into the oil. (You are going to use the onion to lighly coat the Tawa/skillet with oil).

Heat a tawa/skillet. Rub the tawa/skillet with the soaked onion so that a thin film of oil coats it. Drop a large ladle full of batter on the tawa/skillet and immediately cover it with a lid and let the dosa cook on medium heat till done and you see no raw batter on the surface.
Between dosas, grease the tawa or skillet lightly with oil/onion and then pour the batter.

Best had directly from pan to plate with side-dish of your choice.

So there you are, a ‘Holey Dosa’, which leaves no hole in your wallet ;).

Oats Dosa

Here is a special Oats Dosa;   it is a great variation to the normal Rava Dosa.  If you do it right it should be crisp and paper thin.  You have got to try this.  Have with sambar, or coconut chutney.

Ingredients :
Oats – 1 cup
Rice Flour – ¼ cup
Semolina – ¼ cup
Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
Onion medium – 1, chopped fine  + another for brushing the pan
Whole Pepper crushed coarse- ½ teaspoon
Green chilly -1-chopped fine
Salt to taste
Enough water to make a runny batter
Oil for frying and sautéing the onion

Heat a non-stick pan and dry roast the Oats till it turns slightly light brown.  Cool and powder it in a dry-grinder.  In a pan add a little oil and sauté the onion and green chilly and keep aside.  Take a bowl and add the powdered oats, rice flour, semolina, cumin seeds, sautéed onion & green chilly, crushed pepper and salt to taste.  Add enough water to make a runny batter.

Take a little oil in a bowl and keep aside.  Take one onion and peel it and cut it flat at the base – so that it can stand upright.  Take a fork and prick it. Soak the onion in the oil..this will be used as your brush to smear the pan with oil.

Heat a non-stick pan and smear it with oil with the onion-brush so that it is coated with a thin film of oil.  Take a ladle of batter and splash it on the hot pan.  It will be holey here and there…not to worry..just fill in the larger holes and shake the pan from side to side, so that it forms a round pancake/dosa.  Cover and let it fry till crisp and when the edges start to loosen,  remove and serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.