South Indian Crêpes (Dosas)

• porcijos: 3.5 c batter, 24 dosas

Ingredientai

1 cup (190 g) brown basmati rice, cleaned and washed

1/4 cup (48 g) whole black lentils with skin (sabut urad dal), cleaned and washed

2 tablespoons split gram (chana dal)

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided

1½ cups (356 mL) water

Oil, for pan frying, set aside in a small bowl

½ large onion, peeled and halved (for prepping the pan)

Nurodymai

In a large bowl, soak the rice in ample water.

In a separate bowl, soak the black lentils, split gram, and fenugreek.

3Add ½ teaspoon salt to each bowl. Place each bowl in a warm area (1 |ilke to keep them in an oven that's turned off) with a loose lid and soak overnight.

In the morning, drain and reserve the water.

Grind the lentils and rice together in a powerful blender, such as a Vitamix. Add up to 1½ cups (356 mL) of water as you go. (You can use the reserved soaking water.)

Let the batter sit for 6 to 7 hours in a slightly warm place (again, such as an oven that's been turned off) to fermernt slightly.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Put 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan and spread it out with a paper towel or dish towel.

Once the pan is hot, stick a fork into the uncut, rounded part of the onion. Holding the fork handle, rub the cut half of the onion back and forth across your pan. The combination of the heat, the onion juices, and the oil will help prevent your dosa from sticking. I learned this from a South Indian family friend, Parvati Auntie, and it truly makes all the difference. Keep the onion wih the inserted fork handy to use again between dosas.

Keep a tiny bowl of oil on the side with a spoon, you'll use it later.

Now, finally on to the cooking! Ladle about cup (59 mL) of batter into the middle of the hot, prepped pan. With the back of your ladle, slowly make clockwise motions from the middle to the outer edge of the pan until it the batter becomes thin and crêpe-like.

With a small spoon, pour a thin stream of oil in a circle around the batter.

Let the dosa cook until it is slightly browned and pulls away from the pan slightly. Flip and cook the other side. Once it is browned, serve immediately layered with spiced jeera or lemon potatoes, coconut chutney, and a side of sambhar.

Pastabos

Dosas are absolutely the tastiest and healthiest breads around. A mainstay of the South Indian diet, these savory "crêpes" are trade: ally made from white rice. In our home, where whole grains are the mainstay, we've switched it up a bit and always used broum ies This switch gives you a heartier and a slightly darker dosa that I fnd to be much more filling and nutritious . This savory pancake is often eaten for breakfast or brunch, and that's why it appears in this section. Nonetheless, feel free to have them for dinner or as a snack. My girls love how they taste and have even learned to make them themselves (with a little supervision).