Dosas (Indian Rice and Lentil Pancakes)

Submitted by Dawn399

"In response to a request, I haven't tried these, but they sound intriguing. This is an Indian lentil and rice pancake. The mixture needs to soften and set for sometime, you'll need at least 1 1/2 days to complete the process."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Yields: 8 dosas

ingredients

• 7 1⁄4 cups bottled water (chlorine interferes with softening process)
• 1 1⁄2 cups basmati rice
• 1⁄2 cup Urad Dal (skinned split lentils)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil (divided)

directions

1. Combine 6 cups water, rice and lentils in a large bowl.
2. Cover and let stand 8 hours.
3. Drain and rinse.
4. Place the rice mixture, 1 1/4 cups water, and sugar in a food processor and puree until smooth.
5. Spoon batter in a clean bowl and cover.
6. Let stand for 12 hours (in a warm place free from drafts) or overnight.
7. Stir in salt.
8. Heat 1/2 tsp.
9. of oil in an iron skillet.
10. Spoon 1/3 cup into pan and heat over medium heat.
11. Turn pancake over when bubbles form and edges are cooked.
12. Repeat until batter is cooked.

Reviews

[janetnaray narayana]

Delicious but not for the novice cook. The correct rice is a mix of 2 parts parboiled rice, 1 part raw rice (Idli rice), but basmati will do in a fix. Add ¼ Tsp Fenugreek seeds to the dal before soaking. Soak and grind the rice and dal separately, then mix together with the salt and allow to ferment until doubled (about 12-18 hours depending on the temperature of the room). The rice should be ground to the texture of fine beach sand – as fine as your mixer will do without over heating. Add water a little at a time while grinding. Too much water and the rice won’t grind, not enough and it will overheat or choke the mixer. The dal will double or triple as water is added and will grind to a smooth slightly slippery texture. Sugar is optional and stirring the mixture with your hand before allowing it to rest will produce better results. This mixture is also used to make Idli’s – a steamed rice and lentil dumpling. I use the mix for Idli’s the first day or two, then dosas when it gets more sour. Dosas are a common dish in the southern part of India. The lentils (urad dal) are found in Asian or Indian markets. Serve with chutney or Sambar

 

[starfruiteater]

The comments posted by janetnaray are very helpful, and I will use her suggestions when I make the Dosas again this week. I must add, however, that a novice cook would be able to make this recipe. I made the recipe exactly as Dawn instructed, except that I used tap water instead of bottled water. The rice was a little crunchy and thick in my cooked Dosas, so I will try to fix that next time. Adding diced green bell peppers and cilantro before cooking make these very tasty. I sprinkled lemon juice on my cooked dosas and dipped them in mango chutney. Yum!