Jazz Up Your Dosa Batter With Grains and Vegetables

We Indians love our fermented food, from the crumbly steameddhoklaand fluffy whiteidlis,to the friedwadasand the flavourfulkadhi.

This protein-rich crepe is made from a fermented batter ofurad dal(split black gram) and rice.

Be Basic

If youve never madedosabefore, its quite simple.

(Urad dalrises, so youll need to add extra water if you choose to use it.)

The next morning, grind the two separately.

Dal grinds easily and releases water, so it will require less water than the rice.

If youre using a food processor, the grinding process takes less than 20 minutes.

Combine the ground rice and dal mixtures, and grind them together until they are absolutely smooth.

Cover the batter and leave it out overnight to rise.

Some people add a pinch ofmethi(fenugreek seeds, roasted and powdered) to the batter.

Warrier adds it just before making thedosa, along with salt to taste.

The finisheddosawill look golden brown, and is best eaten hot, served with a coconutchutneyandsambhar.

Making adosamay appear simple but theres much that can go wrong.

If youre trying it for the first time, we have some handy tips.

If the batter wont rise, add a little yogurt and let the mixture sit for half an hour.

Before pouring the batter, clean the pan with a moist towelette or tissue.

This will prevent yourdosafrom sticking and tearing.

InAnjali AruldassMumbai home, thedosaprepared is rarely plain.

The 58-year-old is the founder ofVanakkam Foods, which offers ready-to-cook eats and batters fordosa, idliandvadai.

Aruldas has experimented with vegetable batters using vegetables like beetroot, carrots, andpalak(spinach).

In addition, the vegetables add a vibrant color to thedosa.

Once soft, the vegetables are pureed until they gain a smoothie-like consistency.

Dont strain the puree because then you will lose the fiber and nutrients, advises Aruldas.

Aruldas advises keeping the vegetable batter anddosabatter separate, and mixing it only just before cooking.

Both batters should be used within three days.

In terms of ratios, its kind of up to you.

I use about 20 percent of the vegetable mixture folded into the batter.

Each grain is different, in flavor and texture.

The first step, says Aruldas, is to figure out your consistency.

In a wet grinder, mix in the soaked grain and waterthis helps you decide the thickness.

Its a trial and error process.

Dont be disheartened if you dont get it right the first time.

Use the water you soaked the grains in so theres no loss of nutrients, she says.

The cooking process is the same.