Whole Wheat Dosas- Savory pancakes

The four year old me looked down at my plate and then at his. In his plate was a special dosa- it was darker than mine, and quite different. A quick look around the breakfast table confirmed it. My grandfather was the only one who had been served this unique dosa and thus it had to be really special. "I want Appa's dosa!" I insisted, which elicited smiles from the adults, because Appapa's dosa was the healthier whole wheat dosa or Godhamb dosa, specially made for him as he was diabetic while the rice batter based dosa that was the popular choice, was served to us. Since then,  my grandmother made sure to serve me wholewheat dosas, or whole wheat puttu ( usually made with steamed rice flour) rava idlis or whatever else Appapa was having and I beamed with pride to have these special things just for Appapa and me :)

It must have started then, my preference for this version, (and for whole wheat and whole grains in general) which may be healthier, but in my mind is special-ler! and oh soo much more easier to make!

No pre-soaking of rice required. No grinding of batter and grinding of teeth! Just mix, season (with spices!) pour, cook and serve!

"They are a cross between chappatis and dosas!" exclaimed T, and between us we finished off the entire batch. It made for a lovely languid Sunday brekky, when you want a nice breakfast but don't want to slave in the kitchen all morning. It also leaves you feeling fuller so you can even make this a brunch dish! 

Wholewheat Buttermilk/Moru Dosas

Recipe Source: This is made in a lot of homes, slightly differently as there is really no recipe as such, and this is the way we make it

( Yeild: This should give you about 12 mid sized dosas so I usually make half or keep the rest of the batter covered in the fridge for brekky the next day! ) 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Wholewheat flour
• 2 cups Buttermilk ( I usually use 1 cup yogurt + 1 cup water and add more water as needed to achieve a smooth crepe batter like consistency)
• 1/4  tsp salt or to taste
• A pinch baking soda ( optional)

Seasoning:

• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 3-4 Small onions ( shallots) or 1/2 a regular onion chopped fine (Optional- I usually skip this) 
• 1" piece of Ginger minced ( or you can use a tsp of ginger paste)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilly powder ( Optional) 
• 3-4 Green chillies
• 3-4 Curry leaves

Method

• Whisk the flour and the buttermilk together with a fork or a wire whisk until smooth and no longer lumpy and set this batter aside for about half an hour ( you can even leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours- this even makes the batter smoother and softer)
• The batter should be like regular dosa or crepe batter, but not as thick as pancake batter. Add more water if required to get a looser pourable batter ( but not too watery)
• In a non stick pan, pancake griddle, cast iron skillet, or a small tempering pan heat a tablespoon of oil and splutter the mustard seeds.
• When the seeds splutter, add the ginger and onions ( if using)  and cook till transparent.
• Add the green chillies, curry leaves and the powders and stir for a few mins
• Now pour this hot oil seasoning into the batter. 
• Mix the baking soda with a little water and add this to the batter as well and mix till well combined.
• Heat the nonstick pan/ griddle and pour a ladleful of the dosa batter.
• Working from the center, move the ladle over the batter in a smooth circular motion to spread it outward as you would make regular dosas. If you are new to making dosas, check out youtube videos showing  how this batter is spread. Its easy!

The whole wheat imparts a slightly ticker texture than the rice flour batter dosas, but you can still ensure that you spread them really thin and cook them until golden brown, if you like your dosas crispy as I do. You can keep them warm in the oven set at the lowest or warm setting, until you finish cooking up the whole batch.

Serve the dosas hot with Chutney or Potato masala

Coconut Chutney

1/2 cup shredded Coconut pulsed in your mixie/food processor with 1/4 tsp salt or to taste, until smooth and creamy, but not so much that it turns to coconut milk

Seasoning:

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Method:

Prepare seasoning as for dosa above ( spluttering mustard seeds, then adding the rest) and add to the coconut. Mix to combine

Potato Masala

3-4 Potatoes ( Yellow potatoes with thin skins are preferable, but you can use russet or any other type)
You can also add other cooked vegetables like carrots, peas, mushrooms, bellpeppers, corn etc.

Seasoning

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 Onion ( Medium- chopped fine) 

3-4 Curry leaves

3-4 Green chillies

Method:

Cook the potatoes by cutting them in cubes, ( can leave the skin on) boiling them in salted water, or cooking them by rubbing the cubed potato with a little oil and salt and cooking for 3 mins in the Microwave, then mix and cook for 3 more mins or until a fork easily passes through them

Prepare the seasoning- spluttering the mustard seeds and add onions cooking till transparent, then add the rest of the ingredients, and sautee until the oil starts to seperate and glistens over the onions. Now add the cooked potatoes and mix well to combine. Cook on low heat for a few minutes and switch off the flame.

Another popular accompaniment for Dosa is Sambhar, a spicy lentil and vegetable stew. Click here for the recipe 

If you like these whole wheat dosas you may also like these other whole grain dishes

Am sending off these healthy and delicious whole wheat dosas to The Breakfast Club started by Helen as well as to Priya's Fast food, not Fat food event. Head over there to check out some healthy treats!

Tweet

Pin It