Bajri Oats Dosa

This is a diabetic friendly dosa recipe.

Dosa is Indian crepes mostly prepared using rice and urad dal. It’s the most famous Indian cuisine not only in India but around the world. My husband and I are biggest South Indian food fan. You can find dosa in every street corner in India. I love the crispy thin crepe, topped with spicy potato filling and served with sambar and chutney.

I have not added the rice in this dosa. Instead, I have used bajri (pearl millet) and oats. Pearl millets are rich in fiber, proteins and essential minerals. It is a healthy gluten-free alternative to wheat. Oats have many health benefits. It is full of fiber and helps in weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of heart disease. I also added urad dal which adds protein to this dish. These dosa turned out nice and crispy. They were easy to make and we did not find any difference in taste compared to regular rice urad dal dosa. You can serve it for breakfast or as a main meal. This recipe serves around 3 people.

Start the preparation at least 24 hours in advance. Soak urad dal and methi at least 8 hours and then grind and ferment the dosa batter for 12-15 hours.

Recommended Product:
Cast iron dosa tawa (pan)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter
1/2 cup gota urad (whole skinned urad)
1 tbsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
1/2 cup regular or steel cut oats
1 cup bajri (pearl millet) flour
Salt to taste

Mysore Masala
3 boiled, skinned and mashed potato
2-3 onion sliced thinly
1 green pepper sliced thinly
1 small carrot grated
1 small beet grated (optional)
1 tomato sliced thinly or 1/2 cup tomato puree
2-3 green chilies finely chopped
1 tsp each urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds
7-8 curry leaves
Small pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Red chutney paste

Procedure

1. Wash and soak gota urad and methi for 8 hours. It will double in size.

2. In mixer, add soaked dal methi and some water. Grind to smooth paste. Then add oats with the dal paste and grind again until it becomes smooth. Then add bajri flour to the batter and some water if it’s too dry. Grind little more so everything blends properly and batter is still slightly thick. You don’t want runny batter or it will not ferment properly. Remove the batter in a big container, cover the lid. Keep this in a warm place for 12-15 hours or more in winter until batter almost doubled in size.

3. Chop all the vegetables as shown in below picture.

4. Heat a pan, add 1-2 tbsp of oil. Add 1 tsp each urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds starts to pop, add chopped green chilies, curry leaves and small pinch of asafoetida. Saute for few seconds and add chopped onion and green pepper. Saute on low to medium for 3-4 minutes. When onion are translucent and pepper are slightly soft, add grated carrot, grated beet (optional), tomato slices or tomato puree. Stir the mixture every few seconds. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add mashed potato, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and butter. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything blends together. Remove from the heat.

5. Once the batter is fermented, add salt to taste and mix well.

6. Heat nonstick or cast iron flat pan. Grease the pan with oil and heat on high until you see the smoke. Turn the heat to medium and spread dosa batter to make very small thick dosa.
Tip: Always make first dosa small and thick , cook on one side, flip and cook on another side. When ready rub mini dosa on the pan, it will make pan non stick. Now pan is ready to make dosa.

7. Keep the heat low to medium, Wipe the pan with wet paper towel or cloth. Now spread batter like thin crepes using ladle, spread some oil. When it start to change colour, spread some red chutney (chutney premix with little water) and butter. Remove side using flat laddle. You can either serve plain dosa or with masala. Spread some masala on top. If you are serving to the kids, avoid red chutney.

8. Serve bajri oats dosa with chana-urad dal chutney. You can also serve tomato chutney and coconut chutney. It taste best when it is served straight from pan to plate.

It is very delicious and also healthy. You can serve it for any meal of the day. If you are on vegan diet, do not add butter. Try it yourself.