Dwadashi Dosa: A Vibrant Udupi-Style Treat For You
Image Credit: Dwadashi Dosa

It is not surprising when children over-indulge in unhealthy food. So, the mothers are constantly looking for a good and healthy breakfast alternative. Breakfast is the first meal of the day, so it should be great. Dosas fall exactly in the right place. They are nutritious and yummy with low calories. Dosa is a typical part of South Indian Cuisine. This modest Plain Turmeric Dosa is served without any stuffing. The rice and urad dal are combined, soaked, crushed and given time to ferment.

Even though urad dal has high protein content compared to rice, the combination is balanced and provides the necessary healthful fats as well as proteins. The batter is formed and they are then cooked into thin crepes on a flat/dosa pan. The dosa comes out as fluffy and spongy with thousands of holes.

Dwadashi Dosa is usually consumed the day following a fast, or Ekadashi, known as Dwadashi. The food that is ingested after a full day of fasting should be light to the stomach and easily digestible. This set dosa serves as a whole meal. They are spongy, slightly thick pancakes or crepes. It is only cooked on one side and is less oily. Overall, it constitutes a wholly nutritious meal. 

Dosa is also known as dosai in Tamil. Some believe that dosa originated in Udupi, Karnataka. However, Sangam Literature suggests that dosa was already being eaten in Tamil Nadu around the 1st Century. It is a well-known and well-liked South Indian breakfast or snack. The popular dish is traditionally served with sambhar, coconut chutney, and tomato chutney.

Here’s the recipe for Dwadashi Dosa.

Preparation time: 12 hours 

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Servings: 18 

Ingredients:

    2 cups raw rice 

    ½ cup urad dal

    1 tsp fenugreek seeds

    Water, as required

    ½ cup rice flakes

    1 tsp salt

    ½ tsp turmeric powder

    Oil, for shallow frying

Set Dosa

    In a large bowl, combine raw rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds and clean them. 

    Rinse the grains well and drain the remaining water.

    Now, add 5 cups of water and allow the ingredients to rest for 3 hours.

    In another bowl, pour the water and thin rice flakes. Soak the flakes for 15 minutes.

    In a grinder-mixer, transfer the soaked elements. Add water as required and blend well to form a rich and fine dosa batter.

    Take out the batter in a large mixing bowl and add turmeric. Mix well. 

    Cover and leave the batter to ferment overnight for 10-12 long hours. The batter expands after fermentation, tastes mildly sour, and has a lovely fermented scent.

    Add salt and mix. The dosa batter is ready.

    Heat a dosa pan. It ought to be pretty hot.

    Add a few drops of oil or you can make it without oil too. 

    Take a ladle full of batter and spread it evenly in circles in one direction. 

    Drizzle some oil on the sides. This prevents the batter from sticking and lumping.

    Cover and cook over medium flame for a few seconds.

    Remove and place the dosa on a plate.

    Prepare the remaining dosas by repeating the same steps until the batter finishes.

    Dosas are ready, hot and tender.