The great Indian crepe, Dosa, has many avatars within India. In some parts of the country, it is small, round in size and thicker, while a few miles away it is paper-thin, crisp and oblong. Dosa happens to be one of the oldest Indian foods, finding mention in ancient texts like Sangam Literature of Tamil Nadu in the first century A.D and Manosollasa, a 12th century Sanskrit Manual, compiled by Chalukya King Someshwara. Therefore, it comes as little surprise that this seemingly simple dish has so many variations. In fact, if have a closer look at some of the recipes they’ll tell you a lot about the region itself, its history and their local preferences. Take, for instance, the Pesarattu of Andhra Pradesh, made with green mung beans, a regional staple. Or the Rava Dosa, which was first conceived by the MTR hotel of Karnataka during the second world war, due to an acute shortage of rice. Tamil Nadu is famous for a gamut of dosas, but we have to admit that we have a special soft corner for the Adai Dosa.
The Adai Dosa is made with a special batter of lentils, red chillies, curry leaves and rice, the best part about this dosa is that you can use multiple kinds of lentils like moong, toor, urad, and chana to make it all the more wholesome and healthier. The presence of all these dals makes the dosa rich in protein and fibre, making it an ideal breakfast choice. The dosa batter does not even require fermentation, making it a hassle-free choice for people who are always on the go. Here are a few tips you should keep in mind while making Adai Dosa at home.
- Soak the rice and dals with all other spices like cumin seeds and red chillies for two hours at least. This does not require hours of fermentation, but you have to ensure the dals and rice are nicely soaked.
- Once they are soaked and slightly puffy, grind all the ingredients together until you have a slightly coarse batter.
- Throw in the salt pepper, grated coconut, chopped onion and curry leaves to the batter. Mix well.
- With this instant batter, you heat the dosa pan. Try to take a non-stick pan, it will prevent the dosa from sticking to the bottom. If it is not a non-stick pan, grease it appropriately.
- Pour the batter in the pan, and from centre, spread it evenly in circular shape, going in spiral motion from inside to outside.
- Cook until both sides are golden brown.
This robust dosa has a very delightful, mild, earthy taste, as opposed to the tang, fermented taste of a regular rice dosa. You can pair Adai dosa with any chutney, coconut, tomato or ginger. You can also have it with a block of jaggery if you want.
Here is the complete recipe of Adai dosa. Try it and let us know how you liked it.
