Instant Multi Grain Dosai ~ Savory Indian Crepes

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When it comes to dosa nothing beats the instant variety. And if the instant variety can be made with a combination of healthy flours, even better :)  Once in a while I make some form of instant dosa, sometimes with wheat flour as the star ingredient, sometimes oat flour and sometimes with different variety of flours like this version of multigrain dosa I posted earlier. 

Here is another version of multigrain dosa that I have begun to make fairly frequently. This version has a nice variety of healthy ingredients like wheat/atta, finger millet/ ragi, oat, sorghum / jowar and buckwheat/kuttu,  yet the best part is that it does not taste like it has so much healthy stuff in it. This is definitely an effortless way to make something healthy and tasty :)   It works very well for a weekend breakfast, as a snack or even a  light dinner.

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Ingredients and Method to make multigrain dosai

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu)

1/4 cup oat flour (see notes)

1/4 cup finger millet flour (nachani/ragi)

1/4 cup chick pea flour (besan/ kadalai maavu)

1/4 cup rice flour ( chawal ka atta/ arisi maavu)

1/4 cup sorghum flour (Jowar ka atta)

1/4 cup buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta)

salt to taste

1 Tbsp oil

3/4 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera)

3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine (or to taste) (hara mirch)

1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/ kothamalli )

Approx 2 & 1/2 -  2 & 3/4 cups of water or as needed

A little sesame oil to shallow fry the dosa

In a large bowl add all the flours one by one and mix well. Add water a little at a time and mix to get a batter of pouring consistency. Not too thin and runny and not too thick either, if in doubt err on the side of thicker batter, you can always add more water if needed later. Add salt to taste and mix well.

In a small pan heat oil, add cumin seeds, when the cumin seeds sizzle and green chilies and stir once or twice. Pour entire seasoning on the prepared batter and mix well. Add finely chopped cilantro to the batter and mix well.

When you are ready to make the dosa, heat heavy iron tawa/ griddle / flat pan/ non stick pan. Pour a little batter in the center and quickly spread into a thin circle, add a few drops of oil around the circumference of the dosai.When the lower side is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side until it gets golden brown spots.

Remove from heat and serve hot with chutney of choice, sambar or molaga podi (spice powder ) 

Store balance of the batter in the refrigerator and use within 2 to 3 days for best freshness.  Yield will depend on the size and thickness of each dosa.

Notes:
For oat flour I powdered quick oats in my mixer until fine. If you have store bought oat flour you can use that too in this recipe.

If you are looking instant dosai varieties, here are a few more

Buckwheat dosai ~ Kuttu atta dosa

Finger millet Oats Dosai ~Ragi dosa

Oats Dosai ~ Atta rava oat dosa

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Instant Multigrain dosai (Savory Indian crepes)

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Pearl Millet which is known as bajra/ kambu in Hindi/ Tamil has numerous health benefits. Pearl Millet is a good source of protein, fiber and has many essential minerals like magnesium, phosphorous and zinc.   Studies show that magnesium is not only important for good heart health but has also proven beneficial in reducing the severity of asthma attacks, reducing blood pressure and in reducing frequency of migraine attacks.

Pearl millet is also recommended for stomach ulcer as it has alkaline properties and ulcers are often caused by excess acidity. So consuming pearl millet is supposed to help in reducing the effect of ulcers and in preventing the formation of ulcers. All kinds of  millets including pearl millet are said to help in reducing the risk of cancer. Amazing isn't it that this grain has such amazing benefits. For a while now I have been wanting to include some form of pearl millet into our regular diet.



I decided to start with pearl millet flour with the intention of trying it out in something like thalipeeth (a flat bread from Maharashtra, a region in western India)  But before I got around to doing that I decided to use it in dosai. Dosai (Savory Indian crepe), as regular readers of this space might have already guessed is my favorite kind of food :) And I never seem to get tired of trying out different kinds of dosai, especially the instant kind that comes in so handy for weekend morning breakfasts :) This one has all the goodness of oats, finger millet (nachni/ ragi) , buckwheat and pearl millet (bajra) and the best part, you can never tell from the taste that everything in it is so super healthy. It turns out thin and with crisp edges and softness in the center. Just perfect :) Pair it with your favorite chutney/ sambar or potato masala curry and enjoy :)

 

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Ingredients and Method to make Instant multigrain dosai
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta)
1/2 cup oat flour (see notes)
1/4 cup rice flour (chawal ka atta/ arisi maavu)
1/4 cup millet flour (bajra/ kambu )
1/4 cup finger millet flour (nachni/ ragi)

salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne powder)
pinch of asafoetida (hing/ perungayam) (optional)
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/ kothamalli) (optional but recommended)
a little sesame oil to shallow fry the dosai/ crepes

In a large bowl add all the flours and mix well. Add all the spices except cilantro and mix well again.

Add water to make a batter of pouring consistency. When adding water, add a little at a time and err on the side of a thicker batter, if needed water can be added later to adjust consistency. Finally add cilantro and mix well.
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Allow this batter to "rest" for an hour or two.  This step is important because as soon as the batter is ready if you try to make dosai with it, it tends to roll a little and comes out thicker and chewier, but after an hour or two, the dosai comes out thin and crispy.

Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium to medium high heat. Mix batter thoroughly again, as some settling can occur for this batter. When hot,  pour a ladle of batter in the center and quickly spread into a circle. Spread very thin for a crispier dosai and a little thicker if you want a soft dosai. Add a few drops of oil around the circumference of the dosai.  When the lower side is golden brown,  flip over and cook the other side until it has small brown spots.

Remove from  heat and serve hot with chutney of choice/ sambar of choice or this potato masala curry

The balance of the batter can be stored in the refrigerator and used up in two to three days. If you plan to make this for breakfast and do not want to wait for the batter to "rest" in the morning, you can make the batter  a day ahead and stick it in the refrigerator too :)

Notes:
If you do not have oat flour, you can just powder quick cooking oats/ 1 min oats in the spice grinder/ mixer/ blender until you have fine powder and use it in this recipe

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Instant Buckwheat Dosai ~ Savory Indian crepes ~ Kuttu atta dosa

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Ever since I tried this buckwheat upma ,  I have been devising ways to use buckwheat in traditional cooking in my mind. Buckwheat is so healthy that I have been wanting to include it more often in our diet. To learn more about the health benefits of buckwheat, check out this post. Initially I thought I would try to powder buckwheat and see how it works out in dosais. Conveniently before I made the effort, I came across some buckwheat flour in my local grocery and happily purchased it.

The very next day after I purchased the flour, I tried an instant dosai with it and I have to admit I was blown away at how awesome it turned out. The dosai was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way I love it :)  It was obviously quick, cannot get quicker than instant in dosais, and between the buckwheat and the flax it packed in a good bit of nutrition too :)  I've made this a few times since the first time I tried it and have enjoyed it every single time. This last time I made it with some of this potato curry (potato masala curry) and loved the combination. So far buckwheat has been a huge winner in our home, cannot wait to try it in some more traditional Indian recipes :)




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Ingredients and Method to make Buckwheat dosai (savory crepes)

1 cup buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta)
1/2 cup rice flour (chawal ka atta/ arisi maavu)
1/4 cup flax seed meal (optional, see notes) (powdered alsi/ ali virai)
salt to taste

Seasoning
1 to 2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Thai or Indian variety green chili cut fine (or to taste)

a little sesame oil to shallow fry the dosai

In a large bowl mix together buckwheat flour and rice flour well.  Add flax seed meal if using and mix well. Add water a little at a time to make a thick batter of pouring consistency. Buckwheat flour seems to get a slightly gelatinous quality when water is added to it, not too much just a tad bit, but this quality makes it easy when making the dosai / crepe. When in doubt err on the side of a thicker batter, you can always add a little more water later to achieve desired consistency.

Add salt to taste to the batter and mix well. In a small pan, heat oil add cumin seeds, when the seeds sizzle add green chilies. When the green chilies splutter a little pour the entire seasoning on the batter and mix well.

This batter can be used immediately or can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
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To make the dosai / crepes
Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium heat. When hot pour a ladle of batter in the center and quickly spread into a circle. Spread very thin for a crispier dosai and a little thicker if you want a soft dosai. Add a few drops of oil around the circumference of the dosai.  When the lower side is golden brown flip over and cook the other side until it has small brown spots.

Remove and serve with chutney of choice or with this potato curry for a little more filling meal or with this spice powder or this sambar or any combination of the above four choices :)

Notes:

The flax seed meal is completely optional, I have made this dosai both with and without the flax seed and it does not impact taste substantially and it is not added for binding in this crepe as well, just for added nutrition. So you can leave it out completely if you wish.  Additionally for this quantity of buckwheat flour you can add anywhere from 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup of flax meal as per choice. 

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Buckwheat Upma

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Buckwheat, despite its name is not related to wheat in any way. It is actually a grain like fruit seed, from a plant that is called Fagopyrum esculentum, and is related to plants like sorrel and rhubarb. Buckwheat is known to have some amazing health benefits, it is said to lower the risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Some studies find that the nutrients in buckwheat may contribute to blood sugar control and may be helpful in the management of diabetes. Buckwheat is also a great source of magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, selenium and is also very high in fiber.

 

Recently on a trip to my local health food store I  came across roasted buckwheat and decided to give it  a try. As with some other grains I have tried in the past, in this instance too I had no clue what I would use it in, or how it tastes. I just knew that it was very healthy and that I wanted to try something with it. After discarding many ideas I finally decided on trying a simple upma with it. Upma is a savory Indian snack, traditionally served as a light dinner or at breakfast usually made with many different ingredients, the most popular version made with semolina.

I didn't really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised that the upma turned out so well. Buckwheat has a slightly nutty and chewy taste when cooked and the flavors of this upma worked very well with the nutty taste of buckwheat. The upma had an almost pilaf like feel to it and this was a very filling and satisfying dish. I can't wait to try buckwheat in a host of other dishes, I definitely plan to use a lot more of it in my kitchen :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Buckwheat upma
1 and 1/2 cups roasted buckwheat (kasha/kuttu) (can be substituted with raw buckwheat )(see notes)
1 red onion cut fine
2 medium tomatoes cut fine
1/4 head of cauliflower broken into florets
1 large red bell pepper deseeded and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (can be substituted with green bell pepper/capsicum/koda molagai)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (if frozen thaw to room temperature)

2 tsp oil + 1 tbsp oil
4 Thai or Indian variety of green chilies cut fine (or to taste)
7 to 8 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp split chick pea lentil (chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)

Salt to taste
4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves for garnish
1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice for garnish (or to taste)

Roast the buckwheat in 2 tsp oil on low to medium low heat in a heavy bottomed pan. This just took a couple of mins (if you have raw buckwheat, see notes) Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan heat the rest of oil on medium heat, add mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to splutter, add chick pea lentil and stir until it turns reddish. Then add green chilies and curry leaves (keep a lid handy as sometimes, curry leaves splutter a little and cause oil to splatter slightly. Stir a couple of times, then add onions and saute until it turns translucent. Add tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Add all the vegetables, salt to taste and about 1 cup of water and allow the vegetables to cook until soft, yet not mushy.
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When all the vegetables are cooked, add water as required (see notes for quantity of water) , salt to taste and bring to a boil. When water is boiling,. lower heat and add buckwheat and allow it to cook until soft, stirring in between to ensure even cooking.

Finally garnish with cilantro and lemon juice to taste and serve hot with chutney or pickle or even on it's own.

Notes:

I purchased roasted buckwheat, so the roasting I did just before making upma was just to enhance flavor. If you get raw buckwheat, you may need to roast over low heat for a few minutes more, until it achieves a  golden brown color and is evenly roasted.

To cook buckwheat, water is added at twice the ratio of buckwheat. That is, one cup of buckwheat requires 2 cups of water to cook it.  After the vegetables are cooked, if there is plenty of water left in the pan, adjust the water you add, bring to boil, then add buckwheat. I had approx 1/4 cup of water left in the pan, so I added 2 and 3/4 cups of water, brought it to a boil and added buckwheat to it.

This Buckwheat Upma is off to the Healthy Me & Healthy Us event being hosted by my friend Priya
and to the HITS – Diabetic friendly and HITS page"

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