Oh, dosa. You are so delightful. You are literally the most mouth-watering breakfast a vegan could ever ask for. What's that? You didn't know you were vegan? Well, you are. So thank you.
Pancakes? Who needs that kind of sugar...
Waffles? Naaah... not in the morning.
Dosa, you deserve a trophy for being so deliciously savory and for containing some protein! Not to mention... you are actually gluten-free! Winning!
So now that my love letter to dosa is complete, here is my way to make the perfect dosa without even having to ferment it for half a day!
DOSA
Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup urad flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Eno (or baking soda)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground methi (ground in a mortar & pestle)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (for spreading)
Directions:
1. To make the batter: in a mixing bowl, add in the rice flour, urad flour, salt, and methi. Whisk to combine and then slowly pour in around 2 cups of water to start off. Whisk really well, until everything is combined and there are no lumps. Now, add in the Eno (or baking soda) and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. It should bubble up. The batter should resemble a crepe batter (very thin pancake batter).
2. To make the dosas: heat up a griddle on medium flame.
3. Bring it down to low once you are ready to spread the dosa. Don't spread it while the griddle is super hot or it will clump up the batter. Use a brush to spread some olive oil onto the griddle in a circular motion starting from the center.
4. Pour one ladle (around 1/2 a cup of the batter) onto the pan and, in the same circular motion, spiraling outward from the center, spread the batter evenly until it resembles a crepe. Once you are happy with the shape, turn the heat to high.
5. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side until the dosa starts lifting up around the edges. Use a spatula to scrape the edges first, all around. If it doesn't lift off easily, use the brush to dot the hard-to-lift spots with oil. Be patient. It's important to let it cook thoroughly before lifting it.
6. Flip and let it cook for around 1 minute, and then plate it up with some sambar and chutney.
SAMBAR
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked toor dal
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons sambar powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon hing
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
1 large carrot, chopped
1 cucumber/zucchini OR 1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup radishes, cut into quarters
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Directions:
1. In a large pot on medium heat, add in the olive oil. Once it's hot, pour in the black mustard seeds. After they start to splutter, add in the curry leaves, onions, sambar powder, chili powder, turmeric, hing, and tamarind pulp. Stir to combine until the onions become translucent.
2. Add in the carrot, cucumber, radishes, agave nectar, and salt.
3. Pour in the cooked toor dal and around 2 cups of water. Stir to combine and cover with lid.
4. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low. Add in the coconut and stir. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes, or until the radishes are tender.
5. Turn off the heat and add in the cilantro. Serve hot.
PEANUT CHUTNEY
Ingredients:
Chutney:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts
3 dry red chilis
1/2 cup cilantro
5-6 curry leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
Tadka:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
6-8 curry leaves
2 teaspoons chana dal
2 teaspoons urad dal
1/8 teaspoon hing (asafetida)
Directions:
1. Chutney: Blend everything until smooth. Serve with tadka on top.
2. Tadka: in a small pot on medium-low, pour in olive oil and black mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add in curry leaves, chana dal, urad dal, and hing. Let it fry until the dals are golden brown and remove from heat.
To make the Sambar & Chutney gluten-free, simply do not add the hing.
Ideally, you should make the sambhar and chutney first. That way, you can eat the dosa while it's still hot. It should be made just before serving.
You can eat it with your hands and dip into the sambar and chutney. That's the traditional way to eat it. However, you can definitely use a spoon for the sambar if you'd like.
Store the batter, chutney, and sambar for up to 1 week in the frige.
Enjoy!