"Soft-n-Fluffy Crisp Fried- Varai- Moong Dal Dosa (Indian Barnyard Millet- Green Gram Dal)” a delicious dosa served with Tomato Kurma and Kadak Adraki Chai (Strong Ginger Tea)" ... tried my own mix and match for this dosa and surprisingly it turned out simply awesome ... relished it dunked in tomato kurma (I had kept aside some yesterday) ... A tasty~ delicious combo of dishes for a tummy full breakfast …. Yummilicious ......
** Dosa's are a delight to relish and it has been quite some time since I prepared some new combination of my own. Every South Indian especially Konkani Sarawat’s love to start their day with either dosa, idly or other breakfast dishes from Konkani Saraswat Cuisine as we are very particular and fond of good homemade food. I love trying my own combination of mix and match ingredients at times while preparing dosa, some of which turn good while some are flops at times. However, that does not put me down and until I perfect the measurements, I keep trying it out. This particular dosa came out excellent in the first go itself and I just could not satisfy my taste buds enough as I had prepared less batter for experimenting. Well, not to worry I will be preparing it often now, so not an issue.
** Varai ie Indian Barnyard Millet also known as Oodalu, Shyama, Sanwa in other Indian Language is a millet used by Konkani Saraswats majorly during fasting/upwas. Millets are supposed to be good for health and there are many of them that are almost difficult to get in metropolitan cities. With the growing up of Malls/Super market system, these have now become accessible and I have been trying quite a few of them recently and have also posted a few dishes prepared in blog before. Varai is a millet that was always available like nachani, jowar, bajra and is common in Mumbai. I tried my own mix and match of varai with moong dal, chiroti rava and a little bit of poha. The outcome was a very crisp exterior and soft and fluffy within dosa that was simply awesome.
** I served the dosa with Tomato Kurma which I had prepared the previous day and served it with the same for bf. and it was definitely a delicious combo. In my home, we loved this dosa very much, do try it out and enjoy with your family and friends. Serve it hot with any chutney of your choice and I am sure it will taste fantastic. I am going to prepare it the next week and serve with simple coconut-ginger chutney which is the best of all chutney for dosas. I have also used chiroti rava here and I advise you to use the same as normal Mumbai rava will not give fluffiness to the dosa but will turn slightly stiffer. I have included spices like ginger and green chillies while grinding and again to try it out with addition of the same unless you do not want to use them for any other particular reason.
** Here is my simple recipe "Soft-n-Fluffy Crisp Fried- Varai- Moong Dal Dosa (Indian Barnyard Millet- Green Gram Dal)” …… My Style ……..
** Ingredients :
Varai/Indian Barnyard Millet : 1 cup
Moong Dal/Green Gram Dal : 1 cup
Chiroti Rava : ¼ cup
Poha/Pova/Beaten Rice : ¼ cup
Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp
Ginger/Alle’/Adrak : 2 inch piece
Green Chillies/Tarni Mirsanga/Hirvi Mirchi : 6-7 (less spicy ones)
Salt to taste.
** Oil + Ghee for frying of dosa.
** Soaking of Methi : Soak methi seeds in ¼ cup of water in a small cup for an hour or so, just before you start grinding the batter. This is to be used while grinding the dosa batter. I do not add the methi along with the dal’s coz. When we drain off the water, the health and medicinal properties of methi seeds are also lost through it. You can use lukewarm water if you have only 10-15 mins time at hand only. It will give similar result.
** Note : Almost everybody I know, even my Mom soaks the methi seeds along with the urad dal while soaking the same. So it is not necessary to follow my method of soaking separately. You may do so along with other ingredients too.
** For the Dosa Batter Preparation : Wash and soak varai and moong dal together in plenty of water for 5-6 hours. Soak the methi seeds in half a cup of water separately. Drain off water from the dal+rice, wash well with water, drain off the water and mix in the poha and keep it aside for 10 minutes, the poha will get mushy and softened in the given time.
** Now put it all in grinder along with soaked methi seeds and the water in which it is soaked + about half to one cup of water and grind to a very smooth batter. Once the batter is ground smooth add in finely chopped ginger and green chillies and continue to further grind till well done. Remove into a stainless steel vessel, add salt to taste, cover with a tight lid and leave overnight or for 8-10 hours for fermentation.
** Next morning or after 8-10 when the batter has fermented well, add in the chiroti rava to the fermented dosa bater and mix it well. Leave it aside covered for 15-20 minutes for the rava to be softened. Once again mix/beat the batter well in circular motion and check the consistency, if too thin add in just a little bit of water. Do not add too much water and make the batter thin, the consistency should be thicker like that of masala dosa batter etc.
** To Prepare Dosa : Heat an Iron Dosa pan to smoking point, lower the heat to minimum, add a teaspoon of oil+ghee and spread well with the help of a tissue paper. Do not press too hard, as the tava is hot, your hands may get burnt, and you may remove all the applied oil in the pan. I use this method of spreading with tissue to ensure there is no excess oil, as well as there is a thin layer / film of oil on the Tava by which you get a crisp bottomed dosa.
** Now, add in about a cupful (approx) of batter with a rounded spatula in the center of the tava and spread evenly into a round circle of about 10-12 inch diameter, just like how you prepare any dosa. Use light motion, do not press the spatula too much lest the dosa will tear. Sprinkle some ghee+oil on sides and top of the dosa. Let the dosa cook on medium heat until the bottom side of the dosa turns crispy and evenly browned.
** This dosa is cooked on both the sides, so when the bottom side is cooked gently loosen the dosa with the help of a flat dosa spatula from all round the rim of the dosa and then gently lift it with the spatula in one go and flip it over and let cook on top side too on medium heat for about 2 minutes and it is done. Remove the dosa from tava and place it on a serving plate and serve it hot immediately. Repeat the process and remove the required amount of dosa's.
** "Soft-n-Fluffy Crisp Fried- Varai- Moong Dal Dosa (Indian Barnyard Millet- Green Gram Dal)” is done and ready to be served. Always serve dosa’s hot from tava, as they taste best when served crisp and hot directly from tava. Serve the dosa with any chutney of your choice and enjoy with your family and friends. Children love to eat crisp dosa and this is sure to be a hit with them.
** I served the dosa for bf with tomato kurma which I had prepared the previous day along with ginger tea and it was simply fantastic tummy filling bf. Which was loved by all in my home. I am sharing the tomato kurma recipe link below, do check it out and also try it out. This is a kurma/a delicious curry prepared using only tomatoes that tastes great with dosas, Idly or roti. I am sure it will be loved by all in your home.
** Note : You can remove the dosa with either just oil or ghee as per your desire or as you always do in your home. My Mother used to always prepare and keep ghee+oil in the ratio of 1:1 in a bowl for exclusive use of dosa only. I have no idea why she did it, but the dosa does turn out good and tasty and I have simply followed that method. You may choose any method you like.
** Note : It is wise and good idea to invest in a thick Iron Dosa Pan which is freely available in southern stores or you can even get them online. Iron tava is always better compared to other makes of tava and gives good result for dosas. The dosa prepared in Iron tava always differs in tastes compared to non stick pans. But finally, it is your choice, many people prefer non stick pans as they are easier to handle and require less oil.
** For the recipe of “Tomato Kurma”, Please follow the link given below ….
** I am sure all of you know how to prepare a good “Strong Ginger Tea/Kadak Adraki Chai”, But if not, you can always go through th link given below …
** There are many varieties of “Dosa” posted in my Blog and I am sharing a common link for the same below, you can browse through and try out that which appeals to you and serve with any chutney or sambar of your etc.
** There are many varieties of “Chutney” posted in my Blog and I am sharing a common link for the same below, you can browse through and try out that which appeals to you and serve with dosa, idly etc.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.
** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 23 K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" Thank You.
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