The gluten free dosa is a great bread substitute. Vegan, lectin free and easy to make. It ticks every box.
The Dosa is a flat bread / crepe / wrap made with fermented rice and lentils. The traditional recipe uses round white rice and white lentils, and feeds millions of people in South India.
You can also make it with chickpeas (garbanzos that can be found in any supermarket) or you can do a mix of lentils and chickpeas. The result of the chickpea version is more like a pancake or crepe… or even a gluten free chapati!
Many thanks to Nitu Chugani‘s cooking classes for introducing me to the Indian dosa, which is more thin and swirly than mine . see www.nitudidi.com for authentic indian recipes and more.
My Valencian Dosa
INGREDIENTS
The proportions are 3 rice to 1 white lentils and 1 chickpeas /garbanzos.
3 cups round bomba rice
1 cup urid dall (white lentils)
1 cup garbanzos (chickpeas)
a big pinch of fenugreek leaves or cumin or coriander OR
Western Herbs to taste : mixed herbs or rosemary &/or thyme
3 teaspoons salt
4 cups of water
This makes enough for a few days. It will keep well in the fridge or freezer. if you want to make a smaller quantity, use 1/2 cups instead of 1 cup in the measurements above.
HOW TO DO IT
Overall it takes 40 minutes to prepare, then as long as it takes to cook a pancake. But the process spans 24+ hours.
STEP 1
Put the rice, lentils and chickpeas together into a large pan with lots of water to soak for 6 to 8 hours
STEP 2
Wash the ingredients two or three times till the water is less cloudy.
Drain them , add 4 cups water
add the fenugreek leaves / spices
Grind / liquidise the mix until it is smooth
Put in a large container and leave for 12-24 hours in a warm place to ferment. the misture expands by 20%+ during fermentation.
Do NOT add the salt till after fermentation
STEP 3
Add salt to the mixture, and it is ready for cooking
Put a non stick pan, without oil, on a low flame
Spread a large spoon of the mixture on the pan
cook for 4 minutes,
drizzle a drop of oil on the top side of dosa.
turn the dosa when it detaches from the pan. The first always takes a while
The cooked dosas can be kept in fridge or frozen. 15-30 seconds in the microwave will bring a dosa back to life. But best eaten straight from the pan, when they are crispy
THE EATING
My favorites are
Egg on dosa
Dosa wrap with half an avocadoe or asparagus
Cheese on dosa (30 seconds in the microwave to melt the cheese)
Dosa wrap with sliced tomatoe
Dosa with pickle/ curry paste
Dosa wrap with a sweet potatoe chana (mild curry)
Dosa by itself as a biscuit/bread substitute
Dosa with bean paté
The dosa is vegan and gluten free. The process of fermentation eliminates the lectins in the rice and lentils and makes them even better for you. If in a hurry, the dosa can be cooked before fermentation, but it would not be so good for you.