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Recipes

The Dosa – vegan & gluten free

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.

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.

the dosa
My Valencian Dosa
INGREDIENTS

The proportions are 3 rice to 1 lentils.

  • 3 cups round bomba rice
  • 1 cup urid dall (white lentils)
  • Indian Spices to taste: fenugreek leaves or cumin or coriander OR
  • Western Herbs to taste : mixed herbs or rosemary &/or thyme
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups of water

makes enough for a few days.  It will keep well in the fridge or freezer.

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 30 hours!

STEP 1

Put the rice and lentils to soak separately over night

STEP 2

  • Wash the rice thoroughly, wash the lentil
  • Drain them , add some water, bottled preferably
  • Grind / liquidise the rice separately with a blender and then repeat with the lentils
  • Blend them together with the chosen spices / herbs and some more water
  • Put in a large container and leave for 24 hours in a warm place to ferment.  teh 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,
  • Brush oil with pastry brush on top side of dosa, with pastry brush
  • After a few minutes the dosa will lift, then turn it over

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

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.  You could cook with the mix and skip fermentation, but it would not be so good .