Thursday, October 16, 2014

Quinoa Masala Dosa ( Paper thin crispy crepe made with rice-lentil-quinoa batter and stuffed with spicy onion- potato stuffing)


Masala dosa is one of the favorite breakfast items for my husband. My kids and I love dosas( crepes). Since I do not eat potatoes any more I stay away from the stuffing. I eat my paper thin crisp dosas with chutney.
Being that everyone likes dosas, I try to make it as healthy an wholesome as possible. I use 4 different kinds of lentil for my paper masala dosa. The quinoa masala dosa was quite accidental actually. One day, when I was soaking the lentils and rice for masala dosa, I realized that I didn't have any tur dal in my pantry. I believe in making use of what is available. I had about 1/2 cup of quinoa left. I decided to use it in this. I reduced the amount of rice used. Quinoa as you all aware is a superfood with immense health benefits. My little ones do not eat quinoa salad or pulao or cooked quinoa. This was a great way to sneak in the healthy grain into their bodies! The end result was that the masala dosa was delicious and the kids didn't know the difference! They chomped away!



Servings: 6


Ingredients:


For the Dosa batter:

Rice: 1 1/2 cups
Urad dal: 1/4 cup
Chana dal: 1/4 cup
Moong dal: 1/4 cup
Massoor dal: 1/4 cup
Quinoa: 1/2 cup
Methi ( fenugreek) seeds: 1 tsp
Water: to grind the batter.
Salt: to taste

For  the Bhaji ( stuffing):

Potatoes : 3 medium
Onion: 1 big, chopped small.
Green chillies: 2 slit lengthwise
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
Chana dal: 1/2 tsp
Jeera(cumin): 1/4 tsp
Haldi( turmeric powder):1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cilantro ( coriander leaves) 5-6 sprigs
Salt to taste

For the Chutney:


Grated fresh coconut: 1 cup
Green chilli: 1
Red chilli ( dry): 2
Ginger: 1/4 inch
Tamarind: marble sized
Chana dal: 1 tsp
Oil: 2 drops for sautéing
Salt to taste


Method:


The dosa batter:

Soak the lentils, rice, quinoa and methi seeds together in water for 4-5 hours or overnight.



Grind all the ingredients  that were soaked to a batter with fine consistency using water as needed.The batter should not be runny. 


Let it ferment for atleast 8 hours or overnight.

Next morning just before making the dosa, add salt to taste. Mix well.

The stuffing ( baji):

Boil potatoes till tender. When cooled, peel and dice it into 1cm cubes and keep aside.

Heat a kadai/ sauté pan on medium heat. Add oil,temper mustard seeds.

Then add curry leaves, jeera,chana dal, urad dal one after the other and sauté till urad dal turns a little golden brown. 

Now add the slit green chillies and the chopped onions. Sauté until onions turn transparent. 

Now add haldi and sauté for 1 more min. 

Add the diced potatoes and sauté for 2-3 mins. 

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves.

The chutney:

Sauté  chana dal in one drop of oil until golden brown. 

When cooled, grind it together with grated coconut, green chilli, red chili, ginger,tamarind, salt and water into a thick paste.


Putting it together:

Heat a tawa/griddle on medium-high flame. When the skillet is hot, sprinkle cold water. Take a ladle of dosa batter and go in concentric circles from the center to the periphery of the skillet. 

When the dosa is slightly done lightly smear oil along the edges and the center of the dosa.

Once it turns golden brown and crispy, smear the chutney at the center of the dosa and place a tablespoon of the potato baji. Now fold the dosa into a roll as shown in the picture.

Serve hot with chutney and/or sambar. 




Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:


I have substituted quinoa for 1/4th of the rice used. You could use greater proportion of quinoa.

Any kind of stuffing an chutney can be used depending on individual preferences and taste. The one that I shared is the one that is traditionally used.

For a nice crispy dosa, it is essential that the griddle is hot, the temperature should be maintained evenly at medium high.

Wait for the dosa to be crisp before adding the chutney and the stuffing. This dosa is to be cooked only from one side.

Tip for healthy living:


Adults need at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep to energize the body. Children need more. The time that we sleep is used by the body to repair, recover and re-energize itself. Inadequate sleep leads to fatigue and listlessness. There is nothing called "catching up with my sleep". The body does not work like that!
References:

Food for thought:


Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones. Theodore Roosevelt

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