Sunday

Barley-Brown Rice Dosa


The inner kannadiga cannot be squelched. I've baked biscotti and stirred stews, tossed salads and dallied with more spices that you could sneeze at, but theres no escaping my dosa craving.

Fluffy, crisp dosas are of course, the result of careful soaking and grinding and what not. Sadly, such organization eludes me this week and I decided to wing it. Stop laughing. I can hear you.

(sigh) Alright, alright, I will confess that I have had more than my usual share of disasters in the recent past. For instance, I have only recently realized that it is best not to tinker with rava idlis. I've tried making them with bulghur. And one time, I even added some barley flour. They were edible but mere shadows of their former, fluffy selves. I vowed (Mahabharat music plays in the background, kitschy special effects), never to tinker with rava idli or any of the "classics". Uddina dosa, Rava dosa, Neer dosa are all off limits.

Thats when I stumbled upon this version of Barley and Brown Rice dosa! A ha! It was a sign from the gods.

Heres what I did:
1. Combined barley and brown rice flour in equal proportions (2/3 cup each). Added 2 tablespoons oat flour.
2. Added a teaspoon of cumin seeds, 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander, a half teaspoon of red chili powder and salt to taste.
3. Added warm water to make a runny batter.
4. Thats pretty much it! I let the batter sit for about half an hour. And then made the dosas on a non-stick skillet.

Served with sorekai bele saaru (bottle gourd / doodhi in toor dal) and sorekai sippe gojju (chutney made with the peel of said sorekai / bottle gourd / doodhi). I know, I know. In for a penny...

All in all, the combination was delightful. The Barley-Brown Rice dosa was super-easy to make. The texture was just right, delicate and lacy. They didn't stay crisp very long but I guess one could tweak the recipe to increase the proportion of rice flour. The sorekai bele saaru and gojju / chutney worked out great (Thanks Asha!) The gojju was simple, reminded me of the gojju that my mother and grand mother make. I put my trust in Asha's recipe and set aside my distrust of tomatoes.I halved the recipe and it was delicious.

The verdict:
Perfect for a Friday evening. Low-maintenance and flavorful.

Get your dosa fix at Srivalli's Dosa Mela! What a wonderful, wondergul idea, Sri! Thank so much Suganya for suggesting this event!

16 comments:

Purnima said...

Wow..this dosa from Manjula is simply good na..now its a weekly addition ever since I read it! My kids too enjoy it a lot! Enjoyed ur write-up! :D

Mamatha said...

No fermenting?? That's my kinda recipe. I just have whole barley and whole brown rice - will try grinding the two and making these.

I've been to your blog many times but I believe this is my first comment. Keep up the good work.

Mamatha

Manasi said...

Oooh! no fermentation! I like it!
Nice write up!!;)

Anonymous said...

Sounds an interesting recipe. Will have to try it.

Suganya said...

You can send this to Srivalli's Dosa mela.

Dhivya said...

wow!lovley dosa:)so creative

Unknown said...

I love this dosa too..First time to ur blog i guess.it is great with a lot of recipes

ServesYouRight said...

Thank you ladies! Lovely to hear from you all!

Smita

Lore said...

Since I'm mad abour savoury crepes (even some vegan ones), the barley-brown rice dosa becomes a must try. Love the photo!

Vani said...

Nutritious dosas there Smitha! I like all the "no-fermentation" types! :)
Got your msg about the raagi rottis. Diagnostics - made me smile :) Mine always turn out crisp on the outside & kinda breakable (v/s tearable). Also, I always use a kadai instead of a tawa. If you would like them softer, my suggestion would be to try using a greased aluminium foil for patting the rottis on and then transferring them to hot tava. Also, I may not have mentioend this in my post - but it is important to cover the tawa/kadai while the rotti is being cooked. Hope this helps!

Tracy said...

Every time I read your blog I'm reminded that I need to know about Indian food. I'm not familiar with dosas but yours look great!

Mallika said...

You are totally my kind of girl. I've been dying to make dosa but the fermenting bit always turns me off. Perhaps this recipe will be my first try...

ServesYouRight said...

Thanks y'all!

Lore - I adored your blog! Will stop by often :-)

Vani - Thanks so much! Will try again - you're a peach!

Tracy - I will be the first to admit that I'm not a traditional "Indian" cook! Go get 'em in Dallas!

Mallika - Absolutely! Can't wait to see your elegant and fun take on dosas!

Bestest,

Smita

Johanna GGG said...

Hi Smita - have just tried my first dosa and am very pleased to see I can make them without spending days of soaking - these look beautiful - I must try more of these dosas!

Deepa Kuber said...

Wow. this somethg new to me.. loved the dosa.. color is too good.

Anonymous said...

Looks Yummy not to mention very non carb laden healthy version of dosa. Where did you buy barley flour and brown rice flour? Thanks! Vidya