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!