Monday, October 26, 2009

Mixed dal dosa/ Adai (Mixed lentils and rice crêpe)

Mixed dal Dosa/ Adai


What does one call a 'dosa' in English-is it a crêpe or a pancake? Oh but wait a minute-'crêpe ' is actually French in origin,so does that make the English translation of the 'dosa' a 'pancake'? Can't I just call it a 'Dosa', or hasn't Indian cuisine (or to be more precise-South Indian cuisine) gained enough popularity for foodies world over to know what a 'dosa' is? Well,as Shakespeare would have put it: "What is in a name, that which we call a 'dosa', by any other name would taste as great" ;-)!!
I was craving for some crispy dosas as I hadn't made them in a long time. But,with the weather no longer conducive for fermenting the batter, I had to think of something which didn't need fermenting. That's when my mom suggested the mixed dal dosa-or "Adai" as it's called in Tamil Nadu. Mom suggested soaking equal quantities of all the dals/split lentils that I had at home along with equal amounts of rice. There are so many different recipes for this mixed dal dosa/ Adai,but here's how I made it(with whatever ingredients were available at home last night):

Ingredients for Mixed Dal Dosa/Adai: (Serves 4)
  • Raw rice: 1/2 cup
  • Channa dal: 1/2 cup
  • Urad dal(split black matpe beans): 1/2 cup
  • Mung dal: 1/2 cup
  • Masoor dal(pink lentil): 1/2 cup
  • Tur dal (split pigeon peas)
  • Cooked rice OR beaten rice(poha): 1/2 cup
  • Ginger: 1" piece
  • Dry red chillies: 4-5 (or to taste)
  • Salt: to taste
  • Water: 1 cup
Method:
  1. Soak all the dals and the raw rice for at least 4-6 hours.
  2. Grind all the ingredients together with a cup of water till you get a fine paste ( pancake batter consistency). If using beaten rice/poha-soak it for 15 minutes before grinding.
  3. Pour a ladle of the batter on a hot 'tawa' or non-stick pan,and spread into a thin dosa.
  4. Cover for a minute,then carefully flip it over to cook the other side.
  5. Serve the mixed dal dosa/ Adai piping hot with chutney and/or sambar.
Mixed Dal Dosa or Adai

Question: What is the difference between a 'pancake' and a '
crêpe ' and what is the more befitting translation for the 'dosa' ?


43 comments:

lk- healthy delicious said...

yum! I love dosas. I think they're closer to crepes than pancakes - i think of pancakes as being thicker and fluffier, whereas crepes and dosas are very thin and delicate.

Sarah Naveen said...

Wow!! yummy crispy dosas!!

Anonymous said...

I knw, wats in a name> as long as something gets into the tummy, I dont care..crisp dosas are the flavour of season now

Fresh Local and Best said...

This is such a healthy recipe with all those grain and legumes.

Unknown said...

Healthy and yummy dosa..

Juliana said...

Oh! Like the way that you describe it...to me looks like crepes, and love the idea of mixing all different kind of grains...yummie!

prasu said...

yummy and healthy dosa dear.........nice click...

Astra Libris said...

I love your Shakespeare dosa quote! :-) I am also in awe of your photo - your dosas are flawless! Truly a work of art!

Jenn said...

Looks more like a crepe a tasty looking one at then. But really they're all the same, right? I feel like making some right now.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow protein packed dosas:)

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

love it... awesome presentation... closer to crepes - I guess....

Christo Gonzales said...

dosa is more like a crepe - pancakes are usually thicker...why call them anything else - I am OK with dosa.

Anonymous said...

Dosas look yummy! I had to settle the question between blini vs crepes at some point. Special occasion russian blini are made with yeast, but our regular ones we used to make just like crepes, maybe a tad bit thicker. Basically, I have been making crepes since I could reach the stove but didn't even know it until much later :)

chow and chatter said...

love the dosa, and impressed you made it well in the cooler weather lol

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Lk,Juliana,Jenn,HCOF-well looks like that settles the debate!
Sarah,Sangeetha,Prasu,Priya-:) munchcrunchandsuch:he,he,very true!!
Fresh Local and Best:a great combo of carb and proteins!
Astra: thanks,I'd never dreamt that someone would call them that!!
Doggybloggy: then dosa it is henceforth!
5 star foodie-now I've definitely learnt something more :)
Reb:I guess they are 'any weather' dosas ;-)

kittymatti said...

hey good one...this is very interesting indeed

chef and her kitchen said...

yummy dosa's dear..
Even its been a long time for me that I had dosa..need to prepare this weekend..

Nithya said...

Wow.. dosa cant look better than this.. Looks so yumm :)

Oraphan said...

That looks and sounds wonderful! I don't know much about dosas but from your photos, I would call them "crepes".

Thank you for stopping by my blog and for the tips about almond milk, I really appreciate it:)

p.s. I LOVE your blog, it's full of helpful tips and inspiration, thank you for sharing!

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi! First time here. The Adai's look perfect.I just love this preaparation.take care.
Do find time to drop by
http://cooking-goodfood.blogspot.com

sangeeta said...

i love these dosas...we call them chillas in north ....i like them more because they are easy to make just grind the mixture n proceed....with any hot chutny it is completely my kinda breakfast...check out my barley dosa....http://healthfooddesivideshi.blogspot.com/2009/10/fibre-rich-barley-dosa.html

Muneeba said...

Your dosas look so professional! And now I'm craving them ... dosas are one of my all-time favorite goodies!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your dosas look perfect. You are inspiring me to try this!

MelindaRD said...

I love Indian food, so I know what a dosa is. I think crepes are supposed to be very thin and pancakes are thicker and fluffier. Same idea though at baseline. And now I am hungry!

Anupama said...

I use urad, channa and toor in adai... have never tried it with the other two dhals, but it is one healthy dish for sure...

theUngourmet said...

I don't know the answer but I do know these look terrific and I would eat a couple with a nice warm bowl of soup today for my lunch. :D

lisaiscooking said...

Your dosas sound delicious! What do you like to serve with them?

Diana H said...

I've never had a dosa, but it's interesting the way you soak and then grind into a paste. A lot more work than pancakes or crepes though, huh? Sounds like a nice treat to try out.

Ambika said...

Hey Sweta, Thank you so much!! I do keep reminding my hubby how lucky he is :)

Gina; The Candid RD said...

haha, I'll stick with Shakespeare's answer for that question! IN other words...I have no idea, what's in a name?? Perhaps they are the same! Probably not though, maybe one has more air and less fat?

Yasmeen said...

How have you been dear?:D
Crepe is more fitting.mine almost never crisp partly cause of poor fermentation,love your mixed lentil version :D

Sophia said...

crepe is more befitting! Because pancake is a risen batter with baking powder and stuff, and usually much thicker, and generally sweet.
I love dosas! I wish I could make it myself.

Sunitha said...

Never knew that I could add just all the lentils and make dosa. This is new information for me. Great looking dosas. Thankyou for sharing!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

I think they are a bit more like crepes. Pancakes are thicker and more fluffy. But dosas have more healthy nutrition than crepes or pancakes, so they win!

Angie's Recipes said...

Well, what's really in a name?? I just know they are good and I love them!

eatingRD said...

I think many cultures/cuisines all have different names for practically the same thing! I've always wanted to try making crepes, I mean dosas :) Looks yummy

Lele said...

Dosa should not need to be translated- I think it's an awesome word! (and an awesome food!)

Erica said...

Wow, how can anyone resist those wonderful crepes!Love the pictures.

phanitha said...

definitely healthy...nice recipe

Simply Life said...

oh this sounds wonderful!

tasteofbeirut said...

Fascinating recipe! Never seen anything remotely like ti. Would love to try it!

Ameena said...

I love dosa more than life itself so I thank you for this great recipe. Now all I need to do is buy all the different types of daal so I can make this. Nothing compares to the Indian dosa but I am giving it a try.

sheila @ Elements said...

They're so beautiful!!! You've inspired me to try them again. The next maybe I'll make them as pretty as yours! :)