Pesarattu Dosas
My dear friend, Janardhan, told me about this wonderful recipe made with green mung beans and rice. It’s a popular breakfast treat in South India. Unlike some dosas, there is no fermentation required, just an overnight soak. These dosas are soft and flavorful and you can modify the heat with the amount of green chillis you add. These beauties are now on my regular breakfast rotation menu… delicious and super nutritious!
You will need a crepe pan for this one, also called a dosa griddle or “tawa” in the traditional Indian kitchen. I found a great one on Amazon.
Ingredients
1 cup whole or split green mung beans
1/4 cup white basmati rice
1 TBS urad dal (optional but creates a bit more of a crispy edge to the dosas)
1 cup water
2 green chillies (use less or more depending on the heat you prefer)
1” knob of grated ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup fresh or frozen methi leaves (optional but if you can find them, they add another subtle flavor note plus a lovely green color—I find them in the frozen section of my local Asian market)
pinch of salt or to taste
Method
Soak the beans, rice and urad together, overnight.
Rinse and drain in the morning and add this and all other ingredients except the water into a blender. I recommend Vitamix as they are simply the best!
Add about 1/2 cup of water to start. You will need to add it a little at a time. It might be less or more depending on the beans and how dry they were. The batter should be pretty thin, like a thin pancake batter. Once you get used to making these, you’ll be able to judge exactly how much water you need.
Add love 💗
Get your pan nice and hot beforehand on a medium setting. I also use a small amount of cooking spray for each dosa.
Using a ladle, pour about 1/2 cup of batter (around one ladle full) into the center of the pan. Use the ladle to GENTLY spread the batter to the edges, using a spiral motion. Don’t worry if you lose the first couple of dosas in the beginning. It’s a real talent that needs a bit of practice! But it’s worth the effort to enjoy these beauties.
Let the batter dry almost completely before flipping. You’ll need to adjust your heat accordingly, as every stove is different.
You can top these with some additional sliced chilli peppers and fried onions and cumin/mustard seeds if you like. They’re also extra yummy with some coconut chutney, for which I will soon post a recipe.
Makes 8 dosas. Enjoy!