Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Khara Avalakki Dosa - Vegan MoFo Post 16


Due to a family emergency (all good now, thankfully) I skipped doing a MoFo post yesterday. But today I'm back in action with a yummy recipe for you. :)

Dosas are a South India staple dish. Dosa batter is made of lentils or grains (most commonly rice) or a combination of both. There are innumerable varieties of traditional dosas which range from crispy thin crèpes to soft and fluffy pancakes. Avalakki dosa belongs to the latter category.

This batter can be used plain or turned into Khara Avalakki Dosa by adding chopped and grated veggies, green chillies, herbs etc... It can also be poured into Paddu/Paniyaram moulds and turned into a different dish altogether.

Khara Avalakki Dosa

For the plain Avalakki Dosa:

1 C Uncooked Rice
1 C Thick Beaten Rice Flakes (Avalakki/Poha)
1 T Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
Salt (Rock or Sea)
Thick Peanut or Soy Yogurt (optional)

Soak the rice, beaten rice and fenugreek seeds overnight in water or vegan yogurt or a combination of both in a wide vessel. There should be enough liquid to cover everything.

In the morning, grind them well into a smooth, thick batter gradually adding all of the soaking liquid plus more water if required.

Transfer to a large, airtight container (the batter should fill it only halfway through to give it space to expand), add salt and mix well with your hand.

Cover and let it sit in a warm place for 8-16 hours.

The batter will ferment and grow.

Heat a Dosa pan (Tava) or a flat frying pan.

Pour a ladleful of Avalakki Dosa batter onto the centre of the pan and drizzle with oil.

Cover and cook for about half a minute on a medium-high flame.

When uncovered, there should be bubbles and holes in the Dosa and the top should be cooked well.

You can optionally flip the Dosa over and cook on the other side too for a few seconds.

Remove the Dosa with a metal spatula and serve hot with chutney or pickle or curry.


For Khara Avalakki Dosa, stir in the following into the batter and proceed to cook on the same way as above:

Chopped Onions
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Grated Carrots and/or Beets
Crushed Green Chillies
Asafoetida Powder (a pinch)
Soaked Channa Dal
Chopped Curry Leaves
Finely Chopped Coconut Pieces

You can also optionally top the batter with sliced tomatoes and then cook it.

All the above ingredients make for a delicious Khara Avalakki Dosa but you can choose to eliminate some of them or add your own stuff. Get creative. :) This is a very versatile batter.

What do you think you'd add to the batter?

8 comments:

  1. Oh I LOVE dosas, these look AMAZING! I think I'd add some fried garlic for sure.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum! I need to give these a try -- and glad that everything is okay with your family. Scary!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, those look too good... I love the tomato slice in the middle.

    A friend of mine will mix any leftover cooked vegetables she has (seasoned with whatever) into dosa batter, and I've always loved that. Resourceful and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i need to make some dosas soon!:) i love adding stuff to them, makes for an easier meal than making all the sides for the regular ones!

    Richa @ Hobby And More Food Blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have made me such a fan of your blog! I want to make some raviolis with creamy pesto sauce!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. These look awesome! I love fermented foods! They feel like science experiments.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jeni, I'll try the fried garlic next time. :)

    Helen, yeah, everything's good. :)

    Coldandsleepy, I just love the pan roasted tomato taste! *slurp*

    Richa, yeah. That's why I love these khara dosas. It can be easily eaten with a yumm pickle or thokku on the side.

    Hope, thanks so much. It heartens me to hear that. :)

    Sarah, lol yeah totally!! I love making the nut cheeses too for this reason.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never had dosas but they look delicious. I'd love to add shallots to some.

    ReplyDelete