Brown Rice Dosa

Ingredients

• ½ cup skinned urad dal (split or whole skinned black lentils)
• ¼ cup chana dal (bengal gram)
• 2 cups raw short/thin brown rice (not parboiled or boiled rice)
• ¼ cup poha (red or white)
• ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 3 tablespoons oil or ghee
• ¾ to 1 cup water to blend dal + more to soak poha
• ½ cup water to blend rice

Steps

Prepare the Batter

1. Put the rice in a bowl, rinse it thoroughly at least three times, then soak it in fresh water for no more than 6 hours.
2. Put the chana dal and urad dal in a separate bowl. Rinse them well at least three times and soak for no more than 6 hours. Before grinding, rinse the poha and soak it in enough water to cover it for no more than 30 mins.
3. Just before grinding the batter, drain the rice and dal and give both another thorough rinse.
4. Put the chana dal, urad dal and poha in a grinder, including the water used to soak the poha. Pour in water and grind until the batter is smooth and bubbly. Tip it into a large mixing bowl.
5. Grind the brown rice with water until the batter is smooth or slightly coarse, then add it to the mixing bowl.
6. Combine the two batters thoroughly and put on a lid. Let the batter ferment overnight or for as long as it needs to rise and become slightly bubbly. Stop short of overfermenting it to the point where it becomes sour and rises a lot.

How to Make Brown Rice Dosa

1. Transfer the amount of batter you need into a bowl. If saving the rest, stir it with a ladle and refrigerate it for up to a week.
2. Add salt as needed and mix thoroughly. Add water if necessary to adjust the consistency. The batter should remain thick while still being easy to pour and spread.
3. Heat a cast iron tawa, add a few tablespoons of oil and spread it carefully with kitchen tissue or a cut onion. A nonstick pan needs no greasing.
4. Once the pan is hot, adjust the flame to medium. Pour a ladleful of batter into the center of the tawa.
5. Starting at the center, quickly spread the batter evenly in circles, working in one direction, either clockwise or anticlockwise, to form a thin dosa or crepe.
6. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over the whole dosa. Cook it over medium heat until lightly browned and crisp.
7. Flip the dosa and cook it for just a minute. Flip it once more and cook for 30 to 40 seconds for extra crispness, then move it to a serving plate.
8. Before making another dosa, check that the tawa is hot enough without smoking. If the tawa is smoking hot, the dosas will brown heavily and cook poorly.
9. Serve the brown rice dosas with your choice of peanut, coconut, carrot or beetroot chutney.