Dibba Rotti

Ingredients

Ingredients for dibba rotti

• ½ cup urad dal or skinned black gram or minapa pappu
• 1 cup rice rava (or idli rava) or ¾ cup rice
• ½ tsp Cumin or jeera
• Salt as needed
• 3 to 4 tbsp Oil or as needed

Steps

Preparation for dibba rotti batter

1. Wash urad dal at least thrice, then leave it in enough water to soak for 4 hours.
2. If using rice, rinse well, drain in a colander and let dry completely while the dal soaks; it can also be spread on a cloth. Pulse in a blender to a coarse rice-rava texture. If using idli rava, rinse a few times, drain completely and squeeze excess water between both palms. Set aside until the dal is soaked.
3. Drain urad dal and put in a blender jar with a little water and salt.
4. Grind until thick, smooth and frothy, then transfer to a bowl.
5. Fluff rice rava well, mix into the batter with cumin and keep the batter thick for the right crust.
6. If desired, rest about 15 to 45 minutes; this makes the dibba rotti soft inside.

How to make dibba rotti

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed kadai or cast-iron pan and spread it all over to coat well.
2. Once the oil is hot, pour batter into the centre and level with a ladle to 1½ to 2 inches thick or high. There should be enough oil to spread around when batter is poured into the centre.
3. Cover and cook over medium flame until the batter firms. For an even crust, the flame should reach the batter's edges under the kadai.
4. Uncover and cook until the base is thick, crusty and golden.
5. Flip and cook the other side well until it also has a crusty base.
6. Switch off the flame and leave in the kadai about 5 minutes. Move to a wire rack to retain the crust, then slice.
7. If batter remains, add more oil to the kadai and heat. Once hot, pour in batter and make more dibba rotti by the same method.
8. Serve with any chutney or pickle.