Dosa-Indian rice pancake-recipes-thebrokenoven

Food photography,Spices, Chopped ginger, garlic, chilli, red onions, greens — Spices, ginger, garlic,red onions, greens

Fragrant butternut squash, greens & Indian style dosa pancake

Having been introduced to these tasty wraps a number of years ago I have been making them ever since with various adaptations, but this one is usually my favourite.

Beautifully fragrant from the spices, the curry leaves really make all the difference with their aromatic aroma – hopefully you will be able to source them from your local Asian store. We keep ours in the freezer after they have been washed and dried with some kitchen towel.

Hope you enjoy recreating this popular Indian style pancake recipe.

Spiced Butternut squash for dosa (Fermented rice crepe)

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20mins
Cook Time: 30-35
Difficulty: little more effort
Rating: ★★★★
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One of my favourite street food flavours-Little bit of work involved in getting the batter right, but I think it is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

600g Butternut squash (1 Medium) diced.
50 Texsel green (or you can use spinach)
80g Komatsuna (or alternatively pak-choy)
1 x Medium red onion sliced.
1 x Tsp coriander seeds
1 x Tsp cumin seeds or ground
1 x Tsp mustard seeds
½ Tsp turmeric
2 x Cloves of garlic lightly crushed.
15g Chopped ginger.
1 x Medium chilli, which ever you prefer, I like mild ones for my taste.
Few curry leaves. (5-6)
Fresh coriander, to finish.
Salt & pepper

Directions

Roast squash in 1 x Tbsp rapeseed oil for approx. 15 minutes or until just tender.
Temper the spice seeds in 1 x tbsp of oil which has been pre-heated to medium hot, along with one chilli and the lightly crushed garlic-when the seeds pop, they are ready-be careful they don’t burn, or you will have to start again. Ground in a pestle and mortar. If using ground spices, it only takes a few seconds or if combining both – seeds first, and then ground. This is a great technique for releasing their flavour.
Place a large frying pan onto a medium heat with 1 x tbsp oil, then add in the onion and fry for approx. 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add in the squash, ginger & curry leaves and continue sautéing for a further 5 minutes.
Add in the rest of the spices, a good grind of salt & black pepper and stir through. Add in approx. 200ml water, cover with a lid, and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes until the squash has softened completely.
Lastly, add in the greens, stir through, turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and leave to wilt.

This will be the filling for the dosa batter, although not the traditional potato, butternut squash works well with its vibrant colour and relatively sweet flesh. I served mine with Ruth’s home-made green tomato chutney & natural yogurt riata.

Dosa batter (Fermented rice crepe)

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 24-48hrs
Cook Time: 2-3min
Difficulty: little more effort
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Simple ingredients, but with a little practice, this rice crepe is a great alternative to use with different fillings.

Ingredients

150g rice (I used long grain)
60g urid dall (available from good Asian stores)
60g yellow split peas
2 x Tsp fenugreek
¼ x Tsp salt
¼ x Tsp chilli powder

Directions

Rinse the rice, urid Dall & peas under cold running water, then place in a bowl and completely cover with water. Leave to soak over-night.
Next day, drain the ingredients reserving some of the water. Place in a food blender and puree to a smooth paste, adding in some of the reserved water to make it into a smooth creamy pancake style batter.
Place in a large container and cover, leave overnight to ferment – or it could be just a few hours if you have a warm place to put the batter. It should almost double in volume and be bubbly.
When ready to use, gently stir through the salt & chilli powder, place a large non- stick crepe style pan on medium heat with a little oil – I use spray oil which I find convenient for when only a little oil is required. Take a ladle full of the batter and pour onto the middle of the pan – working quickly, using the bottom of the ladle move in circular motions, working out to the edges – don’t worry if it’s not perfect-with practice you will get better.
Using a spatula loosen around the edges and check underneath if it is turning golden – turn down the heat if it is browning too much.
At this stage you can add in the squash filling into the centre of the crepe, sprinkle over some chopped fresh coriander then fold one side over the filling, continue cooking until they are crispy.
Alternatively, you can turn the crepe over and crisp up the underside, release from the pan and keep warm while you make the rest and serve the filling separately.