Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Instant Oats Dosai ~ Savory Indian crepes made with oats

Dosai (crepe) is an integral part of the diet of most people from South India. Dosai usually means a crepe made out of rice and black gram lentil. The normal procedure to make this is to soak the rice and lentil overnight, then grind the mixture to make the batter which is then left to ferment for about twelve hours and only then is it used to make the crepe.This incredibly delicious dish is very popular and this batter is quite convenient to have at hand for quick lunches and dinners or snacks too.

Of course this is not the only type of dosai made in Indian homes, there are a wide variety of recipes.Some of these recipes call for the use of different types of flours mixed together with water and seasonings for flavor.In the interest of time and convenience I prefer the latter type of dosai when in a hurry.
But none of the traditional recipes of dosai ever use oats in them.A pity that,  because oats is definitely one of my favorite cereal grains. Not only is it chock full of health benefits, but it is also so versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes, both sweet and savory.

I experimented with using oat flour in making this dosai for the first time and just made up this recipe as I went.We loved the taste of this and this recipe has definitely earned its place in my kitchen :-)

 Instant Oats Dosa ~ Savory Indian crepes made with oat and wheat flour

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make Savory Oat Crepe (Oat Dosai)

1 1/2 cup oat flour * (see notes below )
1 cup wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu)
3/4 cup Semolina (rava)
salt to taste (approximately about 2 tsp )
3 cups of water (approximately)

For tempering (optional)
2 tsp oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam)
5 small green chillies cut very fine (or according to taste) (hara mirch/ pachai molagai)

handful of cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/ kothamalli) cut very fine
Few spoons of sesame oil (or any other flavorless oil)  to shallow fry

In a large bowl mix the oat flour,wheat flour, semolina and salt well

Add water a little at a time to the mixed flours and keep mixing as you add water.Make a thick batter of pouring conistency

In a small pan heat the oil, add cumin seeds and when it splutters add green chillies. When the green chillies start turning color,pour the entire oil with the cumin and green chillies into the batter.

Mix well and keep aside for about fifteen minutes.

Heat a tawa/skillet/ griddle on medium high heat.

Pour a ladleful of the batter on the skillet and spread quickly into a thin circle.(for really crisp dosai/crepe make this as thin as possible for softer ones it can be a little thick)

Pour few drops of sesame oil on side facing upwards.

When the lower side is done (it gets a little brown) use a spatula to flip the crepe and let it cook on the other side for a little while.

Flip over to check if done (there will be small pinkish brown spots )

Here is a video clip of the process. It is not of this dosai, but it gives you an idea of how this process is done....


Serve hot with choice of chutney/ sambar/ spice powder/ molaga podi

Yields approximately 15 to 16

Notes :
For oat flour, process/ grind quick cooking oat meal ( I used Quaker 1 minute oat) in a spice grinder/ mixer until powdered fine.

The tempering/ seasoning is optional, I have made this dosa with and without and it tastes good either way. 

If you are looking for instant dosa varieties, here are a few more....
 

Instant Multigrain Dosa ~ Savory multigrain crepes

Instant Ragi Oats Dosai ~ Nachani dosa ~  Savory Finger millet and oats crepe

Instant Buckwheat dosai ~ Kuttu atta dosa ~ Buckwheat flour crepes

44 comments :

Vidhya said...

Dosa looks crispy Usha. Yummy

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

ner tried oats dosa.. have to try your recipe. dosa looks good.

Unknown said...

LOoks yummy Usha.. nice idea.. will try...

Vaishali said...

Nice idea using oat flour. I can imagine it'd turn out quite crispy. Great job, Usha!

raaji said...

I like dosa to be crispy rather than soft.so should try your dosa then....

Suganya said...

Hi.. This sounds to be healthy... Dosa looks so good. YUM!. Will try it for sure....

anudivya said...

I discovered the readymade Oats flour only recently. Have been trying to make bread with it (rolling eyes) and it went flat on me! Why didn't I think of making our own dosais! And those look very good.

Unknown said...

Oats dosa is new to me.I should try making this atleast for its health benefits..

Gita Jaishankar said...

Oats dosa! very creative Usha. The dosa looks crispy and delicious.

Unknown said...

oats dosa is really good..very healthy...
Happy dusshera!!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Pretty much the same way I make it, did post one some time back yours look even lovely.

Cham said...

Happy Dusshera! Oats dosai came out crispy, very healthy indeed

Madhavi said...

Dosa looks crispy and yummm, nice recipe.

Btw something waiting for u in my blog, check it out :)))

http://vegetarianmedley.blogspot.com/2008/10/pav-bhaji-and-award.html

Unknown said...

Oats dosa is really a nice idea. We can add onions to add to the taste.

Indian Khana said...

Happy Dusshera Usha...I was thinking of making oats dosa and eating oats just like that a bit difficult for me ;)...thanks for the recipe..dosa looking gud

Lore said...

Makes me wish I was born in Sounth India, sounds like a crepes fan paradise to me :D
And you made it savoury too!! With every ingredient I read: cumin, chili, cilantro, my taste buds are going crazy, YUM-O!
Thanks for sharing it with the Original Recipes Round-Up. Now I'll just have to find a way to share it with all the others...I'm pretty selfish when it comes to savoury crepes ;)

VG said...

Oat Thosai?....first time I am seeing it and you have done a superb job here Usha. Looks so tempting.

ST said...

Happy Dusshera to You and your family Usha!!!

Oats dosa very creative usha looks superb and delicious..

Shreya said...

hi, dosa looks so crisp. I have never tried oats dosa. Will do so now:-)

Jaishree Iyer said...

Wow! That's cool idea.. Very creative Usha.oats dosa is really good& very healthy..looks yummy...
happy dassera

Laavanya said...

Looks great Usha.. I definitely want to try this.

Sukanya Yogesh said...

You make such healthy and yummy recipes Usha.....kudos to you....

CurryLeaf said...

I love this,I was searching for Oats dosai,Another one I found was in paajaka.Both inspire me to try it out.Very good,nice and healthy dosa.Cheers

Uma said...

yummy dosa! nice combo of oat flour and wheat flour. looks good.

aTxVegn said...

What a fabulous idea! I love oats. I haven't yet made my own dosa, but I'm sure my family would love this recipe.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Sounds lovely and I am going to take a note of your peanut chutney, lovely!

Unknown said...

This sounds great Usha,I love oats and nice way to start your breakfast.Thanks for sharing.

Adlak's tiny world said...

Rcvd yr commnts on my blog thro mail. thanks for visiting. Oat dosa recipe is new and nice idea. Nvr heard abt this anywhere. thanks for sharing.

VG said...

VG here again...pls come over and collect your award from my blog, ya.

Meghana said...

Hi Usha, I tried your instant oats dosas today, and was I impressed!!!! It didn't take me more than 20 minutes to make the batter, and then making the dosas themselves took a few minutes. The texture is definitely different and something my kids have to still get used to, but they are delicious and not to mention, nutritious!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes:)

Meghana said...

Hi Usha, I tried your instant oats dosas today, and was I impressed!!!! It didn't take me more than 20 minutes to make the batter, and then making the dosas themselves took a few minutes. The texture is definitely different and something my kids have to still get used to, but they are delicious and not to mention, nutritious!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes:)

Meghana said...

Hi Usha, I tried your instant oats dosas today, and was I impressed!!!! It didn't take me more than 20 minutes to make the batter, and then making the dosas themselves took a few minutes. The texture is definitely different and something my kids have to still get used to, but they are delicious and not to mention, nutritious!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes:)

Meghana said...

Hi Usha, I tried your instant oats dosas today, and was I impressed!!!! It didn't take me more than 20 minutes to make the batter, and then making the dosas themselves took a few minutes. The texture is definitely different and something my kids have to still get used to, but they are delicious and not to mention, nutritious!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes:)

Meghana

Usha said...

Thanks Vidhya, Mahimaa and Sripriya!!

Usha said...

Thanks Vaishali !

Raaji that's exactly how I like my dosai too !!

Sukanya and Divya, Thanks !!

Usha said...

Divya, Gita and Sowmya, Thanks !!

Usha said...

Ramya and Cham, thanks glad you like it :)

Usha said...

Thanks Madhavi and Ramya !!

Usha said...

Thanks Priti, Lore, VG, Sireesha, Shreya, Jaishree, Laavanya and Sukanya :)

Usha said...

Thanks CL, Uma, ATxvegn, Holler, Pearlsofeast and Adlak :)

Usha said...

Thanks for your feedback Meghana!! I am so glad that you liked this dosai:)

nandoos kitchen said...

yummy, healthy dosa.

dendelion said...

Thanks for this idea. I use a handful of coarsely ground oats in with wholemeal flour when I am making pastry and I much prefer the texture. My pastry is now vegan, instead of being vegetarian, so I have been experimenting too. I also like adding apple juice to the pastry instead of water, to get it to the right consistency.

Unknown said...

Recipe seems to be very simple. want to try it out soon. will let you know how it comes out.

-nithyas corner
http://nithyascorner.com

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