Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Vegan Instant Semolina crepes enhanced with flax.....

Phew ! What a lengthy title.... I think this one has to have set the record for being the longest title on this site:-) Rava dosai or semolina crepes are light and lacy crepes made usually for breakfast or as a snack. Unlike other crepes/ dosais these are much more delicate and follow a slightly different technique while being made.

Though traditionally made as a breakfast item, these crepes manage to make their way into our dinner table occasionally, especially when we are in the mood for something light and quick for dinner. As is always the case with me, I could not resist trying to enhance these crepes / dosais and make them more healthier by adding flax when I recently made it.

I was a little nervous about this experiment as I had no other back up plans for dinner and was worried the flax would change the taste of the crepes/ dosai too much, but we all were pleasantly surprised, the flax did not interfere with the taste of the crepes/ dosai at all and in fact it enhanced the taste of the crepes, not to mention the nutrition. I have since made this many many times and have made it for guests as well, everybody loves it and nobody seems to be able to guess that it contains flax.

Instantravadosaiwithflaxedited
Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Vegan Rava Dosa with flax

1 1/2 cup medium semolina (rava)
1 1/2 cup rice flour
5 tsps flax seed meal ( powdered flax seed / alsi )
salt to taste ( I used about 1 1 /2 tsp for this quantity)
approximately 4 1/2 cups of water + a little bit more to mix in with flax seed meal

seasoning
2 tsps oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 Thai or Indian variety green chillies (cut fine) (or according to taste)
1 sprig of curry leaves cut into little pieces (about 7-8 leaves) (optional)
asafoetida / hing a pinch ( optional)

sesame oil as required to cook the dosais

In a large bowl mix together the rice flour , semolina and salt to taste.

In a small cup mix together the flax seed meal in a few spoons of water and whisk together thoroughly until it blends a bit.

Add approximately 4 cups of water to the mixed flours slowly, mixing thoroughly as you add water .

Add the flax seed meal + water mixture to it too and mix well.
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The batter should be only slightly thicker than milk so adjust the water as required to achieve that consistency.

Heat oil in a small pan, add cumin seeds to it, when the cumin starts to splutter add green chillies and curry leaves to it. ( If using asafoetida add at this time) , when the green chillies and curry leaves splutter add the entire mixture to the batter and mix well.

Heat a griddle/ tawa/ skillet. When hot, pour a ladle of this batter in a large circle, avoiding the center. The batter will kind of spread to the center with some gaps in between, which is fine as this is how this crepe looks like. Add half a spoon of sesame oil around the crepe and let it cook for a minute or so. When the lower side starts to brown, use a spatula to flip it over and cook the other side.

When brown spots appear on the other side, remove and serve hot with chutney or sambar of choice.

Leftover batter can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Yield will depend on the size of the crepes.

37 comments :

Unknown said...

Luv rava dosas, this looks very crisp that I need a bite right away! :)

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow...that's an really healthy and yummy looking crepe....very crisp too...

Unknown said...

flax is a good addition indeed..looks yumm

chef and her kitchen said...

yummy crepes..looks good

FewMinute Wonders said...

Very interesting that you incorporated flax seeds into the rava dosa.Will have to give this one a try.

FewMinute Wonders said...

Very interesting! Incorporating flax seed into RAva dosa. Must give this one a try.

Preeti Kashyap said...

awesome rava dosai!!! Is the flax a substitute for buttermilk?

lata raja said...

You are truly bent on converting likes of me to cook with some health perspective Usha. Loved these dosas! they look just like any rawa dosa, but what a healthy twist:)

Veggie Belly said...

I had rava dosai just last night :) i like to put lots of curry leaves in mine :)

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice crispy dosas Usha, even too add ground flaxseeds powder to rava and wheat dosas, it tastes delicious also right :)

Vani said...

Looks lacy and yum! Like the addition of flaxseeds.

Priya Narasimhan said...

got curious looking at the title..:-) addition of flax seed meal is really a very good idea..I too shall it the next time i make rava dosa.

Chitra said...

Tats an interesting title :) Looks nice ..

Unknown said...

nice no, no very very brilliant idea of adding flex to ravadosa simply superb will try next time.

Sushma Mallya said...

Dosa looks crispy...good idea to use flaxseeds in it...

Myvegfare said...

you & your creations are not just pleasent but so healthy, will give this a try.., actually i am feeling so hungry i need to cook something..

Priya Suresh said...

SUch a delicious and healthy dosa, love the addition of flax seeds..

Simply Spices said...

clever idea to try with flax....

Sara's Corner said...

Hi Nice dosa want to know what is flax seed?

Pavani said...

Nutritious and delicious dosas.. They look so crisy and yummy.. Love the addition of flax.

Vibaas said...

looks yum. we use flaxseeds with dosa too.

Nandinis food said...

Love the idea of adding flax seeds in rava dosa! Very Crispy dosa!

kamalabhoopathy said...

perfect dosa, looking nice and tempting

Varsha Vipins said...

I have jut enetered into the world of Dosa's..:p..recently only I made our normal rice n wheat pancakes as we are not much of breakfast people..:P..But surely adding flax seems such a healthy idea Usha..I'll try that next time..:)

Cham said...

Rava dosa with flax seeds another healthy way to consume!

Indhu said...

love all your dosai recipes :)
I have just now started using flax seeds... will try this one sometime - looks crispy and yummy :)

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Healthy and yummy dosa, adding of flax seeds is a very good idea.

Roma said...

hey! Thats a healthy twist. Must try it sometime.

Meghan (Making Love In The Kitchen) said...

I have a list of crepe recipes to try. This one just jumped to the top of that list. Thank you for another great one!

Madhavi said...

Mouth-drooling crepes !!

miss v said...

a long title for sure! can you wrap anything inside them?

Sumathi said...

What a healthy twist ..Crepes looks so tempting..

Anonymous said...

Hi Usha,
I tried this as a rava dosa last week with a little variation and it came out fabulous!!!I have posted a link to your post on my blog....Cheers!!Vinaya

Shivali said...

Dosa with flax seed hmm sound interesting n healthy too.

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi. First time here and I know will keep visiting.
The crepes look great and I love the add of flax seeds, so innovative and healthy.Great post dear.
Do find time to drop by whenever time permits. Providing you my blogger id for ur covenience
http://cooking-goodfood.blogspot.com
TC

Usha said...

Thanks for visiting and your lovely comments !

Preeti, some variations of rava dosai do have buttermilk in them and just as many are made without buttermilk. The idea of adding flax was not as a substitute for buttermilk, just to add some additional nutrition and taste to the dosa !


Sara, flax seeds are known as Alsi in Hindi and I think Ali virai in Tamil, hope this information helps!

Usha said...

Miss V you can definitely use this to wrap veggies or anything else you want......


Vinaya, I am so glad you tried this recipe and liked it !

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