Bajra Dosai (Pearl Millet Dosai)

I guess no one really needs an introduction to dosai... In case you do.. they are crispy South Indian crepes made with a fermented batter of ground urad dal (black lentils) and rice. While plain rice dosai with a filling of potato and side of sambar is standard, there are several variations like maida (refined ywheat flour) and rava (semolina) dosai that are widely popular in South Indian households. Traditionally these crepes are consumed for breakfast. However with the increasing popularity of South Indian cuisine throughout India, people these days do not mind a lunch or dinner  of dosai along with dosa masala, sambar and coconut chutney.

This month Sowmya of Nivedhanam tried a healthy variation of the traditional Dosai. Replacing rice with pearl millet she created Kambu dosai or pearl millet dosai and challenged the Northern Group of SNC team to try it out... Now I had urad dal and pearl millet flour in my pantry. I asked her if  I could use bajra flour to make these crepes. She said I could and the same proportion of  bajra(pearl millet) to urad dal would work even if I were to substitute the bajra with bajra flour. So that is what I did.  I soaked the urad dal with fenugreek seeds for few hours, then ground it to a smooth batter and to it I added a paste of the bajra flour. As you can see the substitute worked beautifully..

However if you prefer to use pearl millet instead of pearl millet flour,  soak the same measure of the grain along with the urad dal then grind the mixture to a smooth batter and follow the recipe thereon. You can use a different combination of vegetables to top the dosai,  but I stuck to Sowmya's choice of carrots and green beans and we enjoyed the way the crepes turned out.



Now a quick word about the accompaniments..  As I mentioned before, traditionally dosai are served with sambar and chutney. But if you are in a mood to experiment, try it with this Cucumber Kootu and some South Indian garlic powder. It is a delightful combination.. even my husband with really high standards for south Indian food was pretty impressed with the combo !

Butter and Rum Crepes # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook  Butter & Rum Crepes for French Fridays with Dorie.

I have cooked and eaten crepes before. However these ones were special. The crepe batter had sugar rubbed with orange and lemon zest and a bit of rum in it, both of which added to their flavor. Following Dorie's recipe I served them with a filling of lemon curd and poured a citrusy-buttery sauce over it.. only to realize later that the crepes would have been perfect even without all that extra fat and sugar. A sprinkle of sugar was enough to pep them up.

As per the instructions, I mixed the batter the night before and made the crepes for lunch the next day. I cooked them in my usual non-stick frying pan. They did not stick and came off easily. However they were thin and delicate and it took me a couple of crepes before I could flip them with ease and confidence. Both husband and I loved our French crepes very much but considering my inexperience and inexpertise with flipping crepes, I guess we will only be making them on special occasions.

  

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about these crepes. You can find the recipe here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

Teff Crepes # World Diabetes Day

Yesterday was World Diabetes Day. I wasn't aware of it till Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen asked me the other day if I wanted to join her and few other bloggers to spread awareness about diabetes. Though I immediately agreed to join the rest of them, I wasn't sure what to write... I am not a diabetic and thankfully no one in my family is... My father has high blood sugar but he isn't a diabetic. So I couldn't really appreciate the need for a World Diabetic Day until a Google search showed up some alarming facts and statistics associated with diabetes.

Did you know that....

Diabetes affects more than 250 million people worldwide

and experts say that by 2025, that number will soar to 380 million.... 

Apparently...

There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States who have diabetes.

5.7 million don’t even know they have the disease !

 &  the disease kills one person every 10 seconds.

While the numbers are alarming, one might take some solace in the fact that though not curable, this disease is not a death sentence right away. In many cases type 2 diabetes formerly known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes  is preventable and type 1 diabetes formerly known as insulin-dependent or juvenile onset diabetes is manageable. Studies have shown that a change in diet, increase in physical activity and a change in lifestyle can affect the incidence of this disease on individuals. For this reason the UN resolution designated November 14 as World Diabetes Day. The idea was to make people aware of this growing epidemic and motivate them to change their eating habits and lifestyles before the disease gets to them. 

It certainly would have been wonderful to observe World Diabetic Day with a walk or a bicycle ride campaign. But since such an exercise routine did not work out for us, we decided on a diabetic friendly dinner. For dinner today we had Teff Crepes with a side of Mushroom and Spinach and a Mushroom Salad. In case you do not know, Teff is the smallest grain in the world with several nutritional benefits. It is known to serve as a complete source of protein. Also the high fiber content of teff is believed to help in dealing with diabetes and assisting with blood sugar control. So Teff Crepes it was for us today... 

The recipe is pretty simple.. the usual eggs, milk and flour with a pinch of salt and sugar. I often make this for breakfast too.. but then i serve it with applesauce and on special occasions with a filling of cottage cheese, sour cream, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and a sprinkle of Herbs de Provence..