Friday, September 18, 2009

DOSA



Dosa (crispy savory pancakes) from South India is a staple food in its home region. Especially South Indians everybody likes to eat dosa....



Ingredients:


1 Cup urad dal
2 Cups Brown/unpolished rice
1 & 1/2 tbs fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
10 tbs poha (Atukulu)
Salt to taste
Oil


Health Benifits of Unpolished/Brown Rice-Unimaginable Uses:


The rice that is not polished after removing the outer layer is called unpolished rice.
All the nutrients available in the rice continue to remain in the unpolished rice
whereas you don't find any in the polished rice. All the useful ingredients are available
in the outer layer but once you clean then they are all washed out. So the useful
minerals and vitamins are driven away leaving behind useless carbohydrate.


Thiamin is an important 'B' Viatamin. If it is not supplied preperly through food, the
legs become weak. The face and the feet get swollen. Only 20% of this Thaimin is left
in polished rice. The same way 50%of Riboflavin, 50% of Pairidoxin and 75% of Niacin
are lost in polished rice. Thiamin is available in scrutulam(outer layer) of rice.

This is separated in the rice mills and is used for vitamin tablets. Along with thiamin,
the most important vitamin E and proteins are also lost. Vitamin 'E' helps to strengthen
your nerves to keep your glands healthy and to keep you young and energetic.

Health & nutritous benefits of unpolished/Brown rice:


1. You don't put on weight. This food doesn't change much into carbohydrate due to
the fibrous material and the licithin present in it. Whereas the white rice which is
devoid of these, makes you fat quickly.

2. The white rice makes sugar patients suffer more! The white rice gets digested
quickly,turns into glucose thereby increasing the quantity of sugar. On the
contrary you can't eat plenty of unpolished rice! It also gets digested slowly
due to the fibrous material in it and so glucose joins slowly into the blood.
so sugar doesn't increase quickly. So relatively unplished rice doesn't increase
much the quantity of sugar in the body.

3. This unpolished rice helps in a free motion. That was the secret behind the
free motion of our elders.

4. You feel energetic the whole day because of the vitamins and minerals available
in them. So you don't feel tired at all.

5. You don't have to face heart trouble too due to the 'E' vitamin, licithin and the
fibrous material in it. All these act as antidotes to cholesterol. They drive out
the cholesterol from the body without giving it a chance to stagnate at the blood
vessels.That's why though our elders used penty of ghee, they were hale
and healthy. They also keep the blood vessels in good condition.

6. The nutrients in the food make the body strong. It prevents the obesity.
7. You long for ruchis only when the nutrients are not supplied preperly to the body.
Since this rice supplies all these, you don't long for ruchis or snacks. This is a time
tested theory. You also acquire a control over your senses.

8. Iron is missing in polished rice whereas it is available in plenty in unplished rice.
So this clears the problems in blood and increases the resistance power.

9. Unpolished rice has silicon which keeps the skin healthy.

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice and urad daal well. Add the fenugreek seeds to the mix and fill
enough water in the rice,dal bowl. Soak it at least 8 hours or overnight in water.

2. Take a small bowl add 10tbs poha and water. Keep it aside atleast 3hours.

3. The next morning, drain all the water from the rice and urad dal. Now put
some dal, rice, methi seeds,poha,salt in a food processor/Grainder and grind well.
Adding very little water if necessary. Make it like a smooth paste.

4. Leave the dosa batter in the room temperature overnight.

5. Heat the iron griddle or non-stick pan with little ghee or oil.
6. Now begin to spread the batter in sweeping circular motions to form a pancake
of roughly 8" diameter.

7. When the upper surface begins to look cooked (it will no longer look soft or runny),
flip the Dosa. By this time, ideally, the surface that was underneath should be light
golden in color. Allow to cook for 1 minute after flipping.

8. Dosa is ready. serve with sambar, peanut chuney, coconut chutney, karapodi....



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Should try this..great work Bala, keep them coming.

shashi

Raje said...

Hey,
Nice post! Good to know you are from Nj. Me too close to woodbridge. Visit my blog when you have a chance.

MaryMoh said...

What lovely presentation! I was first introduced to dosa when I was in South Korea...believe that? A lovely Indian friend made for me to try. I fell in love with it immediately. She made spicy potato dosa wrap...so delicious! It's really sweet of you to share the recipe & health benefits of it.