There are so many varieties of dosas in our country that one need not repeat the same one, even if one were to make only dosas for breakfast or as a snack! Pesarattu is an Andhra special, which is made with whole moong (whole green gram) and rice. You could call it a variety of chila too. Of course, like most recipes, there are minor variations in ingredients and preparation methods. I am sharing the version I learnt from my mother-in-law. It is crispy, very flavoursome and full of nutrition, especially since it is made with whole moong.
The best thing about this dosa is that it doesn’t need fermentation. You can soak the ingredients 6-7 hours before making them. Fresh batter gives the best results.
Ingredients:
- Whole moong 1 cup
- Rice 1/4 cup
- Green chillies 3-4 (adjust as per taste)
- Ginger 2” piece
- Salt to taste
- Hing ½ tsp
- Curry leaves A few roughly chopped
- Oil to make the pesarattu
Method:
- Wash the moong and rice and soak overnight or at least 6-7 hours before making the pesarattu.
- Grind the moong and rice along with the chillies and ginger to a smooth paste. Keep it slightly thicker, as a runny batter will make it hard.
- Add salt, roughly chopped curry leaves, hing and mix well.
- Heat a non-stick tawa (or any tawa you use), add a little oil and spread it well with a tissue. Pour some batter and spread it with a flat ladle in the shape of a dosa. Drizzle some oil around the edges and cook on a medium flame till it turns golden and crisp on one side. Flip and cook on the other side.
- Serve hot, with coconut chutney or milagai podi.
Note:
- The authentic version doesn’t have rice, but we use a little rice to give it extra crispness. You can omit it if if you want to.
- Moong dal (without skin) can also be used if you are in a hurry. It needs only a couple of hours of soaking and can be made ‘instantly’.
Serving suggestion:
It can be served with finely chopped and sauteed onions. Saute the onions in some oil along with finely chopped green chillies and a little salt. Sprinkle this on the top, while serving the pesarattu.
Oh, no fermentation! That’s awesome! I’ll make this tomorrow! So please I read it just now, in time to soak the whole moong. 🙂
Great to know from your FB comment on my post, that you liked my recipe. If you forget to soak it, you can make it with moong dal too and we know it takes only an hour max for it to soak!
Very often I make moong dal ka cheela but with whole moong I have not tried, thanks for sharing this recipe soon I will try.
We can make pesarattu with moong dal too. But this one is richer and more nutritious. I will also make the moong dal chila one of these days. I seem to be making only dosas and thalipeeth and rottis like the kannadigas do 🙂