Pesarattu with brown rice
Green gram dal also know as mung bean is one of the most common dal used in Indian cooking. They are small, oval shaped bean that should be cooked after soaking for sometime. Once cooked ( I pressure cook them for 1 whistle), the bean tastes mildly sweet and has a soft texture.
They are nutritious, low in fat, high in proteins and fibers.1 cup of cooked green gram has close to 212 calories and 15g fiber and 4 g protein. Water soluble fiber present in green gram dal helps to reduce LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from your body thereby reducing the risk for cardiovascular diseases.
They have low glycemic index. That makes it a perfect candidate for South Beach Diet. It digests slowly and glucose will be released gradually into the bloodstream. So there will not be any spiked up sugar levels after a meal. Dishes made with green gram is perfect for women with gestational diabetes. It can also curb your post meal cravings. It fills you up and satisfies the appetite.
I made a little variation to the original recipe by adding spinach and also replaced white rice with brown rice. This makes it more nutritious and further makes it so green. Full of fresh cilantro, little organic baby spinach, perfectly pungent ginger and hot-hot Thai green chillies, this nutritious breakfast dish is perfect to start a power packed day. Since the sugar levels don’t spike up high, you will feel full for good amount of time and what more is needed for a healthy start. Pair it up with a cup of green tea in water, you will feel so proud about yourself for not indulging in any sweet tooth the entire day. I served mine with moong bean sambhar and baked lean meat balls curry (recipe coming in the next post). Since I am a big fan to my mother’s coarse idly podi (spice mix), I ate them by sprinkling little on top of onions and rolled it into a frankie and dipped in sambar and relished every bite.
Ingredients
- 3 cups green gram
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 thai green chillies
- ½ cup cilantro
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ cup spinach optional
- ¼ cup coconut optional
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste
- ¼-½ cup olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Soak the green gram and brown rice in water for 5 hours. Drain the water. Start with grinding green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, spinach and coconut in a food processor. Grind them to a smooth paste. Remove and store in a fresh bowl where you plan to store the batter.
- Now add the green gram, brown rice and little salt,g grind them to a coarse paste.
- You could do it in two batched. For the first batch grind them to a smooth paste and set aside. Then for the second batch grind them to a coarse paste. The coarseness will make your dosa crisp up well.
- Mix them all together with salt and store for 2 hours. If it is too thick, you could add little water to bring it to a pancake batter like consistency.
How To Make The Dosas
- Heat the iron tava/saucepan or the non-stick tava at medium flame.
- Place your hand just over the tava to check for the heat.The tava shouldn’t be too hot. Drizzle few drops of oil over the tava and spread them around with a kitchen tissue paper.
- Ladle some batter at the center of the tava and immediately spread them into a larger circle in a clockwise direction. Add few drops of oil along the outer sides of the dosa. If using a non-stick, you don’t need to add any oil.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes on low flame. Slowly release the edges with a spatula, remove and flip it over to other side. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.5. Sprinkle freshly chopped raw onions over the dosa and serve hot with any chutney/ sambhar.
Notes
- Since it has whole grains they take a longer time to break down to sugar. This will keep your sugar levels at normal. A perfect dish for those who are diabetic and pre-diabetic.
- Use less amount of oil. Don’t make oily, greasy dosas. It’s OK to satisfy your craving for crispy dosa once a while. If you are worried about those extra calories that went through your mouth, an immediate remedy will be to do sit-ups or squats for 60 seconds. Also heard that a glass of grapefruit juice (no added sugar) will also help to balance out the extra calories.
- Ideal breakfast dish for those on a weight loss mission and for those who are looking for a healthy lifestyle.
- A good vegetarian breakfast dish for South beach phase 2 and 3 dieters. For those in phase 1, I would suggest skipping the brown rice and adding eggs to the batter before making the dosas. Eggs act as a binder and will help you make clean dosas without tearing.
Advika is a talented Indian cook with a passion for sharing her culinary expertise with others. Born and raised in India, she has spent years mastering traditional recipes from across the country, as well as putting her own unique twist on classic dishes. Her recipes are easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for cooks of all levels
