Protein Dosa: Nutritious and Easy to Prepare

Intro:

This dish is a variation of the very popular dosa from South India but which is now much-loved across the Indian sub-continent too. Protein Dosa can be considered a blend of the besan chilla in North and Central India and Coconut dosa from South of the country. It is high in protein and has virtually no carbohydrate content making it great for diabetics. The basic ingredients include besan and coconut alongwith veggies, making it an excellent choice for breakfast. 

Origin:  

Gram flour or besan is a pulse flour made from ground Bengal gram or kaala chana. It is also made from a yellow lentil called the Bengal gram dal, which when roasted and ground to a flour is too referred to as besan. It is a staple ingredient in Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cuisines. Besan in English is sometimes referred to as chickpea flour but that is a misnomer since chickpea flour is made from garbanzo beans / white chana / safed choley as they are called in India. 

Coconut fossils date back millions of years ago and botanists suggest that coconut came from India while others say that they probably originated in the Pacific basin. Irrespective of where the Shriphal (as its also known) found its roots, it is now established that water holding coconuts (green or yellowish gold ones) hail from Pacific countries like Australia and Indonesia, while the brown fibrous ones have their home in India, Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep and Maldives. 

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes 

Cooking: 15-minutes

Servings: 8-10 dosas

Ingredients:

•    1 cup - Coconut flour (freshly grated coconut) 

•    8-10 tsp – oil for spreading on the dosas

•    ¼ cup – gram flour / besan

•    ¼ cup – chopped onion, medium size 

•    1tbsp – chopped coriander / cilantro leaves

•    2 - green chillies chopped

•    1 tbsp – grated carrot

•    ½ tbsp – chopped curry leaves

•    ½ tsp – salt

•    2 tbsp – curd

•    ½ cup - water 

Method:

•    Take coconut flour in a bowl 

•    Add gram flour to it 

•    Add chopped onion

•    Add coriander 

•    Add green chillies

•    Add grated carrot

•    Add curry leaves and salt 

•    Mix the dry ingredients well

•    Add curd

•    And add water bit by bit 

•    The batter should be thick and of flowing consistency 

•    Heat the griddle or a tawa 

•    Pour a ladleful of batter in the middle of a griddle and spread it with a light hand from the centre to the outside. 

•    Sprinkle a tsp of oil on top, cover it and cook it for 3-4 minutes 

•    Flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes 

•    Serve hot with coconut chutney 

Conclusion: Besan has a lot of fibre in it and is said to improve the metabolism in your body. It is a protein rich food with a low glycemic index and thus recommended for diabetics. In India, besan has been used as a face pack alongwith honey, rosewater and turmeric mixed with fresh cream, for centuries. Besan is known fight zinc which causes infection and breakout of acne. It also soothes inflamed skin.