Easy Crispy Quinoa Dosa Recipe For A Healthy South Indian Meal

Dosa, that brilliant dish originating in South Indian cuisines from Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, makes for the perfect side dish for any meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. And while you may have tasted plenty of rice or semolina-based dosas, have you ever tasted quinoa dosa? If you haven’t, you should give this crispy quinoa dosa a try for one of your meals today. The reason is simple that unlike other dosa varieties, quinoa dosa packs a lot more health benefits. Quinoa is packed with plenty of plant proteins, dietary fibre, minerals and antioxidants. As an ancient grain, quinoa is also gluten-free and perfect for vegans and vegetarians. 

Another reason behind substituting rice-based dosas with quinoa dosa at home is the fact that the prep time is considerably less. As you might already know, dosas are traditionally made with a batter of rice and lentils like urad dal. Not only do you have to soak the rice and lentils for a long period to ensure they turn soft enough to be ground to a paste, but you also have to ferment the batter to make the dosa come out right. By replacing the rice with quinoa, you can skip this fermentation process, which can take all night to turn out—or even longer if you stay in a cold region. Quinoa dosa, however, is much easier since you can skip the fermentation process and still have each dosa turn out perfectly. 

To make quinoa dosa at home, you need plain quinoa, urad dal, chana dal, salt and water. Some people also add curd to the batter to make the quinoa dosa turn out better. Similarly, many people choose to add oats to the quinoa dosa batter to make it even more fibre-packed and healthy. However, rest assured that even if you skip the curd and the oats, your quinoa dosa will turn out perfectly as long as you add the appropriate amounts of lentils in the batter. This is because lentils like urad dal and chana dal work as great binding agents while being completely gluten free.  

So, don’t wait up. Try this easy quinoa dosa recipe at home today and pair it with simple potato curry, sambhar and coconut chutney. Here’s the recipe. 

Image courtesy: Unsplash

Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa 

½ cup oats 

½ cup urad dal 

¼ cup chana dal 

1.5 cups water 

1 tsp salt 

Oil, for cooking 

Water, for soaking 

Method: 

1. Wash the quinoa, oats and lentils thoroughly and place in a large bowl.  

2. Add four cups of water and let the quinoa, oats and lentils soak for four-five hours. 

3. Drain out all the excess water and place the quinoa, oats and lentils in a mixer jar. 

4. Add half cup of water and grind the quinoa mix into a fine paste. 

5. Transfer the paste back into the large bowl, then gradually add water to made a batter of pancake consistency. 

6. Add salt, mix well, and let the batter rest for an hour. 

7. To make the quinoa dosa, heat a non-stick griddle or tawa. 

8. Pour two ladles of the batter and spread them around with the back of the ladle. 

9. Once the bottom of the quinoa dosa turns golden brown, apply a bit of oil on the dosa. 

10. Use a spatula to flip the quinoa dosa and cook it on the other side for two minutes. 

11. Carefully fold the quinoa dosa and serve with a simple potato curry and coconut chutney. 

12. Prepare quinoa dosas with the remaining batter following this same process. 

13. Note: Before cooking the next quinoa dosa, remember to wipe the tawa with a wet cloth to prevent any sticking or burning from the residue of the previous dosa.