I always try to alter my recipes to make them more healthy. I do strongly believe that white rice, all purpose flour or maida and other refined products do have very few or no nutritional benefits. Hence I often try to modify my recipes to use whole wheat flour in place of all purpose flour/maida and brown rice and rosematta rice instead of white rice. I have also started experimenting with barley since I found out that barley has more fiber than brown rice.
Ever since I made Brown Rice and Barley Dosa, the definition of dosa has changed forever for me. The dosa looks a little brownish unlike the pretty well known snow white dosas.
1 cup brown rice
1 cup barley
¼ tsp methi seeds
1 cup urad dal
salt
You may skip the barley and use 2 cup of brown rice or you may skip both of these and use 2 cups white rice. Soak rice & barley together. Brown rice and Barley take a little longer to soak, hence takes 6-8 hrs. Soak urad dal & methi seeds for 2-3 hrs.
Rinse, drain and grind brown rice and barley to a smooth paste. The paste might feel a little rough like the soji rava. Its good enough. Rinse, drain and grind the urad dal into a smooth paste. Add salt and mix all the batter. Ferment the batter overnight or for 6 hrs.
Heat the dosa griddle and Make crispy dosas.Serve with Chutney or Sambar.
What is Dosa?
Dosa is a South Indian crepe made with lentils and rice. Dosas are made similar way to pancakes, but little thin. Just pour a serving spoon full of batter on the hot griddle(spread a tsp of oil if your skillet is not nonstick) and spread it thin. Turnover once the lower surface is light brown.
Previously when I had posted a recipe for PhaNNa Polo, a dosa with a seasoning, I got a question from one of my reader on what is a dosa. I just thought of including that explanation here.
Brown, Parboiled & White Rice
Brown Rice is the Kernel of rice from which only the hull has been removed. Brown rice is not the same as boiled rice / kuchilakki / ukda / rosematta / kutrimatta. 
In Kutrimatta or Rosematta or Parboiled rice, the paddy is pre-cooked with the outer cover and then hulled hence retaining some nutrients. I guess Brown Rice retains a lot of fiber, more then the later one.
In White rice all the high fiber & nutrient rice outer bran is milled and thrown away.
But eating brown rice is not as fun as white rice. This has a chewy texture like whole wheat grain and barley.
61 comments:
Dosa looks so perfect!!Very very nice.I have half boiled,is that the same as Kuchalakki? Okay,I just read it's not!:D
I will look for the brown rice in the grocery store,I think they have it.Looks really good.
barley and brown rice? very unique recipe manjula. dosas look quite crisp also.
i am still confused with brown rice, kuchalakki thing:) this weekend i will do little bit of research on that. i guess i am confues with the names not the rice actually;)
Manju,
Love the color of your dosa. Looks like hotel ones. Brownrice... now got to get this one. Does it taste like our kuchilakki?
very innovative! combining brown rice & barley, sure is full of nutrition! grreat to know one more kind of dosa, in the meanwhile i posted rava dosa today.
thanks for the recipe!
Yeah this is a unique recipe manjula... barley with brown rice in making a dosa is new to me... heard abt and tasted many kind of dosas but this one is sure a rare combo.good one and thanks for sharing.
Asha, Sia, Seema, Richa, Prema Sundar,
Hope this recipe inspires you all to try out more with brown rice and barley. They are so healthy and packed with fiber.
No, Brown rice is not Kuchilakki.
Basically the processing of the rice from the paddy are different in these 3 types. Check out
http://waltonfeed.com/self/rice.html
for a detailed explanation with pictures.
very different recipe .Never tried it before .very unique
I love dosa and idly but eat them sparingly due to health concerns (white rice is more damaging than most people realize). This is a great idea and trying it out this weekend.
Have you tried brown rice based idly, by any chance?
Thanks for this healthy post, will bookmark this and try it out. the texture of Dosa also looks good.
Hi Sharmi &Deepa
Hope this recipe inspires you all to try out more with brown rice and barley. They are so healthy and packed with fiber.
Anonymous,
Never tried idly with brown rice. Might give a try sometime. Will post the results, if I succeed.
Manjula
WOW! i am spellbound, Manjula-very healthy and am sure equally delicious dosai! totally my type of recipe.
Cheers,
musical.
wow!!! this sounds and looks gr8....
hey manjula, nice looking dosa :) ...
Fantastic recipe. I love your experiment, and the look is beautiful. Did it taste similar to a regular dosai?
Kanchana
Interesting recipe maju. I know few indians use brown rice instead of white but barley is something unusal for me:D. Dosa looks yummy. I'm sure it tasted delicious.
hi manjula
what a healthy recipe.we used to take barley water in our childhood.
Hi Manjula,
I have always loved barley, so I would love to try this dosa -- I bet it's delicious! I think the brown color is lovely, btw. Thanks for sharing this nutritious idea :)
Hi Manjula, great recipe it sounds delicious :)
Manjula - I just love dosas. And this healthy one is very appealing. But do I need a special dosa tawa? Or can I use a frying pan?
Manjula-
I love the taste of barley; I have experimented with it by making it into pilaf/pulao with success, but your idea to make it into dosas is wonderful! Served along with a delicious-looking sambar like yours it could not be anything but a perfect, healthy meal!
thats a unique and healthy recipe... dosas look really delicious
barley dosa...looks great...never tried it before...very interesting...thanks for sharing
manjula, long time no see...hope everything is fine dear...
Hoo Manju,
This dosa look so perfect,crisp and very lovely color.This is a simple recipe and very healthy too.Thanks for sharing dear
Hey Manju. I haven't seen any new post in ur blog hope everything is fine at ur end.
long time no see my dear friend! how are you? are you on a break?
Sharmi, Sia, Shivapriya,
Hi Girls..I am doing just fine. I had thought of a weeks break from browsing and blogging..but now finding it hard to break the break. Will resume my activities soon.
Thank You
Manjula
Dosa....Looks perfect like hotel........I try to make dosa as your post but not sure....I like plan paper dosa but not make it as like hotel........ combo with brown rice and barley is perfect.:)
Great weekend.:)))
Barley dosa.........Never heard abt it....I love it....Great job...Nice pictures..
Hi,
I had this subzi at a shetty weddinga nd also from one of our friends home ..these people are from Udupi....it was made with tindora and black chana...I have been searching for this recipe far and wide..so if u know it please post it...
thanks in advance...
hey, what's up? taking it easy for a while? hope to see ya around :)
Dosa looks so yummy and crispy. I have brown rice with barley is unique combination.
Good one and thanks for sharing.:)
Thanks for sharing such valuable information and for the wonderful narration
we want manjula...we want manjula...we want manjula....
i am shouting at top of my voice girl:) common...break the break and come back soon:) hugs to u...
Hey, have you gone in hibernation. No blogging from last 2 months. Is everything ok. Is there any good news.
Hey Manjula, how are you doing.
Hi Manjula Nice blog :-) and the colour of the Dosa is gooooood :-)
www.monaafzal.wordpress.com
Manju, Hope everything is well on your side buddy. Missing you a bunch.
Take care.
Sia, Shilpa, Seema, Musical and all my readers who are wondering where I went,
I am doing very well. Just wanted to take a break. Will make a come back soon.
Regards
Manjula
Inspired by this recipe, I tried dosa with 1 cup brown rice and 1 cup white rice (plus urad etc). It was so delicious! Next time, I will use the barley too. Thank you for inspiring us all to eat better!
hi manju, yah havent seen u in a while.... our barley dosa looks yummy, and i love crisp dosas... thank u for the recipe....
Hi Manjula..
This dosa is a weekly addition in my brkfast list! tks for posting..the combi of barley and brown rice is not only unusual but packed wt nutrition too..tks for posting..
PDM>
Hi Manjula,
I read about ur brown rice and barley dosa and tried it. But my dosas are sticking to the pan and not coming out nicely. Could not figure out what the problem is. Can u please advise me what i was doing wrong. I bought brown rice from wal mart and not an indian store. Does that make a difference? Thank you for ur time.
BY the way, your picture of dosa look very nice.
Kanchana,
Yes it does taste like a regular dosa. Only difference I found was the color. Its light brown in color looks rustic. Remember to soak the brown rice for 6-8 hrs, since its harder than the white rice takes a little long. This ferment well too.
Mallika,
No special tava needed. Use any flat bottomed tava, frying pan will do.
Pelicano,
Yeah me too tried different recipes with brown rice. This one is the best. I have also posted a fried rice with brown rice I also eat plain cooked brown rice with dal, sambar now a days. But it best suits with chinese sides. Will post some more in the coming days.
Sireesha,
I buy my brown rice from local produce shops or Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Remember parboiled rice is not Brown rice. My dosas have never stuck to the pan or become mushy. These problems are generally due to the rice. My mom used to say its because the rice is very new. Aged rice is usually preferred.
Manjula
I just tried using barley which was at home and also Brown Rice and made dosas. Thought it was a creative idea of mine! :( Alas! it is reported here already? ummm..but glad to know that you share similar creative ideas. Dosa looks nice
I had this recipe bookmarked for a long time and I finally tried it. The texture is amazing and it is so filling! I will make this often
Hi,
The Dosa is very inviting and healthy.! nice blog.!
vysh
I am going to try out this recipe. I am a great fan of brown rice. I have given up white rice completely for the simple reason that, white rice + sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for diabetes and heart disease.
I recently tried Idlis made with Whole Grain Oats, Barley flour and course Bulgur wheat. I loved the taste and loved its nutritional profile as well.
Thanks for this awesome Brown rice dosa recipe.
wow! i'd like to try this,
i also like experimenting with healthier ingredients in recipes..
i use a kind of boiled red rice for dosa, and substitue 1/4 volume for "quinoa" with very good results,
in fact next experiment is to increase the proportion of quinoa to equal the amt of rice (1 cup of each and 1 cup urad)
quinoa is very rich in calcium and protein.. i also add it when cooking plain rice
thanks, lovely blog!
Thanks for this recipe Manjula. I tried this today and it came very well. Now I know how to finish off brown rice :).
I also added 1/2 cup of whole wheat and 1 tea spn of chana dal, rest all followed your recipe. I guess it will be a regular at my home now :)
Shilpa,
Glad you liked my recipes. I have a lot of tips on how to use brown rice.
I have stopped using white rice in dosas. I soak the brown rice overnight and grind the batter in the morning. It is easy to grind when soaked overnight and also the batter gets well fermented results in fluffy dosas.
I have also started making brown lentil and brown rice dosas. A good alternative when the prices of urad dal are shotting sky high.
Hi Manjula ,
Can you please let me know which brown lentil you are refering to ?
what is your ratio of brown lentle and brown rice for this dosa ?
Hi Nilima,
If you live in the US, the American grocery stores carry "brown lentil" which looks like whole masoor dal with the skin. Its not masoor and is very inexpensive.
I substitute brown lentil for urad dal and brown rice for white rice. I use it the 1: 2 ratio. i,e 1 portion of lentil and 2 portions of brown rice. Soaking them overnight is essential for easy griding.
Thanks Manjula . Does the dosa batter ferment when you grind 1:2 brown lentil and brown rice combination ? is it necessary to ferment ?
Were you able to find a substation for urad dal in Idlys?I think fermentation is important for idlys but dont know if that can be achieved with any lentil other than the urud dal?
Thanks Manjula . Does the dosa batter ferment when you grind 1:2 brown lentil and brown rice combination ? is it necessary to ferment ?
Were you able to find a substation for urad dal in Idlys?I think fermentation is important for idlys but dont know if that can be achieved with any lentil other than the urud dal?
Neelima,
Yes, the brown rice and lentil dosa ferments very well..much easier than the regular dosa. You may choose not to fermet the batter, if time is of concern. Unfermented dosas come out good too. But I recommend you leave it for 6-8 hours after grinding. The fermented dosa is fluffier. Also, the brown rice dosas come out crispier. It does not double in quantity but does develop the fermented taste. I can see lots of pores in the batter. May be the brown rice has natural/wild yeast.
I have not tried idlis without the urad dal. Shilpa of Aayi's recipes recently posted idlis with brown rice and urad dal.
even i have started the use of brown rice. thanks for the recipe. manjula, can you pls tell me what is the difference between brown rice and "our konkani ukdo tandul"? how to identify them if they both are different? pls reply.
cookerybook,
Nice to hear you have started eating brown rice. Try making dosas, i have been making brown rice dosas for few yrs now!
At the end of the post, i have posted 2 pictures one of brown rice and another of uddudo and mentioned some basic difference.
Brown rice is very chewy and looks like wheat, a little pale brown. If you have seen a rice with husk, i.e batta in kannada or baata in konkani, if you remove the husk and the rice inside is the brown rice!
Also, refer to whfoods.com . Its a wonderful website for all your questions on foods
dear manjula,
could i get your email id please? i want to be in touch with you dear regarding health topics. i appreciate healthy recipes very much and i keep on making research on the same. waiting for your reply.
Cookerybook,
I am thrilled by that idea. I always like discussing about improvising the recipes to make them more healthy!
But..sorry, I am not comfortable sharing my email id. I will create a page for any such general discussion, and we can communicate via that. Sounds like a good plan?
I am very inspired to try this dosa given the success rate reported here. Thanks so much for sharing your creation!
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