Pesarattu / Moong dal crepes

Dosas are Indian crepes made from lentils. Pesarattu is a dosa made from green moong dal. It is a specialty from the state of Andhra Pradesh. This dish is easy to prepare and very nutritious. Pesarattus are traditionally eaten with upma and ginger chutney.

Ingredients

1 cup rice

1 cup whole moong dal

1 inch piece ginger chopped

3 green chillies chopped

1 onion finely chopped

salt

oil

Steps

1. Soak rice and moong dal for atleast 5 hours.

2. Grind the soaked rice and moong dal along with salt, 1 tsp chopped onion, 1 tsp chopped ginger and 1 tsp green chilli into a smooth batter. The consistency should be similar to dosa or pancake batter - not too thick/thin. Do not ferment the batter.

3. Heat a flat pan and grease it with little oil. This is not required for non-stick pans. Pour a ladle of batter on it and spread it into a thin round layer like a pan cake and drizzle a little oil around the pesarattu.

4. Sprinkle some chopped onions, ginger and green chillies on the Pesarattu.

5. Cook until it becomes brown. There is no need to flip the pesarattu and cook again.

Tips for serving:

Serve it hot with upma or a dollop of ginger / peanut chutney.

Meal today: Pesarattu with Ginger and Peanut chutney

Passion for Food

Passion or Jihva means 'a strong desire or longing' or 'the sense of taste'in Sanskrit. Food is both a spiritual and sensual need. We offer 'Naivedyam' to appease Gods. It plays a vital part in maintaining the health of an individual.

We have heard the expression "One should eat to live, not live to eat". So why do we want so many kinds of food? We can survive on raw, bland food or 'food without spice' but it does not satisfy us. Variety is the spice of life. That is why "Jihva" for "Food" exists.

As Rosamond Richardson, English cookery author quotes, I believe that "Food...can look beautiful, taste exquisite, smell wonderful, make people feel good, bring them together, inspire romantic feelings....At its most basic, it is fuel for a hungry machine."