Pesarattu is a popular and nutritious South Indian breakfast dish made with green gram (moong dal) as the main ingredient. It is similar to a dosa but is made with a batter that primarily consists of green gram, rice, and a few other ingredients. Here’s a simple recipe for making Pesarattu:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole green gram (moong dal), soaked for 4-6 hours
- 1/4 cup rice
- 2-3 green chilies (adjust according to taste)
- 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt, to taste
- Water, as needed
- Oil or ghee, for cooking
Instructions:
- Soaking:
- Wash the whole green gram (moong dal) and rice thoroughly.
- Soak them in water for 4-6 hours. This helps in easy grinding and improves the texture of the pesarattu.
- Grinding:
- Drain the soaked green gram and rice.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the soaked green gram, rice, green chilies, chopped ginger, cumin seeds, and salt.
- Grind the mixture into a smooth batter, adding water gradually as needed. The consistency should be similar to that of dosa batter.
- Fermentation (optional):
- You can allow the batter to ferment for a few hours if you prefer a slightly sour taste. However, this step is optional.
- Cooking:
- Heat a non-stick or cast-iron griddle (tawa) on medium heat.
- Once the griddle is hot, pour a ladleful of batter onto the center and spread it in a circular motion to form a thin dosa.
- Drizzle some oil or ghee around the edges of the pesarattu.
- Cook until the edges start to lift and the bottom turns golden brown.
- Flipping:
- Carefully flip the pesarattu using a spatula and cook the other side until it’s cooked through and has a light golden color.
- Serving:
- Serve hot pesarattu with coconut chutney, ginger chutney, or any chutney of your choice.
- You can also serve it with upma or any other accompaniment.
Tips:
- You can add chopped onions, coriander leaves, or grated carrots to the batter for added flavor and texture.
- Adjust the number of green chilies according to your spice preference.
- Pesarattu is traditionally served with Upma (a savory semolina dish) in Andhra Pradesh.
Enjoy your homemade pesarattu!
