Pretty Pink Dosa | Super Healthy

These pretty pink, super crisp, zero oil dosas are unbelievably delicious, quite filling and pretty healthy because they are made of organic whole grains. Once you get hooked on these, white ones will lose their appeal!

Instead of making idlis and dosas always with white rice, I love experimenting with healthy choices like brown rice, red rice, millets, etc. There is so much variety, so many recipes to play with. The end result is always delicious dosas for everyone to devour! Red rice dosa is one such healthy and yummy alternative to prepare. Here's how you can make red rice dosa.

Ingredients:
4 cups unpolished red rice
1 cup whole urad dal (white)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste

Method:
Separately soak red rice and the urad dal for 6-8 hours. Soak 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds either with the rice or dal.
Grind the soaked rice in a mixer or grinder till you get a slightly coarse but near to smooth paste. Pour into a large bowl. Grind the soaked urad dal in a blender till its very smooth and mix with the rice paste.
Allow this mixture to ferment for 8-12 hours depending on the weather. In summers, 8 hours is sufficient, but on a cooler day it takes longer. You can check for a slightly sour, fermented smell to ensure it's fermented well.
Add salt to taste and give it a nice stir so that it becomes airy and frothy.
Pour into an idli steamer if you want to make idlis.
Add water so that it is of the consistency of pancake batter to make dosas.

Few Tips:
No Oil Dosas can be made on a heavy iron girdle (preferably a flat one) by rubbing it with a chopped potato or onion before pouring the batter.
Placing a lid over the dosa creates steam inside, which in turn helps the dosa to leave sides, once it’s ready.
If all else fails, put a drop of oil on the iron girdle and spray water over it to scatter the oil. Make a trial dosa to prepare the girdle. After the first one, the next is easier to make without oil.

Variation for Dosas:
An equal volume or less of finely grated bottle gourd/pumpkin/carrot can be added to the mixture along with ginger chili paste to taste to make slightly thicker but delicious dosas which are a big hit with children and a good way to feed them the vegetables they don’t eat otherwise.

Variation for Idlis:
Add finely chopped carrots, beans, peas, colored capsicum, ginger, garlic, fresh coriander leaves, and corn to the batter. Make a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, chana dal, and urad dal and add to idli batter. Add a pinch of turmeric powder. Mix well. Pour into idli molds. Place a thin slice of tomato and a cashew nut on every idli and steam for 15-20 minutes. These yummy health packed Masala Kanchipuram Idlis can be savored on their own or with plain coconut chutney. 

According to Wikipedia – Red rice is a special variety of rice that is red in color. It derives its rich red color from an antioxidant called anthocyanins. This antioxidant is beneficial to reduce symptoms of inflammation, cancer prevention, and weight loss management. Red rice is generally unhulled or partially hulled rice which has a red husk, rather than the much more common brown. It has a nutty flavor, and high nutritional value, as the germ of the rice, is left intact. It is packed with nutrients such as B-vitamins, iron, calcium, and zinc.