Pesarattu – the protein packed dosa recipe from Andhra Pradesh

Pesarattu, the greenish protein packed dosa recipe from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh brings back beautiful memories of days spent in the City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam(Vizag). I have been fortunate enough to spend several years of my life in this beautiful city located on the coast of the state of Andhra Pradesh. A city that beautifully combines the traditional with the modern. A typical day in Vizag promises you a tour of both rural and urban India. Ladies with fresh jasmine flowers in their hair, pujas at the temples, prayers at the churches, kollams in front of the houses, bullock carts, farmers markets to the Inox (Vizag now has two of them), Satyam, HSBC, pubs, night clubs, huge malls and not to forget the large number of restaurants and hotels that can cater to any and every pallete. Vizag is the place to pamper your tastebuds if you are a foodie and love experimenting. From the five star restaurant "Park" located at one end of the Beach road, Palm Beach, The Taj Gateway, Grand Bay to the Daspalla group of hotels (located in prominent locations in the city) and the contemporary burger and pizza joint "Hotbreads"; Vizag sure can serve food from around the world in style.

If you are looking for an authentic South Indian meal, be it the Kozhi Kuzhambu, the Chettinad chicken, Meen Varatada or an array of dosa recipe and idlis then you have arrived at just the right place. The Daspalla Group of Hotels and the Dakshin restaurant at Grandbay are a personal favourite when it comes to authentic South Indian cuisine.

Step into the aromatic ambience of any of the Daspalla group of hotels (that has become synonymous with South Indian food in the city) and you are welcomed by the scent of fresh jasmine flowers that add a fresh nice feel. The unmistakable aroma of spices intermingling with one another is sure to tickle those taste buds and make you want to rush in to ordering at the earliest. On a busy morning (breakfast time) or the tiffin time in the evening one would find several crispy dosa varieties (of different sizes and composition sizzling away and on to your plate straight out of the griddle), soft fluffy idlis, pesarattu and vadas making their way to the different tables, making sure to tease your tastebuds each time they go by. For a hungry foodie like me who loves Indian breakfast recipes as a choice to start the day, I want a bite of it all is what the voice inside me says.

The pesarattu recipe is one that I happened to get introduced to during one of these trips. It was unexplored territory for me and I definitely wanted to try one. It was indeed a beautiful experience with this green coloured pancake or lentil dosa recipe that was made from green gram and rice. It is rich in protein and carbohydrates are kept to the minimum for the health conscious who prefer a low carb diet. Topped with freshly chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves and a dash of ghee it is just perfect all the way.

There is yet another version of the pesarattu that promises to arouse your curiosity and that is the "MLA Pesarattu". I am yet to find out as to where the dish got its name (wiki states that it is popular in restaurants around the MLA quarters in Hyderabad and probably that is where it gets its name from) however, can surely vouch for the taste of this dosa or pancake that is served with a generous serving of upma inside.

For all those who have already worked up an appetite here’s the recipe to the pesarattu as I make it. I am sending this across to Sameena's Dosa Recipes Event and Radhika's Let's Cook- Scrumptious Breakfasts

Ingredients for Pesarattu recipe:
Green Gram(whole moong dal) – 2 cups
Rice – ½ cup
Asafoetida – a pinch
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
Onions – 1 big (chopped finely)
Green chillies – 2 (chopped finely)
Curry leaves – 3 to 4 (chopped finely)
Oil – for making the pancakes
Salt to taste

Method for making pesarattu:
1- Soak Rice and Green Gram for 5-6 hours. Wash, clean and grind to a smooth batter in the mixer (the pesarattu batter need not be fermented).
2- Place the Tawa on the stove and rub with a little oil. Take a ladle of the pesarattu batter and pour out like you would for a dosa. Sprinkle with chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Pour a little oil on the dosa and let cook on medium flame. Turn it over and let cook on the other side for half a minute. A delicious and healthy addition to your list of Indian breakfast recipe. Serve hot with coconut/ginger chutney and sambar.