Saturday, July 5, 2014

Mushti Polo/Dosa ( Gluten-free vegan Indian pancakes)



This post was originally not intended for Fiesta Friday but after reading this week's co-host Sylvia @ Superfoodista.com, I am going to take this dosa/pancake to Fiesta Friday!.This will spread the message of gluten-free eating options that has been always available..





Mushti polo literally translates into "fist dosa" in English. "Mushti" means fist and "polo" means dosa. Why? I don't know? May be because they used their fists for measuring? According to my mother, they put the batter in the center of the griddle/skillet like a fist and let it spread. I, of course, spread it a little as I don't want it too thick!



Anyways, Mushti polo is a common dosa/ pancake made in Gowda Saraswat Brahmin households of South Canara region of India. It is a soft, fluffy and light dosa that melts in your mouth. There are a few variations in the batter with some using grated coconut in it and most using cooking soda ( soda bicarbonate) for fermentation. My mother never used soda bicarbonate in any of her cooking as she always believed that the use of it would cause bloating. I have learnt from her and I too avoid soda bicarbonate in my cooking ( except for cakes and breads). So here is my recipe for "Mushti polo":


Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:


Raw rice: 3 cups
Urad dal: 1 fistful
Methi seeds( fenugreek seeds): 1 tbsp
Poha( beaten rice): 1 fistful
Salt: 2 tsp
Water: for soaking and grinding

Method:


Soak 4-5 hours or overnight ,3 cups rice with 1 fistful of urad dal, 1tbsp methi seeds.

Next morning grind the above mixture with just enough water to make a batter with fine texture.

Soak 1 fistful of poha/beaten rice in water for 10-15 mins. Add it to the above ground mixture and pulse once or twice.The batter should be thick.




Pour everything in a bowl. Let it ferment for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Heat a tawa/ griddle, smear oil, spread out a ladleful of batter thickly. Cover and cook on very low flame until done.Do not flip the dosa. This dosa needs to be cooked only from one side.



Serve hot with chutney of your choice.In the picture below I have served the dosa with wet ridge-gourd peel chutney ( ghosale sheere chutney) and dry garlic chutney powder ( lasun/loshne chutney)






My kids love it with butter and a dash of honey!

Enjoy!


Cooking made easy:


If using non-stick sauté pans, skillet and griddle for cooking, use only wooden spoons/ spatulas on it. Using metal spoon/ spatula can scrape of the non-stick coating of the pan.

Use lukewarm water to wash non-stick cookware.While washing non-stick pans, use soft, non-abrasive sponge. Coarse fibers/ scrub can again damage and scrape off the non-stick coating.

Tip for healthy living:


Try and avoid the use of non-stick cookware in your kitchen.The non-stick cookware is coated with Teflon. The chemical name for Teflon is Polytetrafluorethylene(PTFE).The possible problems that arise are mainly from another chemical used in making Teflon,Perflurooctanoic acid ( PFOA) that has been linked with possibly causing cancer, hypothyroidism and reduced fertility. Do not heat empty cookware and never at very high-temperatures.The Teflon when heated to high temperature can release toxic fumes that are harmful to the body and can cause flu-like symptoms.

Discard any non-stick cookware that has it's coating scraped off or worn off.


Food for thought: 

Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute. Josh Billings

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