Instant Bajra Dosa

Dosa is an extremely popular and comforting option for breakfast and who does not love these crispy thin delicacy! But making a traditional dosa involves various time consuming steps like soaking the rice and dal, grinding and then fermenting it overnight which might not be easy at times especially during a busy schedule. This is where instant dosas come in handy and are super quick to make and equally delicious.

When we talk about instant dosa options, there is a lengthy list ranging from Rava Dosa, Oats Dosa, Whole Wheat flour dosa to other millets based dosa like Bajra dosa, jowar dosa etc. In this post we are going to be seeing one such healthy instant millet dosa using Bajra or Kambu or Pearl Millet flour. This recipe is super quick to make involving no soaking, no grinding and no fermenting time and can be made in minutes even on a busy morning. I will also be giving you some useful tips for seasoning a cast iron dosa tawa which is quintessential for making crisp dosas especially the instant ones!

Millets are getting extremely popular among the health conscious audience and are considered as super food grains. Millets are an excellent alternative to wheat and rice (which are the staple carbohydrates in India), as they are loaded with nutrients and protein and are also gluten-free. It is to be noted that millets are not a new trend and they have been used in Indian cooking for centuries, it is just that we have forgotten these wonder foods over the course of time! It’s time to hero them again!

Bajra or Pearl Millet or Kambu is an ancient grain which is loaded with all the goodness from a health perspective. It is high in vitamins, zinc and protein and has a low Glycemic Index (GI) as compared to rice and wheat, so it is extremely good for people with diabetes. It also has a very low calorie density of 1.2 (120 calories per 100 grams) as compared to other grains which means you would feel fuller after having a bajra based meal.

Bajra is used as whole grain as well as ground flour. Bajra flour is quite popular in northern and western part of India and is traditionally used to make Bajra roti which is quite common in winters. In this recipe, we would be using the same Bajra flour to make delicious and instant dosa.

You might be wondering, bajra being such a healthy ingredient and by nature of law of inversion, it would be less tasty! Then you are absolutely wrong! If I have to give you a view of how these dosas taste, the closest that you can imagine is a Rava Dosa. Yes, you heard me right – this Bajra dosa tastes identical to Rava dosa and is so close in looks and taste that one would not be able to guess the difference unless you tell them.

If we now look at the steps of making bajra dosa, you would realize that it is fairly simple and quick. The main ingredient is of course the Bajra flour, but in addition to this I add a small amount of rice flour (1/4th quantity of bajra flour) and couple of tablespoons of semolina or sooji or rava and 1 large tablespoon of curd and mix chopped onions, green chilli, jeera, fresh coriander and curry leaves. All these ingredients are mixed with water to form a thin buttermilk type consistency dosa batter. It is enough to rest this batter for 15 to 20 minutes and then we are good to make the dosas. Though this might sound simple, but there are a few tips that you need to follow to get them perfect and crisp.

Few Tips for perfect Bajra Dosa:

Use Fresh Bajra Flour – It is important to note that the bajra flour should be consumed within max of 2 weeks from the date of grinding to flour. You might have sometimes noticed a bitter taste while consuming bajra roti and the primary reason for this is aged bajra flour. So always make sure to use fresh bajra flour for making this dosa too.

Consistency of the batter – The batter should be thin like buttermilk and free-flowing consistency to get crisp dosas. Follow the exact proportions given in the below recipe and you would never go wrong!

Do not spread the batter on Tawa – This dosa is to be made and cooked exactly like Rava dosa. The batter is to be poured on hot tawa from a height and it should not be spread using a ladle. The holes that are naturally formed should not be filled too.

Rice Flour & Semolina – This recipe requires only a small amount of rice flour and semolina and is added to get the extra crispness. I strongly suggest using both the ingredients, however you may avoid them if you do not wish to use. If you are looking for a gluten-free version, you could add only the rice flour and skip semolina.

Cast Iron Tawa – I generally recommend cast iron tawa over non-stick tawa on any given day, not just for the health reasons, but also to get the perfect crisp dosas. For instant dosas like this one and rava dosa, a cast iron tawa is an absolute must! It is not that you would not be able to make them on a non-stick tawa, but the taste of dosa made on cast iron tawa is simply magnificent.

While cast iron cookware is an excellent option for healthy and safe cooking, but for those who have got to the comfort of the non-stick might initially find it a bit difficult using cast iron. The most obvious reason for this could be that the cast iron cookware is not properly seasoned. A cast iron cookware once properly seasoned works exactly like a non-stick cookware! Let us see few simple steps how to restore and season your cast iron cookware.

Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware:

1. Wash the cast iron dish with a scrubber and light soap solution to get rid of any rust or residues. Make sure to never use steel scrubber for cast iron as it would remove the seasoning layer.
2. Now immediately heat the dish on gas stove till it just dries. Turn off the stove.
3. Now add 2 teaspoon of oil (you could use coconut oil or any other oil like sunflower oil) on the dish and using a paper towel or cloth spread the oil thoroughly. You can even apply a small coat of oil on the back side of the cookware too.
4. 
5. Now turn on the gas stove and keep it on the lowest flame and let the cookware get heated and the oil should start smoking slowly. This process should take around 8 to 10 minutes. Smear some more oil in between if required. The process of oil smoking on iron is a chemical reaction called polymerization which makes a thin layer of non-stick like coating.
6. Turn off the flame and let the tawa cool down completely and store in a dry and clean place. Repeat the seasoning process if required.
7. It is important to note that the cast iron cookware should never be scrubbed too hard with a harsh scrubber and heavy soap solution. After washing the cookware, heat it for around 20 seconds to get rid of the moisture (which causes the rusting) and apply a very small film of oil on it and store. Your cast iron cookware would last for generations!

Serving Suggestion

Bajra dosa tastes best when served with coconut or onion-tomato chutney. Sambhar is optional. This dosa is a great choice for breakfast, or evening snacks or dinner too. It is worth noting that this dosa stays crisp even when it becomes cold, so it is also a great choice for packed lunch or tiffin.

Instant Bajra Dosa

Kannan

Instant Bajra dosa is a crisp millet dosa made without any grinding or fermentation using bajra or pearl millet flour

4 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian, South-Indian

Servings 15 Dosa

Equipment

• Cast Iron Tawa

Ingredients

  

• 2 Cups Bajra Flour
• ½ Cup Rice Flour
• 2 tbsp Rava or Sooji or Semolina
• 1½ tbsp Curd
• 5 Cups Water + or – ¼ cup
• 1 Large Onion finely chopped
• 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds or Jeera optional
• ¼ tsp Asafoetida or Hing
• 5 Cashews broken in quarter
• 2 sprig Curry Leaves finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Fresh Coriander finely chopped
• Oil for cooking

Instructions

 

• Take all the above ingredients except water in a mixing bowl.
  
• Now add 2 cups of water to the ingredients and whisk or mix well to get rid of any lumps.
  
• Once the batter is smooth and without any lumps, add 3 more cups of water and mix well.
  
• Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. Mix well and if you see that the batter has thickened, you may add another ¼ cup of water. The consistency of the batter must be thin somewhat like buttermilk.
  
• Heat the tawa and once it is nice and hot, spread little oil thoroughly on the tawa.
  
• Now take half cup of the batter and pour on the hot tawa from a height. It should form holes or pores. Do not spread the batter or try to fill the pores.
  
• Drizzle oil on the dosa and cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes till the edges start browning.
  
• Carefully flip the dosa and cook for another one minute. Dosa is ready, serve hot with chutney of your choice.
  
• For making the next dosa, sprinkle some water on the tawa and again smear some oil on tawa and continue making the dosa.

Notes

• Always use fresh bajra flour. Old or aged bajra flour might taste bitter.
• You could skip the semolina or rava if you want to make this recipe gluten-free.
• Stir the dosa batter well before making each dosa, as the flour might tend to settle down.
• Cook the dosa on medium flame to ensure it is cooked well and also becomes crisp. Since this dosa is thin, be careful while flipping to ensure it does not break. If you use a well seasoned cast iron tawa, the dosa will never stick to the tawa.
• It is important to sprinkle little water on tawa and smear some oil before making each dosa to get perfect dosas.
• You could also make this dosa multi-grain dosa by replacing one portion of bajra flour with jowar flour.

Keyword Bajra, Bajra Dosa, Breakfast, Dosa, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Instant Dosa, Kambu, Kambu Dosa, Millet Dosa, Millets, Nutritious, Pearl Millet

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