Apart from being a delicious Semolina dosa or crepe one thing I like when I prepare this recipe is never have to think about soaking rice for 3 hrs, making a paste by blending it or going through my pantry to check if I have enough rice stocked up. Most recipes of Indian crepe or dosa needs to go through a fermentation process for a fluffy batter and this is one of the recipes which can be prepared within minutes, without going through the hassle of what kind of rice grain is required for it.
If you are trying this for the first time, make sure you have the right appliance or griddle with even heating. My first attempt was a hit and was on a portable hotplate which later got damaged over time and thereafter my pancakes were not cooking evenly. That’s when I realized my pan was also damaged (thus pancakes turning sticky on the base). However, I managed to get a good tawa made for induction cooking (fits perfectly on my induction hob) after browsing through stores.
When I made my first beautiful semolina crepe with a dip of Asafoetida chutney and tomato rasam (my hubby prepared this – I wished I had taken pictures but I guess will have to wait for the recipe until he does it again 😋)
Appliance needed: Crepe pan/Tawa with tight-fitting lid, 25 cm non-stick
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes: 10 – 12
Ingredients
Olive oil / Veg oil / Ghee
All-purpose flour / Maida – 1 cup
Semolina (fine) – 2/3 cup
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Water – 2 1/2 cup
Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Milk (pastuerised) – 1/2 cup
Shallot for coating the pan with ghee (*see here) – cut through the belly into half / through its root
Seasoning:
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 long strand
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red dry Chili – 2, halved
Directions
Preparing batter:
1. In a large bowl, Mix together flour, semolina and salt. Add water stirring between each addition until it is smooth without lumps.
Pour yogurt and milk . The batter must have a pouring consistency. Mix well and set aside.
Seasoning:
2. Heat a small container until hot coated with 1 tbsp veg oil , add mustard seeds. Once they sputter, add cumin, curry leaves and dry chilies. Toss it for half a minute and pour it into the batter.
Mix the batter. Unfortunately I missed taking picture after seasoning but will update it the next time I make it. 🙂
Crepe Preparation:
3. Heat a crepe pan or omelette pan until hot, then rub around the inside of the pan using the shallot pierced onto a fork.
4. Using a large ladle pour about 100 ml or 1/4 cup (depending on the size of your griddle) into the center, then immediately tip the pan to coat the base evenly to form a thin base. Drizzle some ghee along the sides. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook the pancake for 6 minutes on medium-high heat (induction stove 6).
The pancake or dosa must be set entirely on the top and the sides must turn slightly brown.
5. Using a spatula, loosen the pancake off the griddle. Lift it off and place it on a flat/serving plate (*see notes).
Repeat with the remaining batter from step 4 to make as many pancakes needed.
Serve hot with any dip. My husband prepared coriander chutney to accompany the Semolina Dosa. I make this quiet often on weekends when we can relax and not use too much of our time in the kitchen. You can double the recipe for more pancakes and store left-over batter in the fridge to be used the following day.
If you add more flour the pancakes become less brown in colour.
Notes:
* To grease the pan with oil or ghee click here and check under directions 3-4.
* If your making the pancakes in advance, fold them in quarters and place them in an insulated box to keep them warm.
*While lifting off or removing the pancake decrease heat and when pouring batter increase heat.
Stay Healthy! 🙂
