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2 green moong dal dosa folded served with ginger chutney in a white plate
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5 from 4 votes

Pesarattu | Green Moong Dal Dosa

how to make moong dal dosa
Prep Time6 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 12 Dosa
Author: Madhavi

Ingredients

For Pesarattu batter-

  • 1 cup whole green moong dal
  • 1.5 tbsp rice flour
  • 2 green chili
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ inch ginger
  • 1.5 cups water or as required
  • salt to taste

Toppings -

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 small green chili, finely chopped optional
  • cup finely chopped coriander leaves

other ingredients-

  • oil to make the dosa, as required

Ingredients for Ginger Chutney-

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 inch ginger, roughly chopped or to taste
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp roasted chana dal
  • tamarind to taste
  • 1-2 tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • salt to taste
  • 3 tsp oil

Tempering ingredients for chutney-

  • 1 tsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • few curry leaves
  • 1 pinch asafoetida

Instructions

Pesarattu batter -

  • Pick, wash and soak the green moong dal in plenty of water for 6 hours or overnight. If you like crispy dosa, soak them for just 6 hours.
  • Drain all the water and add the dal to a blender. Add the green chili, ginger and cumin seeds. Add 1 cup of water and grind the dal. The batter should be smooth and slightly thick.
  • Transfer the batter to a large bowl,add the rice flour and stir well. Set a side for 15 minutes. Add enough salt and mix the batter for 30 seconds.
  • Before making the dosa, check the consistency of the batter, it should be slightly thick but free flowing. Add little water to adjust the consistency, about ⅓ -½ cup.

For the toppings-

  • In a bowl mix finely chopped onion, green chili (optional), grated carrot and coriander leaves. Mix it, we will be using this mixture inside the pesarattu.

Making the dosa-

  • Heat a griddle, use a cast iron skillet for best results. Spread some oil and wipe it off. Sprinkle some water, if the water bubbles up and absorbs all the water, the pan is ready. Wipe off the excess water.
  • Take a ladle full of batter, pour the batter in the center of the griddle and using the back of the same ladle spread the batter in to a thin circle, making sure the edges are not very thick
  • Drizzle some oil on the sides and in the middle and cook for 30 seconds. Now add the onion mixture on one side, drizzle little oil on the onion mixture and press gently so that the onion mixture sticks to the dosa. Close the lid and cook for 30 seconds. The steam will help onions to get soft, you don’t want the taste of raw onion.
  • When you open the lid, you will see the sides and the center getting brown. Cook for another 45 seconds depending on how crispy you like the dosa. We are only going to cook the dosa on one side.
  • Scrape the sides of the dosa and roll it. Remove the dosa and enjoy with ginger chutney.

 Cone shape dosa -

  • Spread the batter into thin circle, drizzle oil and cook till golden on the edges. Slit the dosa from one side and roll to a cone shape.

Dosa cooked on both sides and onion sauteed seperately -

  • If you want to cook the dosa from both sides, do not add the raw onion mixture. Instead seperately saute the onion with little oil and add it to the cooked dosa and fold.

Making Ginger Chutney -

  • Heat 3 tsps oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook for 30 seconds and then add the onion and ginger. Cook till slightly soft and brown. Don't cook till super soft.. Add the red chili powder, tamarind, sugar and salt, Cook for a minute. Turn off the stove and cool the mixture.
  • In a blender add the roasted chana dal and pulse it few times. Now add the sauteed onion-ginger mixture and grind it. Do not make a paste. Taste the chutney and adjust the salt. If you need more tang, add some lemon juice.
  • To do the tempering - heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard pop and then add the urad dal and curry leaves. When the urad becomes light brown, add the asafoetida and switch off the flame. Add the tempering to the chutney and enjoy with moong dal dosa.

Notes

Please refer the tips and step by step instructions above to get perfectly crispy moong dal dosa. 
Rice flour can be replaced with raw rice. Soak it with the dal and grind it to a smooth paste. 
You can also skip the rice or rice flour and make the dosa with just green moong dal.