Daring Cooks: Gluten-Free Indian Dosas (recipe)

Finally! I have completed (and posted) a Daring Cooks Challenge on time! I have been cooking along with this most recent adjunct to the Daring Bakers community but have always ended up missing the deadlines for one reason or another. No more!

This time around the challenge was Indian Dosas. I’ve made dosas before but this was my first time doing so with gluten-free flour. Two suggested accompaniments were also given; a curried chickpea filling and a coconut curry gravy. I decided to use the recommended filling but broke away and made a Tridoshic Dal recipe that I’ve had my eye on for a few years.

I’ve noticed that gluten-free flours don’t brown up like traditional ones do, so the dosas were a good bit paler than what I’m used to. That didn’t affect the taste though and I really enjoyed how they came out. The filling however was not as satisfying. The proportions and seasonings were all wrong where my preferences were concerned. The seasonings were much too overpowering. I tried to balance things out by adding some tomato but even that wasn’t enough. My next recourse would have been to throw in some coconut milk but that would have turned it into a sauce, which wasn’t what I wanted. I had no choice but to leave it be. Although J said he liked it in the future I will stick to my tried and true curried channa recipe.

The true star of the ensemble was the Tridoshic Dal. Warm, comforting and blissfully aromatic, it was the perfect balance to the spiciness of the filling and formed a great sopping sauce for the dosas as well 🙂

In the end I think that the success of this dish lies in finding the right balance of flavours in the fillings and sauces. I definitely want to play around some more! Any adventurous suggestions? I’m glame for (almost) anything, just no pork or shellfish please 😉

Indian Dosas
Source: Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water (you will need more if using gluten-free flour, add gradually)
cooking spray, if needed

METHOD:
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.