Walk into any south Indian restaurant or tiffin place and masala dosa is the undisputed king of crepes. Unless of course you are in Andhra……..in which case, its the pesarattu-upma that rules the hearts. Hearty crepes made from whole moong dal with a seasoned filling made of semolina, these are very popular in restaurants, small family-owned eateries and especially roadside stalls and bandis (carts). Delicious and healthy, one of these at breakfast is usually enough to take you to lunchtime.
Although not traditional, I always add some greens like kale, spinach or amaranth while grinding the soaked dal in the blender to add an additional nutritive punch and an extra burst of green. Kale works particularly well because of the beautiful golden-green color upon cooking. A small amount of rice or rice flour brings an extra crisp to the pesarattu.
Another big advantage is that unlike the dosa, this batter doesn’t need fermentation and you can make these as soon as you finish grinding. Although at first glance, the combination with upma might leave you confused, it really does complement the pesarattu perfectly. And I am particularly thrilled because after over 25 years of being really bad at making upma, I may just have turned the corner. The secret seems to be a drizzle of some more oil in the pan as a finishing touch.
Also very important is the finely chopped raw onions, cilantro, green chillies and some cumin seeds. In the street food version, they also add red chili and some other super-secret powders but the home versions are simpler and might I say, tastier. The allam pachadi (ginger-tamarind-jaggery chutney) is a perfect accompaniment with it’s sweet-spicy-tangy notes.
So if you are looking to shake up your weekend breakfast or brunch routine, do give these a try!
Pesarattu
Ingredients
- Pesarattu:
- 1 1/2 cups whole moong dal
- 1/2 cup rice ( I used brown rice)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1 thai green chili (more or less as per your taste)
- salt to taste
- To sprinkle:
- 1 medium size onion, finely chopped
- 1 1 /2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- oil for making the pesarattu
- 1 green chili, finely chopped ( more or less as per taste)
- 1 1/2 cups kale leaves (optional)
- Upma:
- 1/2 cup coarse Indian semolina (sooji)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 thai chili, finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finelly chopped
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 1 sprig curry leaves (6-8 leaves)
- 3-4 tbsp oil
Instructions
Pesarattu:
Soak the moong dal and rice together for 6-8 hours. I prefer to soak it overnight.
Add the soaked dal and rice, kale or other greens (if using), green chili, ginger and salt and grind to a thick batter. The batter will look very airy and light. I like to use the Vitamix for this but any blender will work.
Heat a skillet on a medium-high heat and spread the batter like you do for a dosa. You can make it any size you like and the number of pesarattu will depend on the size.
When the crepe turns opaque, sprinkle some of the onion mixture.
Drizzle about a tsp of oil along the periphery and centre of the pesarattu. A little more oil always helps but isn't neccessary 🙂
When the crepes start to turn golden brown at the bottom and lift off the pans at the edges, add about half a cup of upma in the middle and spread lightly.
Fold over to make a semi circles or you can make it into a triange or roll into cylinder.
Serve with the allam pachadi.
Upma:
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add the chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves,ginger and green chili and stir for a few seconds.
Add the onion and fry until it turns transcluscent.
Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and slowly start pouring the semolina with one hand while continuously stirring with the other.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and drizzle the remaining 1-2 tbsp of oil on top.
Mix well and at this point the upma will start to leave the sides of the pan and form a lump.
Turn off the stove and eat as is or with the pesarattu.
