This recipe originated due to a tragic lack of gram dal in rural Virginia. My children eat it cheerfully (generally with peanut butter), it's flexible, it has protein in it. It's good with curry! You can make quite a lot! Etc.
Do Ahead Version:
Soak overnight in two separate bowls:
1 lb bean of your choice (red lentils, black eyed peas, NOT kidney beans)
A cup or two of any kind of rice
- for more authenticity, boil water, pour it over the rice, then soak overnight: dosa rice is parboiled
Pour off most of the water, saving about two cups somewhere.
Grind the beans in a food processor, adding water until it forms a smooth thick paste that is the consistency of pancake batter or glue. Put in a bowl. Then grind up rice the same. Mix together and leave, covered, in a warm place for 2-3 days. If you have sourdough starter of any kind, you can add a little. It should smell kind of like yogurt. If you're worried about it, add a tablespoon of yogurt and a pinch of yeast before fermenting. After the 2+3 days add about 2 teaspoons salt and mix well.
Cook in a well-oiled nonstick waffle iron on the high setting. Good with practically anything. Batter keeps a long time in the refrigerator and can also be made into dosa-like pancakes, though it may need thinned a bit.
Oh No What's For Dinner Version:
1 lb red lentils
2 c rice flour (or wheat, if you want)
Some water
Maybe an egg
Yeast
Salt
Pour boiling water over lentils and leave them for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, mix flour and water to a medium thick paste and add yeast and salt. When lentils have cooled enough to handle, grind as above and mix into flour. Add an egg if you feel like it, and salt. Waffulate.
How did you know I needed more recipes that use my waffle iron?! This is getting added to my meal plan.
ReplyDeleteEveryone ALWAYS needs more waffles. I also recommend the Smitten Kitchen latke recipe, but in a waffle iron!
DeleteIs it supposed to be crunchy? Mine are crunchy, like the rice didn't get hydrated enough... Perhaps I should have added more water.
DeleteNot really. You have to grind the rice up a LOT and it really should soak overnight. The boiling water thing helps. They probably have dosa rice at one of the Indian markets? Or Jasmine rice is thinner, sometimes soaks up better. Oh, also it tends to be grittier if you don't grind rice and lentils separately?
DeleteI did soak long grain white rice overnight, starting with boiling water. I probably didn't grind it enough, though I did grind it separately. Then I left it on the counter for two days. It was fine, C1 ate it with peanut butter but C2 wouldn't have more than a bite. Patrick eats everything without complaining, especially since I served it with super spicy Indian food.
DeleteI've made gritty ones before! (Also, you could add a little yogurt and yeast to make sure it ferments. I'm not sure the recipe is Very Cold Winter proof. It takes foreeeeever to grind it finely enough! Should turn kind of sticky when it's getting there. I don't know. I'm sorry! It shouldn't still be so crunchy!
DeleteMade the fast version tonight. Whole family actually ate lentils. Awesome! What do you serve them with? We had ratatouille, but would try something else next time
ReplyDeleteI know, right? My kids haaaaate beans. Unless they're burgers or waffles. And red lentils are surprisingly high in protein! Plus our Walmart carries them. (Two grocery stores and a Walmart, that's it for 20 miles in any direction.)
DeleteMy boys always eat them with peanut butter and sometimes cheese. For the adults, to be honest usually I make us dosas (i.e. i spread and cook some batter in a nonstick skillet) while the waffles are cooking, and some kind of curry or soup or dal to go with.
Oooh. I like the soup or dal idea. Mmmmmm. Thanks!
ReplyDelete