Gluten Free Sourdough Fusion Dosa
Inspired by the classic south Indian dosa; a crispy, savory crepe often served with spiced potatoes and vegetables, these are sourdough dosa! This interpretation uses brown rice and red lentils, and a gluten-free sourdough starter. The starter speeds up the fermentation, lends a tangy sourdough flavor to the dish, creates a slightly softer pancake-like texture and helps to promote gut health and digestion.
I am straight up obsessed with these! I am an omnivorous and highly active person who relies a lot on animal protein in my diet, which from a sustainability perspective, I don’t love. So, I have been focusing a lot recently on finding vegetarian or vegan recipes to add to my arsenal that I still find easily digestible and sustaining. Many of us find beans to be difficult to digest, but I would say red lentils are one of the more approachable legumes. They break down as they cook which helps with the pre-digestion of them. The natural yeast that makes up a sourdough starter, are similar to taking a probiotic, in that they support the healthy bacterial cultures in our intestines and colon, which promote absorption of nutrients as well as producing some themselves (such as B vitamins).
Enter, the sourdough dosa! Adding a small amount of gluten free sourdough starter/ discard to the dosa batter (in this interpretation made with red lentil and whole grain brown rice) speeds up the fermentation process and lends the classic tangy sourdough flavor to these delicious thin pan-fried pancakes. It becomes a single-day project instead of 24-48 hours of waiting! More dosa, less waiting I say. These bastardized dosa are a bit spongier than traditional dosa, and can be used with traditional fillings of masala potato and vegetables, or for anything you would use a tortilla for!
Ingredient Fun Facts:
The classic south Indian dosa uses urad dal (black lentils) and a specialized short grain white rice. They are traditionally fermented for 24 hours using fenugreek spice which encourages the fermentation process.
- red lentils: In the spirit of experimentation, you can really try any lentil with these! I love the taste of red lentils and find them more easily digestible than other lentil varieties. Lentils are high in protein (especially when combined with whole grains), fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- brown rice: paired with red lentils, brown rice creates a complete source of vegetable protein. This recipe could be done with any number of grains, it is really open to your experimentation! Oats, various types of white rice, black or red rice are all possibilities in the wondrous world of dosa experiments
- active gluten-free sourdough starter: Using a small amount of brown rice-buckwheat sourdough starter in this recipe, has a few benefits to it. The starter speeds up fermentation, allowing these fusion dosa to be a single day project, it brings a tangy flavor and softer “crepe” texture, while still maintaining crispy dosa edges. Finally wild yeast (the “alive” part of a sourdough starter) are fantastic for gut bacterial health and promoting digestion! More information on sourdough starter here.
- fenugreek: a popular spice in Indian cuisine, simultaneously bitter and sweet tasting. In traditional dosa, fenugreek acts as a welcome sign to the wild yeast in the air, promoting fermentation. In this recipe, the sourdough takes over most of the fermentation process, while the fenugreek adds an additional dimension of flavor.
How to Make Sourdough Dosa:
Note: This recipe uses sourdough starter, which can be added cold or activated out of the fridge. The active starter will shorten fermentation time, but using a cold starter will develop the sourdough flavor more. For more information on gluten free sourdough starter click here.
1. In the morning, soak the red lentils and brown rice separately in water, leaving about 2 inches of coverage. Soak for at least 4 hours.
2. Pour out most of the water from the rice and lentils, add lentils to a blender, add a little fresh water as needed (a tablespoon or 2) and blend until frothy.
3. Add the rice into the blender with the lentils, add a little more fresh water as needed, and process until a relatively smooth batter forms. Some gritty texture will always remain from the rice, but this is part of the charm of dosa! Don’t worry about the thickness of the batter at this stage, we will adjust it later.
4. Pour the batter into a container or bowl with plenty of room to grow/ferment
5. Add sourdough starter and fenugreek and mix until completely combined.
6. The batter with a plate or lid which allows for a little airflow (no airtight containers), and let it sour/rise for 6-8 hours, or until the mixture has about doubled or more. The longer the fermentation, the more flavor!
7. When the batter has fermented, pre-heat a cast iron skillet or crepe-skillet to a medium heat, and add a small amount of coconut oil, just so that it just coats the bottom of the pan. You don’t want too much oil or the dosa might stick or burn.
8. Add the salt. Add the water incrementally to the batter until it resembles a thin pancake batter when poured. Use your first dosa as the “tester” for batter thickness.
9. When the pan is hot (the oil is just beginning to smoke a little), make a test dosa: using a 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring spoon, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan in a spiraling motion, aiming to make a solid round pancake
10. Working as quickly as possible, using the bottom of the measuring cup, spread the batter from the middle of the cooking dosa gently off the edges so that the dosa becomes larger in circumference and thinner overall.
11. Let the dosa cook until the top is dry and the edges begin to brown. Then carefully slide the spatula under the edge and work your way around, which should release the dosa from the pan. If the edges won’t release, the dosa may not be ready yet! The pan may also not be hot enough, or too hot! This part takes a little bit of experimentation, but be patient.
12. If the mixture isn’t spreading easily, add a tiny bit of water to the batter, and try the first dosa cooked for salt level
13. Add a little coconut oil to grease the pan for each dosa and recipe steps 9 - 11 until all the batter has been used, and you have a beautiful stack of fresh dosa, waiting to be filled!
14. Enjoy with your filling of choice and have fun experimenting! Dosa are versatile and nutritious. You can experiment as well with different grains, lentils and fermentation timings. Happy Dosa to you all.
Dosa Troubleshoots
My sourdough dosa are sticking to the pan!
- Is the pan too hot or too cold? The pan should have a strong sizzle when you pour the batter on (or test with water), but not so much that the oil is smoking a lot and the batter is cooking before it can be spread. The dosa should brown evenly to a golden color, if it is browning too quickly and sticking, the pan is too hot.
- Did you add too much oil? The oil should only just coat the pan in a thin layer, not more than that. Otherwise, the dosa fry in it and adhere to the pan.
- Did you leave it long enough? If the oil and pan temperature are right, the edges of the dosa will begin to turn brown, but they may not be ready to be released from the pan just yet. Be patient, they can take 5-10 minutes to brown properly, and will be easily releasable from the pan. Get the spatula under one part of the edge, and gently working your way around releasing the rest of the dosa and flip onto a plate to cool.
My sourdough dosa aren’t spreading!
- It may need a little more water - only add about 1 tbsp at a time. The batter should be very thin, thinner than a standard pancake batter.
- Make sure the flat bottom of the measuring cup is level, and that you are only just pressing into the batter to spread it, put too much pressure and your measuring cup will get stuck and rip the dosa.
Questions? Feel free to contact me!
Gluten-Free Sourdough Fusion Dosa
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (90g) red lentils
- 1 1/4 (225g) cups brown rice
- 1/4 cup (75g) gluten-free sourdough starter, cold or activated (will affect fermentation time)
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- coconut oil (for cooking)`
- 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring spoon with flat bottom
- cast iron skillet or a dosa/crepe pan - preferably not non-stick*
Instructions:
- In the morning, soak the lentils and rice in water, with about 2” of coverage, for at least 4 hours
- After soaking, pour out most of the water from the rice and lentils, add lentils to a blender, and blend until frothy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of fresh water to blend.
- Once frothy, add the rice, a little more fresh water as needed, and process until a relatively smooth batter forms (some gritty texture will remain from the rice, this is part of the charm!)
- Pour the batter into a container or bowl with plenty of room to grow
- Add sourdough starter and fenugreek and mix until completely combined in a thick batter
- Covering with a plate or lid which allows for a little airflow, let sour/rise for 6-8 hours, or until the mixture has about doubled or more (the more time, the more flavor!)
- When the batter is ready, pre-heat the pan to a medium heat, and add a small amount of coconut oil to just coat the bottom of the pan, do not over oil!
- While the pan is heating, add water incrementally to the batter until it resembles a very thin pancake batter when poured, then add salt
- When the pan is just starting to smoke, make a test dosa: using a flat-bottomed 1/4 or 1/3 cup measure, pour batter onto the pan in a fast spiraling motion (inside to out), aiming to create a filled-in circle
- Immediately use the bottom of the measuring cup, keeping it level, to gently spread the uncooked batter gently off the edges so that the dosa becomes larger and thinner. The time frame is short, so work quickly but be gentle!
- Let the dosa fry until the top is dry and the edges have browned (may even begin to lift slightly). Carefully slide the spatula under the edge and work your way around to lift the dosa off and flip onto a plate**
- If the mixture isn’t spreading easily, add a little water, and try the first dosa for salt level
- Add a little coconut oil to grease the pan for each dosa and recipe steps 9 - 11 until all the batter has been used, and you have a pile of dosa
- Enjoy with your filling of choice, such as: green beans and cauliflower stir-fry with lime, shredded coconut and cumin, pesto tilapia with roasted tomatoes or more traditional Indian fillings such as potato masala
Recipe Notes:
Calories
155.26Fat (grams)
4.13Sat. Fat (grams)
2.95Carbs (grams)
25.11Fiber (grams)
3.68Net carbs
21.44Sugar (grams)
0.47Protein (grams)
4.66Sodium (milligrams)
496.30Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
