Safety first: Lower in added sugar, not sugar-free. Not medical or nutrition advice; check with your doctor about your own diet. Please read our editorial guidelines before you start.
Key takeaways
- Blend with the smaller amount of water first, then thin 1 Tbsp at a time until it pours slowly like thin pancake batter.
- Use a medium-hot nonstick pan, spread each dosa in one pass, and flip once it looks dry on top.
- Refrigerate leftover batter in a covered jar and use it within 2 days.
In this post4 sections
What we found, and what we are guessing
The pesarattu and green moong dosa recipes we read agree on the method: soak whole green moong (some add rice or rice flour), grind with ginger and green chilies, add spinach for the palak version, and cook thin dosas right away with no fermenting. They soak anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, and say a shorter soak gives a crisper dosa. They warn that a very thin batter or an overheated pan gives a pale, patchy or brown dosa, to grease the pan between dosas, and that leftover batter keeps in the fridge for a day or two. The reel's version adds black chickpeas and rice flour; the chickpeas are our reading of the reel and not in the sources. We could not read reader comments, so complaints here come from the recipes' own tips. We use the cautious 2 day limit for leftover batter, not the reel's 3 days.
Watch the reel by @living.with.niharika on Instagram
Tested recipe
Spinach Moong Dosa
Thin savory crepes from soaked whole green moong beans, black chickpeas, spinach, ginger and chilies, blended and cooked right away with no fermenting. About 8 dosas, plus an 8 hour soak.
Ingredients
Batter (soak the beans and chickpeas first)
- 1 cup whole green moong beans, dry, also sold as green gram or mung beans; rinsed
- 1/4 cup kala chana (black chickpeas), dry; brown chickpeas also work
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 to 2 green chilies, seeded for less heat
- 2 Tbsp rice flour, check the label if you need gluten-free
- 2 cups baby spinach, packed
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, add the smaller amount first
- 1 tsp salt
To cook and serve
- 2 tsp neutral oil, about 1/4 tsp per dosa, more for the pan edge
- 1/2 cup tomato chutney, store-bought or homemade, for serving
Steps
Step pictures are AI illustrations, not our dish. Our photos are coming after we cook it.
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Soak the moong beans and kala chana together in plenty of cool water for 8 hours, covered. In a warm kitchen, soak them in the fridge so they do not sour.
AI illustration -
Drain and rinse the beans and chickpeas well. Discard the soaking water.
AI illustration -
Blend the drained beans, chickpeas, garlic, ginger, chilies, rice flour, spinach and 1/2 cup of the water until smooth, scraping down once, about 2 minutes. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time until the batter pours slowly like thin pancake batter. Stir in the salt.
AI illustration -
Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat for 2 minutes. Wipe it with a few drops of oil on a paper towel.
AI illustration -
Pour 1/3 cup batter in the middle. With the back of the measuring cup, spread it outward in circles to a thin 7 to 8 inch round. Drizzle 1/2 tsp oil around the edge.
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Cook about 2 minutes, until the top looks dry, the edges lift and the underside is golden with darker spots. Flip and cook 30 to 60 seconds. If the batter sticks or tears when you spread it, lower the heat and thin the batter with 1 Tbsp water.
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Fold in half, move to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, wiping the pan with a little oil between dosas and stirring the batter before each pour. Serve warm with chutney.
AI illustration
Notes
- Dosa batter is a thin pourable batter. Too thick and it will tear when spread; too thin and it will not hold together. Stop at the consistency of heavy cream plus a little.
- The beans and chickpeas are soaked, not boiled. The dosa cooks them in the pan, so keep the dosas thin and make sure they are cooked through, golden on both sides.
- Do not soak longer than 12 hours, and drain and rinse well before blending.
- This batter is used right away and is not fermented. It will not taste sour like a traditional fermented dosa.
- Contains chickpeas. Check the rice flour label for gluten-free cooking.
- The reel gives no oven or pan timings. The soak time, water amount and cook times are our estimates, based on the pesarattu recipes we read.
Swaps
- Use 1 1/4 cups green moong and skip the kala chana; untested.
- Add 1 tsp cumin seeds to the blender, as many pesarattu recipes do; untested.
- Use kale in place of spinach; untested.
Storage and reheating
Storage: Cooked dosas keep refrigerated in a covered container up to 2 days. Leftover batter keeps covered in the fridge up to 2 days; stir it and thin it with a little water before cooking. Refrigerate within 2 hours. We have not tested freezing.
Reheating: Warm a dosa in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until steaming hot (165°F).
Nutrition (1 serving (2 dosas))
- Calories: 270 calories
- Carbs: 46 g
- Sugar: 5 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Fat: 4 g
- Sodium: 605 mg
Estimates only, summed from standard USDA SR Legacy values per ingredient. Not medical or nutrition advice.
Where this recipe comes from
- Inspired by Palak Moong Dal Dosa from Indian Veggie Delight and Andhra Pesarattu from Indian Healthy Recipes, with batter-thickness tips from Hebbar's Kitchen.
- The idea came from this reel by @living.with.niharika.
How to serve it
Serve warm with tomato chutney or plain yogurt and a side of sliced cucumber. Two dosas a person makes a light breakfast.
Every recipe from Diane's reels in one printable book: the Healthy Recipes Cookbook.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to ferment the batter?
No. This batter is blended and used right away. It tastes milder than a fermented dosa.
Why is my dosa sticking?
The pan may be too cool or too dry, or the batter too thick. Use a nonstick pan on medium, wipe it with a little oil, and thin the batter with a tablespoon of water.
Can I make it without chickpeas?
We have not tested it. Use a full 1 1/4 cups of green moong beans instead.
