Kaalu Dosae - South Indian Pan Cake Topped With Garnished Field Beans

KAALU DOSAE

Visiting the Avarebele Mela and especially enjoying the delicious Kaalu Dosae there has become an annual ritual in the family ! The dosaes are cooked on huge sizzling hot rectangular iron girdles over giant size blazing stoves .

 The hissing of the hot hot girdle  when water is sprinkled after removing each batch of dosaes -

 The girdle swabbed with oil in preparation for the next batch of golden dosaes -

 The snow white dosae  batter poured out in uniform circles to make six dosaes at a time -

 The Kaalu mixture evenly spread out and pressed on every dosae with utmost care -

And finally a swish of Nandini Ghee spurting out straight out of the sachet with pinpoint accuracy around each dosae -

Oh ! What  an awesome sight to behold !
And the heavenly aroma is something out of the world !

Cooking dosaes by the dozen in multiple batches through out the day is a Herculean task.
It is certainly an art which needs a lot of expertise and precision.
Hats off to the nifty hands of the Dosae makers at the Mela !

After having enjoyed the flavoursome golden dosaes at the Mela , I wish to share the recipe with all the ardent fans of Kaalu through this post.

Here is the recipe to make Kaalu Dosaes at home.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOSAE BATTER

Raw rice - 1 1/2 cups

Idly sooji ( broken par boiled rice looking similar to semolina) - 1 1/2 cups

Black gram dal - 1 cup

Beaten rice - 2 tbsps

Bengal gram dal - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

TO MAKE THE BATTER

1. Soak all ingredients (except the Idly sooji) together for about two hours.

2. Soak Idly sooji separately.

3. Grind all the soaked ingredients together adding water into a smooth paste.

4. Squeeze out the Idly sooji and add to the paste and continue grinding till the batter becomes soft and fluffy adding water if necessary.

5. Mix in 1 1/2 tsps of salt and 1/2 spoon of sugar into the batter.

6. Keep the batter covered and allow it to ferment over night.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE KAALU TOPPING

1. Field beans / Kaalu - 1 1/2 cups

2. Onion - 1 big

3. Green chillies - 1 or 2

4. Fresh ginger - 1 piece

5. Fresh coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

6. Salt - 1/4 tsp

TO MAKE THE KAALU TOPPING

1. Boil the beans till tender .

2. Mince finely onion, green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves.

3. Mix all the ingredients with salt just before you start to make dosaes.

TO MAKE THE DOSAES

1. Grease a tava with ghee and heat till it hisses when water is sprinkled on it. ( Iron tavas are best for making good dosaes).

2. Decrease flame and pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava.

3. Spread it into a moderately thick dosae.

4. Wait till bubbles start appearing on the dosae .

5. Take a huge spoonful of the Kaalu mixture and sprinkle evenly all over the dosae.

6. Dribble ghee all round the dosae.

7. When the dosae is half done gently press down and embed the Kaalu mixture into the dosae.

8. When the dosae is done, gently flip it using a spatula and cook on the other side for one more minute.

9. Remove the flavoursome golden Kaalu dosae  on to a plate and serve with gatti chutney and sambar.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE GATTI CHUTNEY

1. Fresh coconut gratings - 1/2 cup

2. Roasted gram/ Hurigadale - 1 cup

3. Green chilly - 1

4 . Fresh ginger - 1 inch piece

5. Few springs of fresh Dil leaves

6. Salt - 1/4 tsp

TO MAKE THE GATTI CHUTNEY

1. Blend all the ingredients into a coarse powder.

2. Add water and run the mixer till you get a thick and slightly coarse chutney.

3. Splutter a pinch of mustard seeds in 1/4 tsp of hot oil and season the Gatti Chutney.

Enjoy with the delicious Kaalu Dosaes.