Chola Maavu Nei Roast/Jolada Hittina Tuppada Roast - Ghee Roasted Sorghum Dosa

  CHOLA MAAVU NEI ROAST/  

  JOLADA HITTINA TUPPADA ROAST 

A breakfast at Hotel Ramavilas in Sathyamangalam was the topmost in our agenda during all our trips to South India. We enjoyed the drive through the cool  forests of the Dhimbam ghats in the early hours of the morning.The sprawling greenery and a few wild animals spotted in the morning mist were feast to our eyes. As we descended via the 27 Hairpin Bends and drove towards Sathyamangalam we were in for another grand feast. This time it was a gastronomic feast at Hotel Ramavilas. The authentic and traditional breakfast was served in a simple but clean ambiance. The steaming hot Idlies, crisp golden Vadas, delicious Dosas, flavoursome Sambars and tasty Chutneys are still fresh in my memory. We arrived at the hotel quite early in the morning when pots full of freshly churned butter was being delivered at the hotel's doorstep, giving away the secret of the heavenly aroma that emanated from the kitchen. Yes! The aroma which permeated the entire atmosphere was that of fresh ghee  made out of freshly churned organic butter supplied by the rustic milk maids. Those were the days when everything was naturally fresh and organic.We hungrily tucked in our tasty and flavoursome breakfast served on banana leaves with so much relish, that the leaves  looked spotless and shiny even after we finished our breakfast! The golden Ghee Roast bursting with the aroma of fresh ghee was so thin, crisp and flavoursome that one could savour at least half a dozen of them at the same time! 

Sorghum/Cholam/Jola  has a quality which makes the dosas naturally crisp. Cooking in ghee makes it even more crisp and flavoursome. Soaking Sorghum/Cholam/Jola for a long time makes it more nutritious and easily digestible. It also makes grinding easy. I used my table top grinder for the purpose.The end product kindled my nostalgia about the Nei Roasts that I had enjoyed as a small girl at Hotel Ramavilas long long ago. I hear that the hotel is still doing very well even after so many decades.  Anna Daataa Sukhi Bhava !

INGREDIENTS

Sorghum/ Cholam/Jola - 3 cups

Black gram dal - 1 cup

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

METHOD

1. Wash and soak Sorghum and black gram dal together for 5 hours.

2. Grind them together into a smooth batter adding water as required.

3. When the batter becomes smooth add salt and sugar and grind for another two to three minutes.

4. Allow the batter to ferment overnight.

5. The batter will rise by the morning. Add little water to the batter if it is too thick for spreading.

6. Dribble little sesame oil on the iron griddle and rub it thoroughly all over the surface using a cut onion.

7. The griddle/tava is ready for use if it makes a hissing sound when little water is sprinkled on it.

8. Pour a ladleful of the dosa batter in the center. Spread the batter  into a thin dosa using the back of the ladle using circular motions.
9. Dribble ghee liberally around the dosa, and brush some on the top as well.

10. Reduce flame to medium heat and cook till a brown colour is visible through the lacy dosa.

 Gently fold and the remove the crisp and crunchy ghee roast using a spatula.

Enjoy the flavoursome and crunchy Chola Maavu Nei Roast/ Jolada Hittina Tuppada Dosae with coconut chutney and 'gun powder'.