Brown Rice Neer Dosa is a coastal Karnataka style dosa that is light, soft and delicious. Typically it is made of white raw rice and coconut, but in this recipe, brown rice is used instead of white rice making it healthier, much more nutritious and wholesome. Brown Rice Neer Dosa can be made instantly without the need of fermentation and tastes great with coconut chutney.
The first time I tasted neer dosa was at a relative’s place in Mangalore many many years ago. Immediately I fell in love with it and always pestered my mom to do it. Luckily, a cousin of mine learnt it from her MIL and treated us a couple of times. Although I never learnt the recipe from her or anyone, I really wanted to try it someday. After referring to a few online sources and successful trials with the authentic neer dosa (made with white raw rice), I wanted to try it with brown rice too. Including brown rice and millets in our diets has been a conscious choice, so I have been trying to cook different dishes with them.
How different is brown rice neer dosa from white raw rice neer dosa?
Brown rice neer dosa is no less in taste than the authentic white raw rice based neer dosa. But texture wise, what I noticed is that brown rice neer dosa tends to turn a bit crispier unlike white rice neer dosa. That is why I would highly recommend you to use the exact amount of grated coconut as mentioned in the recipe.
Adding coconut not only gives a wonderful taste but also makes the dosa very soft. So, DO NOT skip it.
Brown rice neer dosa is more filling and heavy, unlike the authentic neer dosa which will be very light. This is generally the case with any dish that uses brown rice.
The soaking time of brown rice is around 10-12 hours, which is the common step you would follow while using brown rice for any dish. This is mainly done to help in easy digestion of brown rice and to also neutralize the phytic acid in it such that the nutrients are better absorbed into the body.
Tips to make the perfect brown rice neer dosa- Beginner Friendly
- As the name says, the batter should be watery (neer/neeru means water in Tulu language). The consistency of the batter should be like that of rava dosa (completely thin and watery). The batter will look like milk in its pouring consistency.
- Before pouring the batter on the pan each time, mix the batter well, as ground rice tends to settle at the bottom.
- If you are using cast iron tawa, drizzle some oil initially before making the first dosa. It is not required to use oil for the next dosas. If you are using non-stick tawa, you do not have to use oil at all. The oil in the coconut (which is used while making the batter) is enough.
- Remove the neer dosa from the pan within a minute so that it does not end up getting crispy. Of course, if you prefer a slightly crispy neer dosa and not a soft light one, you can leave it for few more minutes on the pan. But remember, only soft neer dosa can be served even after it turns cold.
- This dosa is typically not cooked on both sides. Hence, a lid is used to cover and cook the upper side too. But, you can flip and cook the other side too if you wish to.
- If you are not serving the neer dosas immediately, make sure to NOT stack them up when they are hot. This will cause the dosas to stick to each other. So, I would suggest you have two plates in hand so that you can alternately fill the plates with the prepared dosas.
- If you are making neer dosa for the first time, I would suggest keeping the batter a bit thick. Once you make 1-2 dosas and get the hang of it, you can add water accordingly.
- Typically, I pour about 1.5 ladles of batter for each dosa. If you are a beginner, you can use 2 ladles full and make it a bit thick so that it is easy for you to remove it off the pan.
- Also, remember that neer dosa should be porous and not smooth like the usual dosa. So, make sure to pour the batter in that manner.
- If you are refrigerating the batter and using it the next day, make sure to discard the water that would have settled at the top. Add fresh water as required and bring the batter to room temperature before making dosas. This will help avoid the dosa from getting stuck to the pan.
So with all that said, let us now move on to the recipe, shall we??
I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it and writing it down for you all. I would love to hear your feedback on this. When you try it, kindly post your valuable comments below or share it with me personally on Instagram / Facebook, or post it by tagging me. You may also pin this on Pinterest.
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** Standard Measurement: 1 cup= 250mL
Brown Rice Neer Dosa
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
- 4-5 cups water - , or as required
- salt - to taste
- oil - , a few drops
Instructions
- Wash multiple times and soak brown rice for a minimum of 11-12 hours.This step is very important to aid easy digestion of brown rice and to also neutralize the phytic acid in it such that the nutrients are better absorbed into the body.
- Once rice has soaked well, drain away the water. Transfer the soaked rice to a mixer jar along with fresh grated cconut. Add water as required and grind to a ver smooth and fine batter.
- Transfer the batter into a container, add salt to taste. Pour in water as required to achieve thin (milk like) consistency of the batter.
- Heat a tawa and drizzle some oil initially if you are using cast iron one. For a non-stick tawa, it is not required to use oil at all. Make sure the tawa is piping hot.
- Pour the dosa batter all over the tawa. Do not spread the batter, just fill in the gaps with more batter. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the tawa with a lid. Let the dosa cook for a minute. Once you see that the edges are peeling off, take a spatula and fold the dosa. Do not wait too long for it to turn crispy. Neer Dosa should be soft.
- Once removed off the tawa, put it on a plate to cool if you are not serving immediately. Continue the steps to make remaining dosas.
- Brown Rice Neer Dosas go best with spicy coconut chutney and jaggery-coconut mixture. This could also be served with any other veg or non-veg curry of your choice.
Notes
- I would highly suggest you not to skip freshly grated coconut as it gives a wonderful texture and taste which is much needed for brown rice neer dosa especially.
- Remove the neer dosa from the pan within a minute so that it does not end up getting crispy. Of course, if you prefer a slightly crispy neer dosa and not a soft light one, you can leave it for few more minutes on the pan. But remember, only soft neer dosa can be served even after it turns cold.
- If you are making neer dosa for the first time, I would suggest keeping the batter a bit thick. Once you make 1-2 dosas and get the hang of it, you can add water accordingly.
- You can follow the same instructions to make neer dosa with regular white raw rice. Sona Masuri white or brown rice is the best for this.