Vegan, high-protein, and gluten-free Dosa that makes a perfect breakfast or tiffin.
Pesarattu or mung bean (green gram) dosa, as the name says, is made mainly from mung beans with a small addition of raw rice to make it crispier.
I am quite fond of lentil and legume-based dosas for the taste, nutrition, and ease of making that they offer. One can make these dosas with a combination of legumes & lentils or with just one of them. I like the mixed legumes dosas the most, and my next favorite is this Pesarattu.
Talking about Pesarattu’s nutrition, green gram, also known as Mung Beans, is known to be one of the best sources of plant-based protein and is high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Hence, Pesarattu is a power-packed nutritious dish.
What is Pesarattu
Pesarattu (In Telugu, Pesara-Attu: Pesara meaning mung beans and Attu meaning Dosa) is a dish that originated in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India.
Basically, Pesarattu is a variety of dosa or the south Indian crepe that is made of mung beans /green gram mainly, along with a few spices. Raw rice is also added along in small quantities.
Adding rice is not mandatory, however, it lends a nice crispy texture to the dosa. Also, adding a grain (like rice) along with lentil/legume makes it a complete source of protein.
This dosa is made instantly and does not need fermentation. However, you can ferment and make the dosas too.
Ingredients Required
Mung Beans- these are whole beans also known as Green Gram.
Raw Rice- Sona Masuri or any other variety like idli/dosa rice can also be used. Basmati rice is not preferred. You can use white, brown, or red rice varieties as well.
Ginger- adds flavor, helps in digestion, and avoids bloating due to the beans.
Cumin seeds- also add flavor, and aid digestion along with providing a lot of health benefits too.
Green chilies- to spice the dosa slightly. Dry red chilies can be used in place of green chilies.
Curry leaves- they add a lovely flavor, and have amazing health benefits too.
How to make crispy Pesarattu: Step-by-Step
Note: 1 cup = 250 ml
Step 1:
Rinse 1 cup green gram along with 3 tablespoons of Sona Masuri rice well. Soak them in 2.5 to 3 cups water for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
Step 2:
Once they are well soaked (green gram & rice should have turned soft and easy to break with your fingers), discard the remaining water. Transfer them to a mixer jar along with 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 inch roughly chopped ginger, a few curry leaves, and green chilies (optional).
Step 3:
Pour in 3/4 to 1 cup water and grind everything well to a smooth batter. Transfer to a bowl and add around 1 tsp salt (adjust as per your taste) and mix the batter well. The batter should be of normal dosa consistency. If it is too thick, add more water.
Step 4:
Heat a dosa tawa/pan. Grease some oil. Once it is hot (check by splashing some water), pour a ladleful of the batter on the Tawa. Spread it as thin or thick as you like. Drizzle oil or ghee, and cover with a lid.
Step 5:
Once one side has turned brown, flip and cook the other side also for a few seconds. You can skip this though and cook only one side if you like it soft.
What to serve with Pesarattu
Pesarattu is traditionally served with ginger chutney, also known as Allam Pachadi.
It can also be served with any south Indian chutney of choice like coconut chutney, peanut chutney, tomato onion chutney, etc.
It can also be served with sambar or dal. I also enjoy it with plain yogurt.
Interestingly, it is served with plain upma (filled inside the dosa) in the Telugu-speaking regions as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use a mixer/blender or grinder for this?
A mixer/ blender is good enough for this. You need not use a grinder. However, if you wish to make this in bigger quantities, you can definitely use a grinder to lessen your work and to avoid your mixie from heating up.
Can I make fermented dosa?
Yes, once the batter is ground, you can ferment it for 6 to 10 hours depending on the temperature so that it turns a little sour and gets fermented well.
Can the batter be used upon refrigeration?
The batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Before making the dosa, make sure the batter is taken out of the refrigerator and brought to room temperature.
Why is the rice used, can I skip adding it?
It is not mandatory to add rice. Some people authentically make this only with green gram. To make sure the addition of rice is also authentic, I checked with a Telugu food blogger on Instagram and she confirmed this. So, the addition of rice is also authentic. 🙂 I have tried this with and without rice and have noticed differences in the texture of the dosa. The one made with rice is crispier, and I always follow this method. However, you can skip it if you wish to.
Can I use whole grains instead of rice?
Adding a grain with a lentil or legume makes it a complete meal. If you do not wish to add rice, you can use any other whole grain like millet, quinoa, broken wheat. Also, unpolished rice can be used instead of white rice.
Can I use rice flour instead of raw rice?
Yes. You don’t need to soak it of course. After grinding soaked green gram into a batter, add 2 tbsp rice flour into the batter and use it.
Can I use sprouted green gram?
Absolutely! Sprouted green gram is more nutritious, making the dosa healthier. You will have to soak rice separately for this as we will not have to soak sprouted green gram. To make it clear, transfer the sprouts into a mixer jar along with soaked & drained rice, other ingredients, water and grind.
How to make soft and fluffy Pesarattu like Uttapa/Uthappam?
Firstly, after grinding the batter, beat or whisk it well so that air is incorporated and the batter turns light and airy. Also, make sure the batter is not runny. A little thicker than normal dosa batter is also okay. Then, use 1 to 1.5 ladle(s) full of the batter. After pouring, do not spread the batter too much. This will give you a nice soft fluffy pesarattu.
Can vegetables be added?
Yes, why not? For example, you can use grated carrot, beetroot, chayote, chopped onion, tomato, capsicum. You can either mix these in the batter or after pouring and gently spreading the batter you can top it with these veggies for a Uttapa kind of dosa.
Optionally, you can make a puree of beetroot/ carrot or spinach and mix it with the batter.
A lot of people also make this Pesarattu with the addition of finely chopped onions alone. It is quite traditional as well.
Recipe Card
Pesarattu (Mung Bean Dosa)
Ingredients
Note: 1 cup = 250 ml
- 3/4 cup Mung beans (green gram) - around 275 gm
- 3 tbsp white rice - around 65 gm
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger
- 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 numbers green chilies - optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 to 3 tbsp oil
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse green gram and raw rice and soak them in 3 cups water for at least 5 hours.
- Once they have turned soft, discard the water. Transfer them to a mixer/blender jar.
- Also add in cumin seeds, roughly chopped ginger, curry leaves and green chilies (if using).
- Adding 3/4 to 1 cup water, blend all the ingredients well to make a smooth batter.
- Transfer the ground batter to a bowl and season it with salt (can be adjusted as per your taste).
- Mix the batter well. It should be of normal dosa consistency, that is, a little less thick than a pancake batter. If it is too thick, pour in some water.
- Heat a pan and grease it with oil. Once hot enough (check by splashing some water), pour a ladle full of the batter. Spread it as thin or thick as you like.
- Drizzle oil or ghee over it, cover and cook. Let one side turn brown for a crispy texture, flip and cook the other side also if you like.
- Take it off the tawa gently, and serve it with chutney or curry of your choice.
Notes
- You can use dry red chilies instead of green ones. You will have to soak them along with green gram and rice so that they turn soft.
- You can let the batter rest for a few hours and then make the dosa. Or let it ferment well for 6 to 10 hours prior to making the dosa.
- The nutrition values displayed are a rough estimate only. If you want to be sure, please use your trusted nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
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. 🙂
If you have any questions about the recipe, kindly post them below under comments.
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I would love to see your recipe recreations. 🙂