Dosa Sourdough Rice Crepes

Description

From the fantastic "savoring the spice coast of india" by maya kaimal, a cookbook which is available at amazon. She says her father developed this recipe to adapt a south india speciality, ideally fermented in 90 degree f, to the new york climate.

Note: wherever you live, you must begin soaking ingredients a day in advance.

Cooking time is soaking and fermenting time: 16-19 hours
active cooking time includes 20 minutes for active measuring and grinding and 30 minutes of active frying time.

Ingredients

• Lentils
• Long Grain Rice
• Fenugreek Seeds
• Salt
• Baking Soda
• Gingelly Oil

Instructions

1. Place the urad dhal in a large bowl and rinse with many changes of water until the water no longer appears cloudy
2. Drain
3. In a large bowl, combine the drained urad dhal with the rice, fenugreek seeds, and 2 1 / 2 cups water
4. Soak the ingredients together for 4 hours at room temperature, until the dhal and rice expand and soften
5. When a grain of rice just breaks under the pressure of your fingernail, the ingredients have soaked long enough
6. Drain the urad dhal and rice, reserving the liquid
7. Place roughly half of the solids and half of the liquid in a blender and grind them long enough to get a smooth consistency with some graininess remaining, about 1 1 / 2 to 2 minutes
8. Test by rubbing a little batter between your fingers
9. The largest grains should be the size of granulated sugar
10. Pour the mixture into a large bowl
11. Repeat the process with the remaining solids and liquid, and add the mixture to the bowl
12. Stir in the salt
13. The mixture should be very thick, so it will be necessary to thin it with approximately 1 / 4 cup water to get the consistency of pancake batter
14. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and place in an oven, kept warm to a temperature of 90 degrees for 12 to 15 hours
15. This can be achieved with the help of a trouble light or floodlight fitted with a 25-watt bulb
16. Plug the power cord into an outlet close enough to the oven so that the bulb can rest on a rack in the oven
17. Turn on the light and prop the oven door open about 1 inch with the handle of a wooden spoon
18. Check the temperature periodically to be sure it stays at 90 degrees
19. During warm summer months it may not be necessary to use the lightbulb
20. The batter should nearly double in volume and smell a little sour
21. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir the contents
22. The batter will be thick and foamy
23. If you choose not to fry the crepes immediately, refrigerate the batter at this point
24. Remove it from refrigerator 1 / 2 hour before frying
25. When ready to fry the crepes, check the consistency of the batter: it should pour smoothly like pancake batter
26. Add the baking soda and a little more water if needed
27. Heat a nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium low heat
28. Spread about 1 / 4 teaspoon oil evenly over the griddle
29. Ladle 1 / 4 cup of the batter into the center of the hot griddle, and immediately, using the back of the ladle, gently but steadily spread the batter in a circular motion from the center out, creating a thin pancake
30. If the batter does not spread easily into a thin layer, thin it with a little more water
31. As the crepe cooks, small holes will form on the surface
32. Sprinkle a few drops of oil on top, to help make it crisp
33. When the bottom turns a golden color turn it over and fry the other side 30 seconds or until lightly browned
34. Fold the crepe in half, golden side out, and place it on a platter
35. Keep the fried crepes warm as you repeat the process, oiling the griddle each time
36. Serve immediately