Dosa Basics

• Dosa is the Indian version of a pancake, served with chutney and sometimes filled with curried vegetables. Dosai are traditionally made using rice, but can also be made with a variety of different grains, including oatmeal. Dosa batter is often fermented for several days on the counter before cooking to develop a soured taste. Fermentation uses naturally occurring bacteria to transform the sugars present in foods into lactic acid. Dosai can also be made on the spot and cooked immediately, without fermentation, though the finished product will have considerably less tang than the fermented version.

Oatmeal Dosa

• For oatmeal dosa, use a mixture of rolled oats, rice flour and semolina flour for the batter. For the best flavor, dry-roast rolled oats or quick cooking oats over a medium heat until they are fragrant before coarsely grinding them. Add water, yogurt, buttermilk or a combination of the three to the dry mixture to create a thin batter. While Western pancakes tend to lean toward the sweet side, Indian ones are usually savory. Season the batter further with finely chopped chilies, onions and ginger, as well as a bit of salt. From here, you can either cook the dosa straight away or leave the batter in a glass jar covered with a clean kitchen towel overnight to ferment on the counter.

Cooking Oatmeal Dosa

• If your batter is too thick, especially after fermentation, use a little water to thin it out so that it is easily spreadable. Heat a large frying pan, preferably cast-iron, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add a spoonful of ghee, or clarified butter, to the pan and heat until shimmering. Pour in a few tablespoons of batter and spread it quickly with a spoon before it sets. Once bubbles begin to appear on the top side, flip the dosa to brown its other side. Quickly remove the dosa from the pan once browned.

Serving Oatmeal Dosa

• Dosai are commonly served plain with simple sides of chutney or sambar, a vegetable soup-like dipping liquid. Chutneys are condiments made with vegetables or fruits plus vinegar, spices and sugar. They are commonly served with mild tasting items such as dosa and idli, a steamed bread made from the same batter. The most universal pairing for oatmeal dosa is coconut chutney. The soured and spiced yogurt and coconut combination adds a hint of sweetness and spice from the included chilies and mustard seeds that matches well with dosa. Prepare coconut chutney, other chutneys or sambar in advance of making the oatmeal dosa to allow the flavors to meld together before serving. For a more filling meal, stuff the dosa with curried potatoes and peas, folding and rolling the dosa similar to a burrito but without tucking the ends in.