Pesarattu

Pesarattu

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice (no specialty rice required)
• 1 cup moong dhal(hesaru bhele)
• 5 red chillies
• 1 tsp salt

Method: Lightly rinse the rice and moong dhal in cold water. Add more water and let the contents soak in water for a couple of hours. Grind the soaked contents with the red chillies into a slightly coarse batter. Ground batter should be pretty thick and viscous. Add salt, and mix the contents. Store for a couple of hours or can be used right away.
Preparation: Pre-heat a thick tava (or a good non stick pan) on medium heat. Sprinkle little water on the heated tava and if it sizzles, the tava is ready to make the pesarattu. Mix the batter well with a medium sized spatula. Take a spatula full of dough and pour it on the heated surface of the tava. Using circular, concentric motions spread the dough as much as possible towards the edge of the tava. Drop a teaspoon full of oil on the surface of the adae, cover and let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove cover, and using a flat turner (mogacho kai, tudupu) slowly, carefully loosen the pesrattu from the tava and turn it over. Cook on this side a couple minutes, carefully loosen and turn over. Then fold over in the middle, remove the pesarattu from the tava on to a plate.
Cooking Tips: Pesarattu can be made pretty thick or thin, soft or crispy. Can add finely chopped green chillies, cilantro or onions to the batter. Chopped fresh spinach or methi can be added to the batter for variation.
Serving Tips: Serve with a dollop of ghee.