Saturday, November 5, 2011

Oat Bran Dosa (Savory Pancakes)

Oat Bran Dosas with Sweet Potato Chutney

Oat Bran Dosa is prepared just like regular Dosa, Adai, Pesarat etc. It is another delicious way to incorporate the healthful oat bran into one's diet in addition to adding it to veggie burgers or Savory Oats. It is not only good tasting, but also very easy to make. Try and see for yourselves!

I have combined oat bran (a grain), and Garbanzo or Chickpea flour aka besan (a legume), for lots of protein and heartiness. These dosas are great for anytime - from breakfast to dinner.

Note: For a nice variation, stir in one or two spoonfuls of sambar powder/Kuzhambu Podi or Green Chutney in addition to/instead of the tadka.

 If oatbran is not available, try the recipe with wholegrain oats instead.

But first, a word or two about oat bran: Oat bran is the outer layer of the whole oat grain or groat. It is often milled away before being further processed to make oatmeal or rolled oats. Steel cut oats or Irish oatmeal usually is made from oat groats with the bran intact.

Here is a comparison of oatmeal and oat bran. As you can see, oat bran is quite nutritious and I want to include it as much as possible in our diet. The data is for 100 g of oatmeal or bran; a typical serving is 40 g or 1/2 cup dry.

Per 100 g Oatmeal Oat Bran
Calories: 370 246
Protein: 13.15 g 17.3 g
Carbs: 67.7 g 66.22 g
Fiber: 10.1 g 15.4 g
Fat: 6.52 g 7.03 g
Thiamin: 0.46 mg 1.17 mg
Riboflavin: 0.155 mg 0.22 mg
Niacin: 1.125 mg 9.34 mg
Vit. B6: 0.1 mg 0.165 mg
Folate: 32 mcg 52 mcg
Vit. E: 0.42 mg 1.01 mg
Vit. K: 2.0 mcg 3.2 mcg
Iron: 4.25 mg 5.41 mg
Calcium: 52 mg 58 mg
Magnesium: 138 mg 235 mg
Potassium: 362 mg 566 mg
Zinc: 3.64 mg 3.11 mg
Sodium: 6 mg 4 mg

I compiled the above table based on this article. Since it lists Harvard School of Public Health, Mayo Clinic, ADA, and USDA as its references, I feel it is quite reliable.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the awesome dosas :D.

About 10 Dosas

Ingredients:

1 cup Oat Bran
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup Besan (Garbanzo/Chick Pea Flour)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Oil for cooking

Tadka/Thalippu:
1 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Pinch Asafoetida
1 Green Chile, Jalapeño or Serrano
1 stem Fresh Curry leaves

Method:

Combine the flours, the oat bran, and the salt; add just enough water a bit at a time (about 2 cups) to make a batter; set aside to hydrate while preparing the Tadka. If you like, the batter may be processed using a blender to make it smooth.

Mince the green chile and curry leaves; if you like a milder dosa, remove the core from the chile before mincing.

Heat the oil for the Tadka in a small pan; add the mustard seeds and let them cook until they start to pop and dance.

Quickly stir in the asafoetida, then the chile and cook until chile softens. Stir in the curry leaves and remove from heat.

Pour the tadka into the batter and mix well.

Prepare thin crepe-like dosas. If the dosas come out too thick, adding a little water (a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached) to thin out the batter will help.

Serve hot with Mulagai podi, coconut chutney, Sambar, Kadapa, etc. or your favorite accompaniments. Or place a filling like Potato Curry and serve like a taco! Allow about 2 or 3 dosas per serving. Enjoy!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks good. And also very nutritious.

Geetha said...

Thank you Arwen; they are good and nutritious too! Happy cooking and eating!