Murungai Keerai Dosai (Drumsticks Leaves Black Gram Dosa)

Murungai Keerai Dosai (Drumsticks Leaves Black Gram Dosa) by DK on Aug 20, 2016

Murungai Keerai Dosai Recipe | Karuppu Ulundhu Dosa | Drumstick Leaves Dosa Recipe

The way our world is surging ahead, I realize how difficult it is making every meal count. We hardly think of making a difference to our well being each time we sit down to eat. Our approach is more about satisfying our hunger or palette or our emotion or all of them put together. Food is fuel foremost and better the quality, better the health. While I am equally guilty of mindless eating, my approach last few years has been to minimize it. The thought process being, if I feel like indulging in junk food I better make it count. And when you start your journey that way, you will realize that soon you will have to start making as much as possible in your own kitchen. Sigh! Who says, good things are easy?

Idlis and Dosas are a classic but they are also indispensable to an South Indian's kitchen namely due to the ease of cooking. You make a big batch of batter before hand and then the rest of the week is breezy where you can whip up a meal in minutes. The batters are versatile and you can make countless number of other dishes with them to cut out the monotony. I prefer making my Dosa batter using Whole Black Lentils (Muzhu Karuppu Ulundhu) instead of their skinned white counterparts since the former is superior in nutrition. And when the already health giving fermented batter is enhanced with these Moringa Leaves (Drumstick Leaves/ Murungai Keerai), you have a powerhouse on your hands. Check out my Murungai Keerai Poriyal ( Drumstick Leaves/Moringa Curry) for its immense benefits.

I would recommend making this batter instead of your regular one. And every time you make dosa, you know you are making that meal count towards your and your loved one's health. The amount of leaves is upto you. Start with around half the amount of batter and take it from there. If someone is finicky and don't care for the leaves, try grinding the leaves to a paste and then adding it to your batter. These are delicious with a simple Molaga Podi ( idli chutney powder) but who can say no to chutney(s) :)

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Serves: Makes 1 dosa for 1/3 cup of batter. The size of the pan and dosa thickness will vary the number
Yields: Makes 3-4 Dosa

Ingredients

1 cup Black Urad Dal Dosa Batter (or regular Dosa Batter or even Idli batter) -- see Tips
1/2 cup (tightly packed) Murungai Keerai (Drumstick Leaves), or to taste - see Tips
Water to thin down the batter, if and as needed
1 small-medium Onion, finely chopped, or to taste (optional, but recommended) - see Tips

Spices like Chilli powder, Asafoetida, Turmeric, Cumin are very complimentary. Just add a pinch or so in this recipe.

Tips

1. Dosa Batter: While I would recommend using the Whole Black Urad (with skin) batter for its superior nutrition, this recipe can be made using your regular Dosa batter or even Idli batter. You can make this into Uthappams as well.

2. Drumsticks Leaves: The amount, I find, is totally up to you. If you are new to the leaves, start with 1/4 cup and then increase it gradually for optimize nutrition.

3. Onions: While it's totally optional in this recipe, I personally find that it enhances the taste especially in this recipe. But that could be my family bias. You can add more seasoning or ingredients as well.

Method

1. The amount of batter- moringa leaves proportion is entirely upto you. You can add as much or as less based on your preference. To me, half the amount of batter in leaves makes for a well balanced ratio. The amount of onion is also your own choice. While its optional, I personally would recommend it.

2. Mix the leaves along with the batter

3. until well combined. You can add some water (few tbsp or so) to thin down the batter if you want to make it thinner. It would give it a more lace kind of texture. But if you are looking for soft, medium thick dosas, you can skip the water.

4. Heat a skillet (cast iron preferable) and once hot ( drops of water should sizzle), lower the heat. Dropping the batter when the pan is hot will make it lumpy and you won't be able to spread it easily. Use a paper towel to grease the surface slightly. I use sesame oil since its a traditional choice but any oil should do. Make sure you wipe the excess since it would make the batter form lumps when trying to make dosas.

5. Drop a small ladleful of batter in the center and immediately spread it in a circular motion. The thickness depends again on your choice. You can make it as thin or thick. I wanted to make a slightly spongy dosa hence made it little thick. Add in the chopped onions quickly as well since once the batter starts to cook the onions wont stick to the surface. Increase the heat to medium.

6. Close it with a lid. This helps the top also to steam well while the underside is cooking.

7. Now the top is also cooked along with bottom part as you can see the brown spots.

8. Turn the dosa on the other side and drizzle some oil around the dosa. Cook for few more seconds. Repeat for all the dosas. Just make sure to decrease heat before adding in the batter and increasing it once the batter has been spread. If the skillet has become very hot, you need to sprinkle some water to cool it down a bit and then proceed with the rest of the dosas.

These are best when served hot - right out of the skillet. It goes well with any chutney - Coconut chutney, Tomato chutney, Onion chutney. But a simple Idli-Dosa Chutney Powder (Gunpowder/Molaga Podi) works great as well.