Vendakkai Dosa (Okra/Lady’s Finger Crepes)

Vendakkai Dosa (Okra/Lady’s Finger Crepes) by DK on Oct 21, 2015

Vendakkai Dosai Recipe | Okra Dosa Recipe | Ladies Finger Dosa Recipe

I am among those people who judiciously chart out goals at the beginning of every year. At times, I ace through every one of them while few year's lists have fallen flat on its face. I pace through every aspect of my life, trying to improve so that the next years looks better than last. So, this year's cooking goals have been on the lines of how our ancestors possibly cooked; minimizing wastages and utilizing every edible aspect of the fruit/vegetable. Like this Watermelon Rind Kootu (Dal). It's been a refreshingly tasty journey that I am glad I took.

One of my previous yearly goals made a farmer out of me which I am blessed to be continuing as of date. This year we grew some Okra plants and these have been happy with us with sufficient produce. My father, especially, is ecstatic to put it mildly. He has always been a "straight from farm to kitchen" advocate and if life had been of his choice, he would have become a farmer. Only recently I learnt that my paternal grandfather thought likewise as well!

This dosa happened 'due to my father's comment about using discarded Okra ends (the tail and head of the vegetable) to make dosa batter. I was intrigued and a quick help from google proved to be a wise decision. This recipe especially caught my eye since it used the whole vegetable. The first time I made it, I literally hopped out into our garden, plucked few Okra and after washing used it to make the batter. Once fermented, that spongy dosa, trust me, was pure bliss. This recipe could also be a blessing in disguise for parents whose kids are against Okra. You don't taste it in the batter though the nutrition comes through.

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Serves: Serves 4 people
Yields: Around 15 medium Uthappam like Dosas

Ingredients

3 cups Idli Rice
2 tbsp (heaped) Whole Black (skinned) Gram/ Urad Dal
2 tsp Fenugreek Seed, see Tips
18 - 15 small-medium Fresh Okra
Salt to taste

Tips

1. Fenugreek Seed: The original recipe suggests using 1 tsp. I always tend to add a little more owing to the nutrition that it provides and also for the fact that my batter tends to ferment better.

Method

1. Soak the rice, lentil and fenugreek together overnight. Even 5-6 hours should be enough.

2. Chop the ladies finger into smaller pieces. Do not discard its head and tail. That's the beauty of this recipe since we are going to be using the whole vegetable. The chopping is done to make sure that there aren't any worms in them.

3. Add these along with the soaked rice-lentil mixture to a blender and grind to make a smooth batter. The consistency is like a regular dosa batter - pourable, like thick buttermilk.

4. Add salt to taste, give it a good mix to combine and

5. cover it with a lid. Set aside to ferment for 6-8 hours. The hours vary depending on your climate.

6. Unlike the regular Dosa batter, this does not double per se or rise as much, but you know it's fermented

7. when you see this beauty . That is a sight to behold with all the good organisms working with me in my kitchen :)

8. Give it a good mix, heat a pan, preferably iron kadai (cast iron skillet) and pour a ladle full of the batter.

9. Dot the sides with little sesame oil (or any oil of your choice) and let it cook for 1 min or two until you see all these bubbles on the surface.

10. Insert the spatula underside to loosen it up a bit. If its done, you will be able to easily flip the dosa

11. to the other side. Cook until done and remove to a plate.

12. If you like, you can add in some chopped onions as well (or for that matter any other veggies of your choice).

Serve them hot/warm along with accompaniments of your choice. We love it with Idli chutney powder (a.k.a gunpowder, Molaga Podi) and Easy Coconut Chutney (or try this version: Coconut Chutney). On this particular weekend morning, I served it with the chutney powder and tea.

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Recipe courtesy Bhojana Recipes

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12 Comments

By Mona on Apr 29, 2018

Hi dear, nice recipe. Wud like to know whether we can add the bindi paste in already prepared dosa batter. Is there any difference in fermenting bindi along with flour

I havent personally tried doing that Mona. The texture might be different from the one in the recipe here.But I don't see why it shouldnt work. Give it a try. I would love to know how that turned out for you. --DK

By Megha Das on Jul 21, 2016

The organic okras are loved by my family. I alway sfind new ways of cooking them up and I think this is the best one.

By Megha Das on Jul 3, 2016

Absolutely in love woth the recipe. I have bought some organic lady fingers from The Organic Garden and I was thinking of making some unique dis. This seems to be mouth watering.

Oh I am glad to hear that Megha. Lemme know how it works out when you can. --DK

By Lakshmi on Feb 10, 2016

Hi DK, Your website has become a stressbuster for me these days (apart from being a good source of traditional and new receipies). Whenever, I have a lot going on in my mind and can't think straight, I slow down to browse thro' all the yummy stuff in your website and get back to work. Thanks a ton. One question about this receipie. Will only okra work or any other vegi es might also work?

Thank you so much. Meant a lot :). As for other veggies, I haven't tried substituting any other in this recipe. But will def. update when I do with details. :) --DK

By Divya on Jan 5, 2016

It is possible to make idlies too with this batter? since its spongy, would work right?

mmm...never tried it! Never thought to. If you try, would love an update. --DK

By Preeti on Dec 31, 2015

I made this today..it turned out to be delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!

By Traditionallymodernfood on Nov 19, 2015

Wow dosa with ladies finger s awesome..I will definitely try this

By Shahana on Oct 22, 2015

Hi, I am not very good at cooking & require precise measurements to make anything. How much water do you soak the rice & dal in? Does the water go in the blender as well, or just the rice & dal mixture? Is Idli rice white or brown? If white, can I use brown rice. Also, can you please suggest other healthier options. Thanks

At times precise measurements are tough to provide since the weather, quality etc dictate these things and can differ. In this recipe you need just enough water to cover it by an inch or so for rice and dal. Usually when soaking dal you need more 'cos it doubles up in size. But in this recipe its mostly rice hence just enough water to cover it comfortably is required. Use enough soaking water to help in grinding process. You need a smooth batter which is like thick buttermilk. So add only that much water. Idli rice (also named as parboiled rice/puzhangal arisi) is beige white in color. JUst stick with the recipe when trying for the first time. Once successful and you are confident, start experimenting. --DK

By Chhaya on Oct 22, 2015

This is an amazing recipe! Definitely something to try. I agree wholeheartedly with your view about avoiding as much food wastage as possible and trying to live more like our grandparents did. I have a bunch of freshly harvested okra pods in my kitchen right now, so this recipe comes at a perfect time! Its the end of the growing season here, so I will have to wait until next spring for my next batch. Would love to read more about your gardening endeavors!! Thanks for sharing!

By Sangeeta on Oct 22, 2015

This is such a unique recipe!! Thankyou!

By Vijaya on Oct 21, 2015

Can we make this dosa with already fermented batter?

I frankly have no clue. Have never tried it. I think that its the slimy Ladiesfinger that helps with fermentation here instead of Urad dal. Guess, some experimentation is needed. --DK

By geetha on Oct 21, 2015

Thank you for this intriguing recipe.I have never tried making okra dosa.Shall try and get back to you.