Pesarattu (dosa) prepared with moong dal, is the signatory breakfast of our region(Andhra Pradesh) in India. Done to golden perfection, sprinkled with chopped onions inside, served traditionally with coconut, ginger chutneys and sambhar, have 2 or 3 pesarattus for breakfast, you will be in a food induced delirious haze all day. Type of breakfast that should be prepared on a weekend and particularly enjoyful when prepared by others, and the only thing one has to do is sit, eat and praise the cook liberally for their generous ‘annapoorna‘ heart.
Recipe:
Soak 3 cups of split moong dal in water overnight (Friday night) for about 10 to 12 pesarattus. Next on Saturday morning like 10 or 11 o clock (don’t tell me that you’d enter the kitchen on a weekend earlier than that), drain water, grind the dal along with 5 to 6 green chillies, small piece of ginger and 1 tsp of salt into fine paste of medium consistency. Remove the batter, add about a teaspoon of cumin seeds and mix the batter thoroughly.
Heat a cast iron flat pan, add 2 tsp of oil, spread it with an onion (remove the the top). This is to season the pan so that the pesarattu will comes off easily without sticking to the pan. The pan must be hot for pesarattu to come out in good shape. If you sprinkle water on the pan, it must sizzle.
Pour one ladle full of batter into the center of pan and spread it around in a circular fashion (from inside out) shaping the batter into a thin round.
Wait few seconds and sprinkle 1 tsp of oil or ghee on top and around the edges of pesarattu.
Wait for few minutes untill the bottom gets golden, then reverse it, cook the otherside now, for few seconds. Reverse it back, sprinkle finely chopped onions on the top and fold it half. Remove from the pan and serve.
First few attempts may not turn out good but don’t be discouraged. Try again. It takes time but once you get the hang of it, it’s really quite easy to prepare them, just like dosas.
I have prepared peanut chutney instead of traditional coconut and ginger chutneys. So there it is, pesarattu with peanut chutney ~ our weekend breakfast.