Kodhuma Dosa / Whole Wheat Crepes

Kodhuma (or Godhuma, whole wheat in Tamil) dosa aka whole wheat dosa is a savory paper-thin crepe. This is different from traditional dosa. The batter is not fermented and sour buttermilk is used. Also, the batter is poured onto the pan rather than the traditional spreading method. They are easy to prepare and hence are handy for quick-fix dinner. They are great for breakfast. They taste great with coconut chutney or any chutney or sambhar. They can go perfectly with any type of curry or sauce too!. Even with sugar or plain yogurt, it is divine. I have had these with sugar when I was very young. This one has a lot of memories. My mom makes the best. I used to call these "Otta Dosa". In Tamil, this means the dosa having a lot of holes. Yes, this dosa or any type of instant dosa are all poured onto a hot pan and hence will have a lot of holes. That's how they should be. Thin, crispy, and with a lot of holes:-)!

This is my post for #ImprovCookingChallenge. The #ImprovCookingChallenge is a monthly blogging event where two ingredients are assigned to a month. Bloggers can make any recipe they like as long as it features the two ingredients. If you are a blogger and would like to join us, please visit our Facebook page. You can also read more about the event on our our home page.

The two ingredients for this month are 'Buttermilk and Flour'. I had numerable choices. There are numerous possibilities with buttermilk and flour, keep in mind any flour can be used. In fact, I wanted to line up everything here:-). It was a little hard to narrow down to this. We love this dosa or crepe so much that finally this got picked to post here. Many recipes call for a 1:1 wheat to rice ratio. I have tried with lower amounts of rice flour than in this recipe, but they would take a little longer to cook and become crisp. This is an all-time favorite recipe for us and should be served hot. 

Here are a few tips to get the perfect instant dosa are:

• The batter should be very thin
• The ratio of wheat to rice is very important to get thin and crispy dosas. Omitting rice flour may not help in making crispy ones.
• Pour the batter onto a very hot pan. If the pan is cold, the batter may stick and will not be easy to take out.
• Wait for it to cook the first side for about 3-3.5 minutes. When the edges of the dosa and around each hole begins to brown, flip it and cook for a minute.

Ingredients

Makes 12

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Green chilli - 2, chopped

Ginger - 1/2 tsp, finely chopped

Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Salt - 2 tsp

Sour buttermilk - 1/2 cup

Water - 3.5 cups

Cumin - 1.5 tsp

Oil - around 8-12 tsp, for making the crepes

To temper

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dried red chilli - 1 or 2, broken

Asafetida - 1/8 tsp

Cashews - 1-2 tbsp, broken (optional)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

Add the wheat flour, rice flour, salt, cumin seeds, ginger, and green chilies to a bowl. Add the buttermilk and 1.5 cups water. Whisk to make a smooth batter. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and mix. 

For tempering, heat oil in a pan, when it is hot add the red chillies and mustard. When the mustard seeds splutter add the cashews. When they are golden add the asafetida, curry leaves and pour it into the batter. Mix well.

The batter should be very thin and easily pourable.

Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan on medium flame. When it is hot, pour about 1/2 cup of batter evenly distributing around the pan. Drizzle about 1/2 to 1 tsp of oil around the edge and in the middle of the dosa. Let it cook for about 3-3.5 minutes. When the edges brown (careful not to burn it) and around the holes you can see browning, gently use a thin flat spatula and run around the edges. Slowly, flip the dosa and cook for a minute. Take the dosa from the pan and continue the same with the remaining batter. 

Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Nichole hosts this challenge and make sure to check out what we shared for the Improv Cooking Challenge, January 2021: Buttermilk and Flour. Thanks, Nichole!

• Batter Fried Herbed Chicken Wings by Sneha’s Recipe
• Buttermilk Pancakes by Kate’s Recipe Box
• Kodhuma Dosa / Whole Wheat Crepes by Magical Ingredients
• Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits  by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie by Making Miracles
• Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts By Cookaholic Wife