Kollu dosai/ Horsegram flavoured dosa

    This is my second post with respect to kollu/Horsegram.  The very idea was given by my aunty when I asked her how to incorporate horsegram in our regular cooking.  The basic principle is replacing half the quantity of rice used with horsegram, for example if you are using four cups of rice, two cups of rice can be replaced by horsegram.  Similarly, kollu idly can also be prepared.

The difference between regular dosa batter and kollu dosa is that kollu dosa batter gets fermented quickly than former one. So preparing them on small batches are advisable.

Ingredients required

• 1 cup raw rice
• 1 cup idly rice
• 2 cup kollu/horsegram 
• Handful of chana dal
• 1/2 cup of urad dal
• 2 tsp of methi seeds/venthayam
• Salt, as required

Soak the abovesaid ingredients in water for about three to four hours.  Grind them into fine paste and leave to ferment for six hours, till bubbles are seen on top and little rising of batter is observed. 

Mix in salt, and pour an ladle over pre-heated tawa, drizzling in oil over the sides.  Serve hot with side-dish of your choice. 

Kollu rasam

   One of my aunty at chennai used to prepare this kollu rasam, in fact she used to prepare or inculcate a lot of herbal spices in her daily routine cooking which I admire.  That is why I couldn't resist myself buying horse gram when found in a super-market shelf (though it was an kilo pack!)  I asked her for the recipe, and prepared it my way.  The rasam came out super-delecious and I could still smell the flavours of it.  

Kollu/Horse gram was generally regarded as an cattle feed, but here in South India kollu has found extensive culinery use.  Kollu rasam, chutney, idly/dosa, poriyal are common form of its existence.  This horse gram is proven beneficial in numerous ways.  Since they form a major source of fibre, they can also aid in weight-reducing.  They are also found as an preventive for winter chill , as they have tendency to heat up the body.  Researchers have also found that unprocessed horse gram seed coats produce excellant antioxidants for diabetic patients.  So, why wait guys?  Do grab your pack in nearby markets.....