Green Revolution

Since I had ruined my good eating habits by succumbing to the sinful Bread Roll yesterday, I was anxious to get back on track with a healthy brunch for my family. The first that springs to mind is a fabulously filling, sumptuous, wonderfully holier-than-thou dish - the great Pesarattu!

Crepes are a dish of pride, not just for the French but also for South Indians. We call it the "dosa" and it is ubiquitously enjoyed all over India. Dosa, with its accompaniments of Sambar (a spicy lentil soup) and chutney (coconut and dal dip) is South India's most favorite dish. If you ever visit Chennai, India's southern metropole, you will find all kinds of dosas, all sizes of dosas at prices ranging from a couple of rupees to nearly Rs. 200, served in every imaginable place - the street side carts, the middle class Saravana Bhavan and Woodlands and even in the upper crust Taj Coromandel.

The Pesarattu is the dosas' cousin from our neighboring state Andhra Pradesh. It is healthier than the dosa - I make it completely with green Moong dal and I cook it in a non-stick pan with very little oil. Here's how:

1 cup green Moong dal
2 dry red chili
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped green cabbage
1/2 cup chopped onion




Soak the Moong dal overnight - cover it with enough water to ensure that the beans dont swell and rise above the water. In the morning, place the Moong along with some of the water and blend to a fine paste along with the red chili and salt. See picture on the right for the consistency of the dough. Now add the chopped cabbage and chopped onion into the mixture.

Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat. Pour in one ladle ful of the green moong mixture on the hot pan and spread thinly. Add a couple of drops of olive oil around edges of the pesarattu. Cook for a couple of minutes and try to pry it loose at one end. If it comes out easily, then slip a spatula under it and flip it over to cook the other side. If not, wait for another minute then flip it over. Cook both sides and serve hot with any chutney or ketchup. You can store the extra dough in the fridge for upto 3 days.