Rye Crepes / Dosai

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I was looking up the Indian term for rye when I came across this hilarious Q & A on a forum. Apparently some other person was seeking the answer to this question too and had posed that question on the forum. The answers ranged from suggesting to the questioner to look up Aishwariya Rai (an Indian actress) to suggesting that it could be rai as in mustard seeds.So even though I did not find the answer to my question I enjoyed a  hearty laugh at some of the creative and innovative replies to this question.  Apparently rye does not seem to have an Indian equivalent term or if it does I have not been able to find it yet. 

Rye is a cereal grain that looks like wheat but is longer and more slender. It has immense health benefits including being fiber rich and also rich in magnesium. It is also said to decrease the risk for type 2 diabetes and is said to protect against certain types of cancer. I bought rye on my last trip to whole foods with the idea of baking bread with it. But when I was researching about rye I learned that baking bread with rye is a little more difficult since it has lower levels of gluten than wheat. 

So I decided to use the rye flour in some Indian preparation, the first thought was to add it to roti (Indian flat bread) . Later though, I decided against rye roti in favor of rye crepes (dosai) since dosai is almost always a sure fire success in my home. So I added rye flour along with other flours to make a batter and ground some spices to add the element of flavor for the crepe.These crepes were quick and easy to make and turned out tasty, tender and crisp.I served them with classic cilantro coconut chutney but you can serve it with any chutney of your choice. 

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Rye Crepes/ Dosai 

3/4 cup rye flour 

3/4 cup semolina (medium rava)  

 3/4 cup rice flour   

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (atta) 

salt to taste (I used approx about 2 tsp) 

Grind together

10 curry leaves

1 to 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger

3 serrano peppers (or according to taste)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing)

handful of cilantro

3 1/2 cups of water

A few drops of sesame oil or any other oil to shallow fry the dosai 

Add all the ingredients from1 through 5 in a large bowl, mix well and keep aside.

Grind all the ingredients mentioned in grind together along with half a cup of water until fine and  add to the dry flours.

Add the balance of  the water (3 cups) a little at a time, mixing thoroughly while doing so.

Let the batter rest for a few minutes

Heat a griddle/ flat pan on medium to medium high heat

Pour a ladle of  the batter on the center and spread quickly in a thin circle as thinly as you would like it

A very thin crepe would be crisp whereas a thicker crepe would be soft and tender so you can make the thickness of the crepe depending on your likes 

Sprinkle a few drops of oil on the side facing upwards. When the lower side is browned, flip the crepe over and cook the other side for a few minutes until pinkish/ brownish spots appear on the other side.

Serve hot with chutney of choice or sambar of choice

Yielded approximately 14 to 15 average sized crepes

Notes

You can use brown rice flour instead of plain rice flour too

With serrano peppers this was very very mild and not very spicy so if  you  like more heat try using Indian variety or thai variety of green chillies