The recipe below is a wonderful Indian flatbread that is delicious, savory, and incredibly satisfying for those of us who are avoiding wheat and gluten. It is also a perfect dish for those of us wanting to improve gut health through prebiotics – since the resistant starch in the rice and lentils of this dosa batter will feed the friendly gut bacteria, thus lowering inflammation. Lentils are an excellent source of iron!!
I have used a variety of different types of lentils to make this batter – from French green lentils to the little red lentils. My personal favorite is the traditional yellow dal lentils that can be found in Indian markets and organic in some health food stores.
While this flatbread becomes more flavorful and fluffy the longer the batter is fermented, for our purposes in making a low-histamine wrap we will not ferment it as long. It is sufficient to soak the rice and lentil batter covered on the counter for 3-4 hours until the grains have softened up for a smooth batter. For those who only get migraines once in awhile, it should be fine to keep the remaining dosa batter in the fridge overnight and use the next day, since the level of fermentation at that point is nowhere near as problematic as other foods that have been fermented for longer time periods.
These dosas are great used as a wrap for traditional Indian fillings like potato curry, but also good filled with any number of other savory ingredients for which you would normally use a flour tortilla.
Prebiotic Dosa Batter Recipe
1.5 cups of lentils (you can use a mixture of channa dal, red lentils, green lentils, or urad dal – or any of these alone)
2 cups of rice (basmati, jasmine, or parboiled rice)
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)
1/2 t salt
Blend ingredients in a powerful blender such as a Vitamix at high speed until the grains have turned into a fine flour. Add water gradually until the batter forms a paste, similar in consistency to crepe batter – or as desired, depending on how thick you want the dosa. I perfer a thin crisp dosa made with a thinnner batter. (Alternately, you can soak your grains until the water runs clear and then blend the soaked grains in water to make the desired consistency).
Let batter mixture sit covered on the counter for about 4 hours in the blender, then blend again for a few minutes to make the batter extra smooth. You can also leave the batter in the fridge for up to 8 hours before blending. If you are highly sensitive to fermented foods and get very frequent migraines, err on the side of cooking with a fresher batter.
Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat with ghee or a high-heat cooking oil like coconut or grapeseed oil. Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan and spread it into a circular shape. You can add herbs sprinkled into the batter at this point if you prefer. Cook on medium-high heat until the batter bubbles or is crisp brown on the other side, then flip and cook the other side for a few seconds until lightly browned.
Eat hot and enjoy!
Another version of this recipe can be found here.
