Foxtail Millet Vendhaya Dosai is a wholesome twist on the traditional recipe, replacing rice with nutritious foxtail millet (thinai). Growing up, Sunday mornings meant my mom’s vendhaya dosai served with garlic chutney and fresh homemade butter from the cows and buffaloes we raised in our backyard. This healthier version brings back those cherished memories with every bite.
Millet Vendhaya Dosai
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ponni Boiled Rice
- 1 cup Thinai (Foxtail Millet)
- ½ cup Urad (whole or split) Dhal
- 2 tbsp Vendhayam (Methi/Fenugreek) Seeds
- ¼ cup Poha (Flattened rice) (optional – for softer dosas)
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- Water as needed
- Oil (or) ghee for making dosas
Instructions
Let's grind!
- Add rice, millet, urad dhal, fenugreek seeds to a bowl and wash thoroughly for 3 times at least. Soak it for 4 hours. If using poha, soak it for the last 20 minutes.
- Grind all the ingredients together by adding little water, until the batter becomes smooth. I grind in my Vitamix and it takes literally a minute to grind and it’s easy to clean too.
- Mix them together with salt, using hands (washed & dried) because the good bacteria from our hands mixes with the batter and helps to ferment it.
- It should be thinner (pouring) than idli batter consistency.
- Leave it out overnight (or 8 hours) and let it ferment.
- Next morning mix the batter gently with a ladle and add water if needed.
Let's make dosas!
- Pour a ladleful of batter on the hot dosai kallu (dosai pan or cast iron pizza pan is perfect), drizzle a tsp of gingely (sesame) oil around it. The dosai will turn brown quicker because of the vendhayam seeds.
- Flip it over and let it cook. Once done, have it with poondu milagai podi, ghee or any podi of your choice.
Tips
- Dosas should always be accompanied by a cup of hot filter kaapi (coffee). Divine…
Lakshmi's Tip:
- After fermentation, I transfer only the amount of batter needed, into a separate bowl and add a little water to achieve the perfect pouring consistency. I avoid stirring the main batter and gently scoop it from the sides to preserve it's airy texture for future dosas.
- You can skip rice completely and add just 2 cups of millets for a much healthier option.