Menthya Ade dose(Ada Dosa) - Proteins and a dash of fiber in every tasty bite

Did you notice that I added an alternate pronunciation in my title? I find myself mixing dosa/dosai with dose when talking to my non-Kannadiga friends and I just wanted to be clear that the world famous dosas or the lentil crepes are simply called Dose (with a long 'e' at the end) in Kannada. As I keep mentioning, there are just innumerable varieties of Doses available and they just seem to be growing as chefs get more & more creative and experimental with the ingredients.

Ade Dose is a protein packed dosa (more than usual) because the proportion of lentils is much higher in this dosa as compared to the regular ones. I have seen really thick, almost rotti like Adais in some restaurants but I prefer my ada dosa to be light in texture. It is very easy to spoil this really tasty variety of dosa if you are not careful with the combination of dals. Urad dal lends the soft texture as does the rice & oats, at the same time too much of urad or moong dal make the dosa unfit for spreading, so if you are experimenting with other lentils, keep this in mind. I once ordered an adai in a famous resturant in the Bay area which looked and tasted just like leather slippers (not that I have ever had them for food:-)). The key to softer and fluffier ada dosa is the right mixture of lentils and rice. Adding oats is something I started a couple of years back and by trial & error reached the correct balance of rice and oats in this recipe. Addition of chopped methi leaves gives a wondeful aroma to the ade dose. Check out the notes for hints on replacement of ingredients. Some of my friends add Toor dal and also peanuts in this recipe but here is how I make it.

The advantages with Ade dose is that it doesn't need to ferment too much like the regular dosa and you can make them with a couple of hours setting time. A regular mixer will do very well for this batter as it doesn't have to be ground too long, but just enough for the lentils to turn soft.

On another note, I watched a movie recently called 'Morning Glory', it is probably a couple of years old and stars Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. I guess the cast is what attracted me to the movie to start with and then a little bit of the story line. It is a very guessable, feel good end but has some wonderful moments. I completely enjoyed watching the workoholic Rachel McAdams run around like a headless chicken trying to get her morning show ratings up while trying to drag along a very  demoralized group of people, Harrison Ford is good as the crusty, bitter, once very successful journalist and Diane Keaton as always adds that extra splash of liveliness whenever she is on screen.

So this movie is about a young, executive producer of a TV show that has no pedigree, no big college tags on her resume, has been fired (for reasons not her own) from her job, gets into this 4 decade old morning show and has the mountainous task of getting its ratings up. Harrison Ford is just 'spending' time on the network because his contract allows him to do it and he doesn't want to do any piece that he doesn't deem 'serious enough'. Diane Keaton is a former AZ beauty queen who has been on the show the longest and has seen many, many EPs come and go. So why am I talking about a random, 2 year old movie on my food blog? Well, the movie ends with HF putting on an apron and cooking up a 'fluffy', delicious Italian Frittata while explaining to his morning show viewers that he cooks it only for people he cares for. For all the fun, frolic and chaos in the movie it actually touched a chord with some real touching advice on the importance of balancing work & life which I think was what resonated with me most. So now that I have told you the story and spoiled it :-), if you are looking for a movie to watch while on your treadmill, this suits the mood, pace and timing perfectly, that is what I did :-). It is on Netflix, so watch it if you get a chance.

What do you need to make Ade Dose/Ada Dosa? 
Makes about 20-22 home sized dosas
To soak: 
1/2 cup rice (I use regular sona masoori or long grain)
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup urad dal
1/8 Tsp fenugreek seeds
3-4 dry red chilies
Others:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 Tsp black pepper
1 small piece of ginger
2 Tblsp chopped onion (optional)
1 cup finely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
About 4.5 cups of water to make the batter
1-2 Tsp oil for making Dosas.

How do you make Ade Dose/Ada Dosa? 

• Soak all the ingredients listed under 'To soak' for 4-5 hours.
• Wash & drain the water. 
• Powder the oats in the mixer, add the chopped onions, ginger and soaked red chilies and grind it into a smooth paste adding water as needed. 
• Add the soaked dals and rice and grind into a semi solid smooth paste adding water. 
• Take the ground batter into a big bowl, add salt, mix it well and set aside for 3-4 hours. 
• When ready to make ade dose, add the fresh ground black pepper and finely chopped fenugreek leaves, adjust the batter to a pouring consistency and give it a good mix. 
• Heat a flat griddle on medium heat, when hot, pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the griddle and with a rapid motion spread it into a thin round of about 6" diameter. 

• Drizzle oil around the edge of the dosa and let it cook for a minute or until the edges start to lift up slightly. 
• With a flat spatula, flip the dosa over, let it cook for about 30 seconds and take it off on a plate, serve hot with any chutney or curry of choice. 

• Repeat for the remaining batter or for as many dosas as you want.

Notes: 

• If your mixer jar is small, do the grinding in batches and mix them together at the end.
• If you are not using oats, increase the rice to 1 cup and follow the same process.
• You can replace chopped fenugreek leaves with other flavorful greens such as spinach or drum stick leaves. Avoid greens that take long time to cook such as Swiss Chard or Kale. If you do not have access to these greens, add a handful of cilantro or coriander leaves while grinding the batter.

• You can replace dry red chilies completely with black pepper if you prefer that flavor.
• I like just a faint hint of onions in this recipe but if you prefer, you can increase the quantity of onions or add finely chopped onions to the batter before making dosas. 
• Setting aside for a couple of hours definitely softens the texture of the end product but take care not to over ferment so the sour taste sets in. The batter should be fresh tasting.
• The thickness and crispiness of dosa can be adjusted by adjusting the batter consistency.