Sweet corn Dose - nothing corny about this delicious breakfast

Yesterday was Summer solstice or official beginning of Summer for the year. Having enjoyed the mildly warm temperatures of the Spring (or "Vasantha" as it is called in Kannada) - the most joyous, coming back to life season of the year, I am looking forward to a great Summer too. How about you?

Our Summer doesn't coincide with the summer back home in India. When leaves started sprouting a few weeks back here, my extended family in India was already sighing at the hot temperatures there :-). Now when summer starts here, it is monsoon there - showers bringing the temperature down. And the cycle of catch up continues. The childhood summer synonymous with school vacations and plenty of free time has been replaced for a long time with short spurts of breaks or extended weekends and continued work. I still enjoy the season for their longer day time.

Along with a cheerful sun comes the bonus of fresh vegetables in most places and I love the sweet corns I get here. Don't mistake me, I love the Indian 'Bhutta' too but while it is called 'corn' in India, it is actually a type of Maize and usually harder grains than the sweet corn. While the Indian variety is perfect for roasting (and eating with spicy green chili paste, salt & lemon juice), American sweet corn is extremely tender and lends itself to be eaten raw, steamed or cooked. I relive my corn country stay by buying bushels of corn cobs in season. Now that it is summer, all the farmers markets are brimming with fresh corn and I usually get them every week. DD loves the buttered up, 'chat-ey' version of the corn (will get that recipe sometime on the blog) and I use them in cutlets, kabobs and other dishes. It is a great ingredient to add flavor and some body to the dish.

Bored of eating the same kind of dose every time? How about some variety? I had seen this corn dosa recipe in a Tarla Dalal book which used rice flour. I prefer to make my dosas from scratch unless it is a known 'quick fix' dosa like the godhi dosa or oats dosa or rava dosa. So I went ahead to make some modifications, soaked rice, ground it with some chilies, onion & ginger along with fresh sweet corn. Made to rest overnight, this batter produced super delicious (not needing any accompaniments on the side), thin & crispy or thick & fluffly dosas. You can also make them as soon as you grind them but I like to grind it up the previous night for a next morning breakfast. They were golden yellow in color with a pronounced corn flavor. Delicious addition to the breakfast list.

While enjoying this easy, yummy dosa, also enjoy some Spring pictures from my neck of the woods. Some are from our yard and some clicked on the road at random places - the theme is the season itself in all its glory.

What do you need to make sweet corn dosa?
1.5 cups rice (I used sona masoori)
3/4 cup sweet corn kernels (use fresh ones in season)
1/2 Tsp fenugreek seeds
2 Tbsp thick poha/avalakki/flattened rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
2-3 green chilies
1 inch piece ginger
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
oil to roast dosa

How do you make sweet corn dosa?

• Wash and soak rice, poha and fenugreek seeds in 3 cups of water for 4-5 hours. 
• Peel the outer cover of the corns and with a sharp knife, separate out the kernels from the cob. 

• Rinse and wash the soaked rice, let the water drain out. 
• Grind rice to a smooth paste using 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water. 
• Once the rice loses the grainy texture, add the corn, chopped onion, green chilies and ginger and continue to grind until everything is smooth.
• Mix well, keep aside to rest for 5-6 hours or overnight. It doesn't really ferment like the regular dosa but the resting period makes the dosas softer.

• Add salt and mix well. Adjust consistency with water if needed. 
• Prepare a flat griddle/dosa pan on medium heat, once ready, pour a ladlefull of batter and in a quick circular motion, spread the batter in to a thin circle. 
• Put a few drops of oil around the dosa and let it cook for a couple of minutes. 

• Add finely chopped onion and/or green chilies on top to enhance taste. 
• Flip the dosa over and cook for 30 seconds. 
• Serve hot with chutney or any powders of your choice. 

Notes: 

• You can make thin, crispy dosas or slightly thick & fluffy dosas with this batter. Thicker the batter, thicker will be the dosa. Adjust the consistency. 
• You can add chopped onion, green chilies on top of the dosa when you first spread the batter to make it spicier. 
• Substitute with canned or frozen sweet corn if you don't get fresh corn but be forewarned that the taste will differ. If you are using frozen corn, you should soak it in warm water to bring it to room temperature before grinding.
• I usually add salt to my dosa batter before making dosas - this keeps the batter from becoming watery.