Pesarattu - Andhra Breakfast | Moong Dal Crepe

The magic saucepan is embarked on yet another food journey this month, along with few other Bloggers. From North to South and East to West, we will be travelling across each Indian state featuring the local cuisine. Since breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day and I personally have a hard time figuring out different varieties on a daily basis, this space will be highlighting the traditional breakfast items and / or their associated accompaniments from each state. To begin with, the first post of this month's mega marathon is graced by the very famous Andhra Breakfast - Pesarattu.

Andhra, one of the southern state in India is a home to many royal and exotic dishes. It is well known for its intense heat and spice level. In general, the hyderabadi cuisine (those that came from the Nizam's kitchen) is highlighted around the world. But this state has much more to offer than a rich and royal Dum Briyani and Salan.  The telugu cuisine is divided into four major categories. Coastal Andhra, Telangana, Hyderabadi and Rayalseema. To know more about these specific cuisines, you can read through wiki in detail. Every region has its own culinary identity.

One thing that inspires me the most about South Indian cooking, is its simplicity. Nothing elaborate or luxurious. A feast is prepared just by using the available topographical ingredients. One such simple yet a hearty dish from this state, is this "Pesarattu". A typical Andhra breakfast, just like other south Indian states consists of Dosa, Upma or Idly along with coffee and tea. This moong dal crepe is a filling dish and sometimes, it is served with Upma hidden inside the dosa, known as Upma pesarattu or MLA pesarattu. There is a funny story behind its etymology. It is told that the Upma was hidden inside the pesarattu and served, only to some prominent members in the MLA quarters of Hyderabad. Hence the name MLA Pesarattu and gradually it became quite famous throughout the entire region.

Pesarattu | Upma Pesarattu | MLA Pesarattu

A kind of dosa made with just Whole green gram (mung beans). This is served with Upma and allam pachidi as a side chutney.

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins| Rest Time:6 hours, minimum | Total time: 6.5 hrs | Serves: ~15 Dosa (~7" in size)

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Ingredients 2 Cups Pachai Payaru | Whole green grams, soaked for at least 6 hrs or overnight 1/4 Cup Rice flour (2) (optional) 3 no's Green chillies 2 Tbsp Chopped Ginger Salt to taste Oil for drizzling over 1/2 Cup Onions finely chopped (optional)

Instructions Drain the water and grind the soaked gram, rice flour, chillies and ginger into a smooth batter. Add very little water if required, to grind it properly.  Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes. Add salt and mix it well. The batter should be of pouring consistency, slightly thicker than a dosa batter or more like a pancake batter.  Heat a non stick pan or griddle, add a laddle of batter and spread it out to your required size.  Add the finely chopped onions (if using) immediately before the top side could cook and press it slightly with the help of a spatula so that it sticks well. Drizzle some oil along the edges.  Once the bottom side turns brown, flip it over and cook on the other side.

Notes

1. While serving, scoop the upma in the centre of the pesarattu and fold it, just like a masala dosa. This is the famous MLA Pesarettu. Serve it hot with a ginger tamarind chutney. 
2. You can also use raw rice instead of rice flour. If using raw rice (2 Tbsp rice for this), soak it along with the lentils. Using rice is optional. It is used for getting a crisp dosa. The above mentioned recipe will yield a soft dosa with slight crispiness. If you want a crispier dosa add some more rice flour or rice.