DC: Vegan Indian Dosas

When I first read our challenge for September I was a little bit shocked and confused. Indian dosas sounded delicious, but then I read the part where it all had to be Vegan. I am a 100% omnivore. Vegan food for me is a side item to a nice hunk of MEAT! Most vegan food to me is bland, not filling, and boring, but I have to say... this Vegan food is AMAZING!! Its delicious and filling, and definitely something I could eat alone, not as a side item. I made an Indian spiced yogurt chicken to go with it, but I don't even need to eat it. The dosa alone is enough. Needless to say, this recipe is great. It does take a bit of time and prep, but overall it is well worth it. Much thanks to Debyi for choosing this delicious adventure! I can't wait to eat more of this tomorrow for lunch during my 30 hr shift.

I did make a few changes:

*I used whole wheat flour instead of spelt flour (I honestly didn't want to buy something I would likely only use once and then leave to clutter my pantry). The whole wheat flour required a bunch more liquid to reach the appropriate consistency for the pancakes.

*I added spicy garlic chile sauce (I buy from Asian store) to bean filling and sauce. I like my food spicy. I also added a bit more of all of the spices. I like my food to be spicy and strong.

*I only used one can coconut milk in the sauce, it seemed adequately coconutty with just the one.

*I added some tomato paste to the sauce as well, and less whole tomato. Tomato makes my brother vomit on contact with his mouth... (He once ate a piece of sushi at the restaurant at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va thinking it was tuna, but really it was a slice of tomato, and gagged and wretched at the table and didn't eat anything for like 48 hours from the trauma.)

Indian Dosas


This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).

Serves 4

Equipment needed:
large bowl, 
whisk
, griddle or skillet, 
ladle (or large spoon), 
spatula
, vegetable peeler &/or knife, 
large saucepan, 
food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes:


1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)


½ tsp (2½ gm) salt


½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder


½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder


½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)


¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water


cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling: 
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings: 
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated


¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
, ¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes


1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.


2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.


3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling


This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic


1 onion, peeled and finely diced


1 carrot, peeled and finely diced


1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)


2 medium hot banana chilies, minced


2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground


1 TBSP (8gm) oregano


1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)


1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric


4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)


½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.


2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce


This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped


2 cloves garlic


½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground


¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)


3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder


3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)


3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth


2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk


3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Happy eating!