Recipe - Osas

14 ounce Patna or long grain rice
Washed in several changes
Of water
7 ounce Urad dal
1 teaspoon Salt
10 fl Oz vegetable oil

Soak the rice and urad dal in separate bowls of water for about 2 hours.
The water should cover them by around 1 inch. Drain. Blend the urad dal
with 6 fl ounce water in an electric blender for 5 8 minutes until it is
pale, smooth, light and airy. Empty the mixture into a large bowl.

Put the rice and 6 tablespoons of water into the blender and blend until it
turns into a fine granular paste. Add to the dal with the salt and mix
gently. Cover and leave in a warm place like an airing cupboard to ferment
for 2426 hours. The batter should double in volume.

Add 7 fl ounce water fold in gently and leave in a warm place for a further 1
One half hours. Heat 1 One half teaspoons of oil in a frying pan and when hot, drop 4
fl ounce of batter in the centre of the pan. Put the rounded bottom of a soup
spoon very lightly into the center of the batter and using a slow, gentle
and continuous spiral motion, spread the batter outwards with the back of
the spoon until you have a pancake around 7 inches in diameter.

Dribble One half teaspoon of oil over the pancake and another One half teaspoon round
the edges. Cover and cook for 1 One half 2 minutes, or until the dosa has
turned reddish brown. Turn over and cook uncovered for a further minute or
until the second side develops reddish spots.

TIPS

Urad dal is a small pale yellow split pea. Buy it from Indian grocers or
substitute the more familiar yellow split peas available in supermarkets.

Madhur Jaffrey's Flavours of India Tamil Nadu

Osas

These nutritious pancakes from the Tamil Nadu region are versatile and can
be eaten for breakfast as a light lunch or for dinner. They may be eaten
plain with coconut chutney, or folded over potatoes.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini