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When I made oatmeal dosa for my husband the first time, and asked him to guess what it was made with, he could not.
The texture turned out almost exactly like the home-cooked dosas he is familiar with from his native South Indian cuisine.
A dosa is a cross between a pancake and a tortilla. Something like a crepe, but not as delicate.
This was incredible, considering it takes quite some talent to make a real dosa from scratch – not to mention about 24 hours for fermentation.
In contrast, this quick, gluten-free flatbread can be ready to cook in about 15 minutes. Yay for that!
This oatmeal dosa is made from traditional rolled oats and chickpea flour, and the cooking process is very forgiving.
It’s really easy to get a soft flatbread that you can be proud and excited about, and the options for enjoying such a treasure are endless.
Serve with
- Any thick soup or stew to complete your meal
- Scrambled eggs, spinach, onions, and tomato – like a breakfast burrito
- Sautéed leafy greens
- Indian-style stewed greens
- Paneer tikka masala
Oat health benefits
Oats are a little sweet, as well as gooey, heavy, and easy to digest.
They are loaded with soluble fiber, which is what produces the gooey texture and soothes the digestive tract.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of oats is their soothing quality on the mind and nervous system.
Now this can be your new go-to whenever you’re feeling frazzled.
Oatmeal dosa will settle you down while it nourishes.
Chickpea flour health benefits
Oats are often criticized for being all-carb, despite having a relatively low glycemic index score.
In my experience, it’s true that oats on their own fail to satisfy.
So we fix that here by adding a good vegetarian source of protein in the form of chickpea flour.
Chickpea flour is what you’ll find at a store like Whole Foods, and this will work, but what I actually recommend is gram flour (also known as besan).
Gram flour or besan is actually made from a different type of chickpea, the black chickpea, which is about half the size of the common chickpea, and with significantly more nutritional value.
You can buy besan on Amazon, but it will be less costly to buy it directly from an Indian grocery store if possible.
Another option if you don’t have any form of chickpea flour is to use a protein powder. It’s worth a try. Even if it’s a little sweet, a little sweetness might not hurt in this recipe. You’ll need to experiment.
Recipe for High-Protein Oatmeal Dosa (Instant Flatbread)
Equipment
- blender
- medium skillet
Ingredients
for the dosa
- 1/2 cup traditional rolled oats
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chickpea or gram flour (sub with protein powder)
- pinch salt
for cooking
- ghee
- optional spice masala, such as chat masala, garam masala, Ayurvedic spice masala, or simply black pepper
Instructions
- Soak oats in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Strain, then combine in a blender with water, chickpea flour, and a good pinch of salt. The batter should be a little thinner than a pancake batter.
- Heat a skillet or griddle pan on medium heat. Add a layer of ghee. Once the ghee is nice and hot, spoon on the batter and use the back of your spoon to gently spread it out.
- Sprinkle with optional spice masala for added flavor.
- Flip when the top looks dull and looses its wet sheen (about 2-3 minutes). The first side will be lightly browned. Cook the second side until brown spots appear.
- Place on a plate and cover with a clean cloth to keep the dosa warm while you make the remaining dosas.
Andrea,
Great and thanks! I do think I will try this. I do want to go to an Indian shop that is close to me soon, so I will look for the Besan there. If someday I want to try the protein powder is there a brand or type that you prefer or can refer me to?
Thanks again and wishing you all the best,
Susan Gurlea
Hi Susan,
Nice to hear from you. In the post is an Amazon link for Laxmi brand. I also love SWAD as a brand. These are both US-based companies that import products from India as well as North America. They also manufacture products locally, and they ensure great quality! Happy Cooking —Andrea