Gluten-free rava dosas / No-rava dosas are savory gluten-free crepes that kill two birds with one stone – a) they are made with rice and sorghum (jowar) – both whole grains (unlike traditional rava dosas which rely on all-purpose flour), and b) there is zero compromise on taste – these flaky and crispy dosas melt in your mouth and make you say “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Rava Dosa” 🙂 You could also make them vegan if you skip the ghee and use cooking oil. These healthy rava dosas can be filled with anything you like, such as home-style potatoes or any fillings that you would usually use in your favorite savory crepes. There is no need to soak or ferment the batter, so let’s get to making

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

Ingredients

1. 1 ¼ cups rice flour
2. 1 cup sorghum (jowar) flour
3. 2 sprigs curry leaves, roughly chopped
4. 1 Tbsp. green chilli, finely chopped
5. 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
6. 1 tsp. whole black peppers
7. ¼ tsp. asafoetida (hing)
8. Salt to taste ( 1 ¾ – 2 tsp. salt)*
9. 4 – 5 cups water*
10. ½ cup onions, finely diced
11. 1 Tbsp. coconut flakes (Thenga Pallu) – optional
12. 1 Tbsp. cashews, chopped to tiny bits – optional
13. ½ cup clarified butter, melted (ghee) or cooking oil for toasting the crepes

*Note: Adjust water and salt to your liking
For flaky paper roast, add 5 cups water and up to 2 tsp. salt
If you are planning to have a filling, add 4 – 4 ½ cups water and only 1 ¾ tsp. salt

Kitchen Tools

1. Medium size bowl
2. Whisk or large spoon
3. Cast iron flat round griddle
4. Cup or soup ladle
5. Flat griddle spatula or burger / pancake flipper (Dosa Thiruppi = Crepe Turner)

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1 – In a medium sized bowl, use a whisk or large spoon to combine 1 ¼ cups rice flour, 1 cup sorghum flour,  2 sprigs of roughly chopped curry leaves, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped green chili, 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp. whole black peppers, ¼ tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

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Step 2 – Add 4 ½  cups water and using the whisk or spoon, mix it well to make a smooth batter free of lumps and set it aside. The consistency should be similar to that of buttermilk

Note: Adjust water and salt based on how you would like your dosa (refer to the Notes under the Ingredients section above)

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Step 3 – To this batter, add ½ cup finely diced onions, 1 Tbsp. coconut flakes (optional), 1 Tbsp. tiny bits of cashews (optional)

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Step 4 – Set a cast iron flat round griddle on medium heat and allow it to heat up for about 5 minutes. The griddle has to be very hot but not to the point where it starts smoking. Splash a few drops of water on the griddle and if it sizzles and evaporates immediately, you are good to start making the dosas

Step 5 – Scoop out the batter using a cup or a soup ladle and pour it on the hot griddle from about 6 inches high, starting from the outer corner in a circular motion and spiraling to the center of the pan. Don’t pour it all in one place and don’t spread it either to fill any holes. The overall spread should look like lace

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Note: The reason a soup ladle / cup is used and not a small scoop is because you need sufficient quantity of batter to fill the entire griddle in one single pour. That’s the only way to form the lace pattern evenly without breaks

Step 6 – Drizzle 1 tsp. ghee over the dosa and wait for the corners of the holes to become golden brown

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Step 7 – If you would like to add a filling, do so at this time, fold the dosa gently, and set aside for plating. Skip to step 10 

Step 8 – If you don’t have a filling, and if you would like to cook it on both sides (like me), gently flip the dosa using a flat griddle spatula and cook for about a minute or less 

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Note: Do not lose hope if the first couple of dosas roll into a mushy mess. The reasons could be either the batter is too thick or the griddle is not hot enough. Also, in a traditional Rava Dosa the gluten binds everything together which is not the case here – so expect flakes to spill over on your countertop when you flip the dosa. A messy kitchen is part of this process – don’t fret over it 

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Step 9 – Flip the dosa yet again, and immediately fold the dosa gently and set aside for plating

Step 10 – Sprinkle a little water on the pan, wipe clean with a kitchen paper towel and repeat steps 5 – 9 for each dosa

Step 11 – Enjoy your sublime, crispy, gluten-free ‘rava’ dosa with finger-licking coconut chutney and onion sambar on the side😋

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Rava dosa is a quick instant snack in every south Indian kitchen. To this day, every time I make these dosas, I fondly remember my uncle, Dharmarajan, who used to make the best restaurant style rava dosa untiringly for huge family gatherings. But many of us avoid making it at home mainly because these dosas are lighter/airier than regular dosas so you need to make more of them if you don’t have a filling. Take into account that each rava dosa takes at least a few minutes to make and you are looking at 20 to 40 minutes easily for the whole dosa-making affair to end for a family of 3 or more. It is easier for many to head to a restaurant nearby and enjoy them. We stopped making this at home about 8 years ago when we switched to whole grains and eliminated all-purpose flour (maida) and semolina (rava) from our kitchen. The traditional rava dosa recipe unfortunately includes both. A million thanks to my cousin, Radhika Raghavan, for sharing her recipe and now we have a healthy and tasty version of this family favorite dosa back on our regular menu😍

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