Upma Pesarattu is a popular breakfast recipe from the southern part of India. Pesarattu is a crepe made with green moong dal (green lentils) batter. Upma is made with semolina /sooji is always a perfect combo breakfast from the south india.
Upma attains a star status when combined with pesarattu alone it is just a boring for breakfast for many. While there are many variations of upma the basic version with out any veggies or even onions is made to eat along with pesarattu.
This recipe is made usually for a sunday brunch or when you have a guest. Served with 2 or 3 chutney adds the needed delight to make sunday a special one.
Pesarattu is considered as a healthy breakfast due to the protien sources of moong dal.As moong dal being the only main ingredient to make this crepe it is nutrious and filling in every way. Where as the other dosas (crepes) contain equal or double the amounts of rice which pushes them into a high carb choice.
Choose pesarattu if you miss eating dosas and you will be full for a good amount of your morning time. Hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do in our family.
INGREDIENTS FOR UPMA PESARATTU
- Green Moong Dal : Use Whole moong dal. No alternative for this as this is the main ingredient.
- Rice : Use a spoonful of any variety of rice, makes the pesarattu much crispier. Can use rice flour but it is suggestable to soak rice with moong dal.
- Green chillies : Adds the needed spicyness to the crepe, use while grinding as well while making the crepe.
- Cumin : Adds nice flavor and taste to the recipe. Do not skip cumin it also aids in the digestion process.
- Ginger : Enhances taste and flavor to the recipe.
- Oil/Ghee : Use Ghee or any oil to roast the pesarattu (crepe).
- Semolina or Sooji : While semolina or sooji is used to make upma.
- Seasoning for Upma : Cumin , Mustard seeds , split urad dal, chopped green chilles , curry leaves.
- Cashews : optional to use in Upma.
HOW TO MAKE THIS PESARATTU AND UPMA PERFECTly?
- Soak the moong dal along with tablespoon of rice overnight for a smooth and crisper pesarattu. Do not compromise in the soak time.Lot of people add riceflour but soaking 1 -2 tablespoons rice along with moong dal make the crepe much crispier.
- While grinding add cumin, green chiles and ginger. Grind to a smooth paste till bubbles appear in the mixture.
- Some prefer to blend into a make coarse paste but that leads to a thicker pancake like size of crepe. Smooth batter make it a crisper crepe. Choose the consitency of grinding as per your prefernce.
HOW TO MAKE UPMA ?
There are a lot of variations when making upma but when served with pesarattu the recipe is slightly different. It has to be made with white sooji or semolina and doesnot contain any onions or vegetables. It is much softer than regular upma so use extra water.
In a pan add some oil and let the cumin splutter. Add chana dal, urad dal, sliced green chiles , curry leaves and mustard seeds.
Roast them on low flame and the required water. Season with salt and cover the lid and let boil.
Turn off the heat or on low flame add semolina/sooji slowly with one hand and mix with the other hand to avoid lumps. when completly mix bring back to heat(low) stir.
Allow it to cook for 2 minutes. It’s cooked when all the water evaporates. Add a teaspoon of oil and ghee and turn off the flame.
HOW TO MAKE PESARATTU?
Roast this crepe on a iron tawa or cast iron pan inplace of non stick for a much authentic taste.
Heat a iron tawa. To test it hot enough, sprinkle some water and it evaporates right away. Clean the tawa with tissue or a cloth, be very careful as it very hot.
Pour a laddle of batter in the center and spread thinly and evenly as quickly as possible.
Add oil or ghee on the edges and let it cook. Add some sliced onions, green chiles and cumin on the top and tap to stick to the batter.
The crepe turns to slightly brown and you now it cooked. Turn the other side if needed. you don’t need to turn for thiner crepe as it cooks quickly. For thicker ones and coarse better it it highly recommeded to flip and cook on both sides.
Add a spoonful of umpa in the center and fold in half or roll from both the ends.
Serve this moong dal crepe and upma along with sambar and chioce of chutneys.
Enjoy this savory and healthy breakfast from south india. It has the nice flavors of ginger and cumin. Roast it in ghee to for a much richer taste.
WATCH ANDHRA STYLE PESARATTU UPMA VIDEO HERE
Watch this quick and short video to understand the process much better.
Upma Pesarattu ( Moong dal Crepe)
Equipment
- Medium Pan
- Dosa Pan or Griddle
Ingredients
FOR UPMA
- ½ cup Semolina or Sooji White
- 1½ cup water
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp bengal gram
- 1 tsp urad dal or split black gram
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 chopped green chili
- 5 -6 curry leaves
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 2 tbsp cashews optional
FOR PESARATTU (MOONG DAL DOSA)
- 1 cup Whole Moong dal Green
- 2 tbsp Rice
- 5 -6 green chilies add as per spicy level
- 2 inch giner piece
- 2 Tbsp cumin
Instructions
UPMA
- Heat a meduim pan/skillet and add oil. Add bengal gram, black gram(urad dal), and Cashews and saute for a minute.when it is slightly golden add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped chiles and curry leaves.
- When they splutter add water and salt. Close with a lid its boiling and bubbling. Turn the heat to low and add sooji/semolina slowly by stiring continously to avoid forming lumps.
- Add 2 tsps of Ghee and mix slowly and cook till the sooji looked cooked and turn off the heat.
Pesarattu
- Soak Whole green moong dal and 2 tbsp of rice in water for atleast 12 hrs.
- Add soaked dal, rice, chillies, ginger, cumin, salt and grind to a smooth paste. Add ¼ cup water. Grind for atleast 5 mins till bubbles form in the mixture.Transfer this to a bowl.
- Heat a Dosa tawa or griddle to hot. Sprinkle some water and if it splutters your tawa is ready.
- Take 2 spoonsfuls of batter and spread it evenly like a dosa or crepe. This has to thin. Sprinkle cumin, chopped onions, chiles(optional) and press with a spatula. Add ghee or oil over the center nad edges and cook till the edges are slightly brown.
- Turn the dosa and cook for 30 seconds to a minute (this depends on the thickeness of the crepe). Turn again and add a spoonful of upma in the center and roll to serve the dosa.
