Neer Dose

   

Neer Dose is a specialty from coastal Karnataka. It's simplicity has spread to other parts of India now, mainly through Mangalorean restaurants. It's a very simple recipe made with handful of ingredients mainly rice, salt and water. Neer in Kannada/Tulu means water, in kundapur kannada it's also called Tellin Dose (thin dose). I add onions and a little coconut that makes it more tastier. There are other variations to this simple dose. Spicy version that my grandma used to make. When there was no time for elaborate cooking she would add some dry red chillies, cumin and coriander seeds while grinding the rice and eat the spicy neer dose without any sides/dips (chutney/curries). My mother also makes a healthier version by mixing half of finger millet seeds (ragi) and half raw rice to make the batter. It takes very little oil to make it, you can also skip the oil if you are making it on nonstick pan but I prick a fork into half onion and use it to grease the pan a bit. I somehow don't like the oilfree neer dose :-)

Here is the recipe that I learnt from my mother when I was in high school. It was such a proud moment for me that I learnt to make perfect neer dose like her. Since then I wanted to show off my skill whenever my mother made it. The story continued even after I got married and started living with my in laws. When we had guests at home my job was to make just neer dose :-) It's not a rocket science but many still fear trying it. It will take couple of really thick doses before one can learn to sprinkle it the right way and make good neer dose. It's so thin that you can easily eat 4-5 of them in one sitting. Read on for the ingredients and method.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup Sona masoori Raw Rice
2-3 tbsp of fresh coconut
1 small onion (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil to grease the pan

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in enough water for 2-3 hours (1-2 hours is sufficient if you are using a wet grinder/stone grinder).


2. Drain the water from rice and put it in the mixer jar, add coconut and grind to smooth paste. Do not add more water while grinding. Check the batter between your fingers, it should be smooth in texture.


3.When the batter is almost done add the sliced onions and grind for 2 more minutes.

4. Remove in a big pot, add salt to taste and enough water to make thin batter. The consistency is similar to Rava Dosa. Do not add more water at once, check the consistency by making a dose and add water as desired.

5. Heat a pan/tawa and rub a little oil with the help of a cut onion or banana stem and sprinkle the dose batter to form a thin dose (similar to Rava Dose). Cover and cook for 30 seconds and remove it. Fold as you like.

6. Serve with coconut chutney /coconut-jaggery mixture or even spicy curries. 

Notes: 
1. Do not add too much water at once, try to sprinkle the batter on the hot pan and see if it makes thin dose with pores.

2. If the pan is too hot you can not make thin dose as it will not spread properly and makes thick ones. 

3. It just needs a little practise to play with water for right consistency and adjust the flame as needed to make thin dose. 

Thanks for reading, please comment and let me know if you try it:-)