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Pesarattu - Andhra Breakfast | Moong Dal Crepe

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The magic saucepan is embarked on yet another food journey this month, along with few other Bloggers. From North to South and East to West, we will be travelling across each Indian state featuring the local cuisine. Since breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day and I personally have a hard time figuring out different varieties on a daily basis, this space will be highlighting the traditional breakfast items and / or their associated accompaniments from each state. To begin with, the first post of this month's mega marathon is graced by the very famous Andhra Breakfast - Pesarattu.

Andhra, one of the southern state in India is a home to many royal and exotic dishes. It is well known for its intense heat and spice level. In general, the hyderabadi cuisine (those that came from the Nizam's kitchen) is highlighted around the world. But this state has much more to offer than a rich and royal Dum Briyani and Salan.  The telugu cuisine is divided into four major categories. Coastal Andhra, Telangana, Hyderabadi and Rayalseema. To know more about these specific cuisines, you can read through wiki in detail. Every region has its own culinary identity.

One thing that inspires me the most about South Indian cooking, is its simplicity. Nothing elaborate or luxurious. A feast is prepared just by using the available topographical ingredients. One such simple yet a hearty dish from this state, is this "Pesarattu". A typical Andhra breakfast, just like other south Indian states consists of Dosa, Upma or Idly along with coffee and tea. This moong dal crepe is a filling dish and sometimes, it is served with Upma hidden inside the dosa, known as Upma pesarattu or MLA pesarattu. There is a funny story behind its etymology. It is told that the Upma was hidden inside the pesarattu and served, only to some prominent members in the MLA quarters of Hyderabad. Hence the name MLA Pesarattu and gradually it became quite famous throughout the entire region.

mango, Salad, Ginger, radishPesarattu | Upma Pesarattu | MLA Pesarattu

A kind of dosa made with just Whole green gram (mung beans). This is served with Upma and allam pachidi as a side chutney.

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins| Rest Time:6 hours, minimum | Total time: 6.5 hrs | Serves: ~15 Dosa (~7" in size)

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Pachai Payaru | Whole green grams, soaked for at least 6 hrs or overnight
  • 1/4 Cup Rice flour (2) (optional)
  • 3 no's Green chillies
  • 2 Tbsp Chopped Ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for drizzling over
  • 1/2 Cup Onions finely chopped (optional)
Instructions

  1. Drain the water and grind the soaked gram, rice flour, chillies and ginger into a smooth batter. Add very little water if required, to grind it properly. 
  2. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes. Add salt and mix it well. The batter should be of pouring consistency, slightly thicker than a dosa batter or more like a pancake batter. 
  3. Heat a non stick pan or griddle, add a laddle of batter and spread it out to your required size. 
  4. Add the finely chopped onions (if using) immediately before the top side could cook and press it slightly with the help of a spatula so that it sticks well. Drizzle some oil along the edges. 
  5. Once the bottom side turns brown, flip it over and cook on the other side. 

Notes

  1. While serving, scoop the upma in the centre of the pesarattu and fold it, just like a masala dosa. This is the famous MLA Pesarettu. Serve it hot with a ginger tamarind chutney. 
  2. You can also use raw rice instead of rice flour. If using raw rice (2 Tbsp rice for this), soak it along with the lentils. Using rice is optional. It is used for getting a crisp dosa. The above mentioned recipe will yield a soft dosa with slight crispiness. If you want a crispier dosa add some more rice flour or rice. 

This post falls under the Andhra Pradesh state, located in south India. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sapana Behl says

    I missed this post , dosa looks sinful and tempting !

    Reply

  2. vaishali sabnani says

    Star dosa of the day..healthy..delicious one..

    Reply

  3. Suma Gandlur says

    Yummy and nutritious attu.

    Reply

  4. Gayathri Kumar says

    Didn't know that there is MLA Pesarattu. Your pesarattu looks perfect and is so inviting...

    Reply

  5. Usha says

    It is nice to know how pesarattu got the name MLA pesarattu. It is one healthy breakfast to start off the day.

    Reply

  6. Jayanthi Padmanabhan says

    I read about the MLA pesarattu story also.. Your pesarattu looks perfect

    Reply

  7. Priya Srinivasan says

    Upma stuffed pesarattu tastes awesome, i make it whenever i have some leftover upma from breakfast. Such a healthy and protein-packed dish!!!

    Reply

  8. Saraswathi Tharagaram says

    Healthy and Nutritious way to kick start the day..Yummy

    Reply

  9. Kalyani says

    Upma pesarattu aka MLA pesarattu brings back sooooooo many memories of Hyderabad ! The combo looks delish NISHA ;-))

    Reply

  10. Nalini's Kitchen says

    Such an authentic and healthy recipe,looks delicious ..

    Reply

  11. Priya Suresh says

    Love MLA pesarattu very much, i can have this protein rich dosas anytime of the day with some ginger chutney.

    Reply

  12. Chef Mireille says

    yours came out so neat and beautiful...like a restaurant

    Reply

  13. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

    Loved making these for this month's marathon...Same pinch! looking forward to your rest of the posts for the month 🙂

    Reply

  14. Varadas Kitchen says

    Pesarattu looks delicious. Nice to know that we can look forward to 29 more breakfast recipes.

    Reply

  15. Rajani S says

    I love pesarattu and upma combination. it tastes heavenly!

    Reply

  16. Pavani N says

    Absolutely delicious looking pesarattu -- tasty & nutritious way to start any day.
    Looking forward to your posts this month.

    Reply

  17. Archana Potdar says

    Delicious. I like the MLA idea.I will join Harini when she starts her breakfast. 🙂

    Reply

  18. The Pumpkin Farm says

    I agree , the south indian food is all about simple and yet flavor packed food, this is one such dish that stands out

    Reply

  19. Srivalli says

    I am so looking forward to your breakfast dishes Nisha...awesome start!..

    Reply

  20. Nivedhanams Sowmya says

    today has been a pesarettu day!!! so many delicious pesarettu!!! so yummy and healthy!!

    Reply

  21. Harini-Jaya R says

    Pass the plate please..Craving for Pesarattu after seeing so many of them today..Lovely pictures.

    Reply

  22. Sreevalli E says

    Dosa looks tempting & inviting. It's very authentic to andhra.

    Reply

  23. Manjula Bharath says

    Wow such an delicious and yummy pesarratu very well made , love the perfect round shape 🙂 what an yummy way to start the marathon 🙂 I wud love to finish the plate right away 🙂

    Reply

  24. Padmajha PJ says

    Yes, I too have heard of MLA perasittu and was wondering how it got that name! Nice authentic AP dish.The last pic with the butter[or is it ginger] looks great!

    Reply

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