Pesarattu recipe

Pesarattu is a protein packed healthy breakfast made using whole green gram and spices. It is one of the most commonly eaten Breakfasts from Andhra cuisine. In most Telugu speaking traditional households, pesarattu is eaten with this allam pachadi. In Hotels & Andhra restaurants it is served with a ginger chutney alongside rava upma.

What is pesarattu? Pesarattu is a thin breakfast crepe made with green gram, ginger, cumin & chilies.

The term “pesarattu” is a blend of 2 Telugu words – pesara & attu. Pesalu or Pesara is the Telugu name for green gram & attu translates to dosa or crepe.

How is it made? To begin with whole mung is rinsed and soaked briefly for a few hours and then ground to a batter with spices. This batter is just spread on a hot griddle to make thin crepes.

Making a pesarattu that is crispy, thin and tasty is something which comes out of practice. My Mom makes the best ones so I got to learn all the tips from her which I have shared below in the tips section.

You can also make an instant version of these pesarattu by soaking skinned yellow moong dal just for 1 hour in slightly hot water.

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Preparation

1. Clean and pick any stones from 1 cup green gram / mung beans. Add them to a large bowl.

2. Rinse well a few times until the water runs clear.

3. Pour fresh water and soak in enough water for about 4 to 6 hours. If using rice soak it along with dal. I don’t use rice most of the times.

4. Once the green gram is soaked, rinse them well.

5. This is an optional step for onion pesarattu: Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon ghee or oil. Then add half teaspoon cumin, ¾ cup chopped onions and 1 to 2 chopped green chilies on a high flame till they turn transparent and slightly brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Top them as needed just before you serve.

6. Add to the drained green gram to a blender along with, ¾ inch ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 to 2 green chilies, and ¾ teaspoon cumin. Pour little water as well & blend to a smooth batter.

Tip: If you have over soaked the dal, I suggest adding little rice or flour.

7. The batter must be smooth and the consistency similar to that of dosa batter. If you want it to be crispy, do not add water to the batter after you finish grinding. Bring it to the right consistency while you grind.

How to make pesarattu at home, crispy and thin

8. Next on a medium flame, heat a griddle or pan until hot. If using cast iron pan, drizzle few drops of oil and rub with a sliced onion. Wipe off the excess oil. Once the pan is hot enough, pour ½ to ¾ cup batter with a ladle in the center of the pan. Spread it to a thin round layer with the base of the ladle. Next add ½ to ¾ teaspoon ghee on the edges & all over.

9. When the base of the pesarattu firms up, scrape off lightly the thick parts with a wooden spatula moving it to the thinner parts. You will actually get nothing if you make it thin while spreading.

10. When it is roasted well, you get a thin crispy pesarattu. Little more ghee can be drizzled around if desired.

11. Usually it doesn’t need cooking on the other side if you make it thin. If the batter is moist, it need to be cooked on the other side as well. Flip it and fry to and fro as desired. Lastly if using onions, sprinkle fried onions and green chilies we made at step 2.

To make the next one, ensure the pan is not very hot. If it is too hot, reduce the flame or turn off the stove for a while and then make the next one.

Serve pesarattu hot with ginger pickle or upma.

Tips

Soaking: To make thin, crisp and tasty pesarattu avoid over soaking the green gram. Over soaked green gram makes soft dosas. The lesser soaking time, the crispier and thin they turn out. An ideal time for soaking is 4 to 6 hours.

With the dal just soaked for 4 hours, you can even get a cone shaped pesarattu. I have shared a picture at the end of this post.

Consistency of the batter is the key to make awesome pesarattu. It has to be thick yet of spreading consistency.

If you are unable to spread the batter on the tawa it means the batter is very thick. Add back to the blender with little water and blend again. Adding water directly to the batter most times doesn’t yield me good ones.

Rice or rice flour: Traditionally rice or rice flour was not used to make pesarattu. Short soaking time and using the NON-GMO green gram was the secret to making delicious and crisp pesarattu. Since restaurants use the hybrid lentils, they add a small amount of raw rice to get that crisp texture.

Topping: My mom always topped our pesarattus with golden fried onions. I have shared the same unique method in the recipe card.

In restaurant and most households, they sprinkle the onions directly after spreading the batter. Growing up we never liked onions that way, so my mom would always fry them and top.

Faqs

Can I refrigerate the batter? For best results, use the ground batter right away. Using stored or refrigerated batter most times yields thick, brownish and tasteless pesarattu. They have never turned good for me that way.

However if you want to save your batter, you may store it and bring it to room temperature before using it.

How to avoid brown pesarattu? An overheated tawa yields brown pesarattu or keep the flame to medium high. Also runny batter makes brown pesarattu.

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Recipe card