Protein breakfast

I started the day with dosai – fermented cereal pancakes.

Dosa batter has a hold on me, it makes my heart flutter, don’t ask me why. Must be the same kind of feeling you have when nurturing a sourdough.

So, I just have to share the love again: this time, a buckwheat red lentil dosa variation.

In this morning’s batter went (makes approx 6 pancakes):

1.5 dl (150 ml) whole buckwheat
1 dl (100 ml) red lentils
2 tablespoons cashew nuts
water, some salt

Process:

• Wash the grains and place in a bowl. Cover with water and let swell overnight.
• Process the grains in a blender until you have obtained a fairly smooth batter (mine turns out slightly coarse). Add a small pinch of salt.  If the batter is very thick and heavy, you can add some water, around 50 ml.
• Put the oven on 100 C (210 F) for about 10-15 min. Place the batter in a big bowl (it will rise) with a plate on top and for some extra insulation, place a kitchen cloth over it. Let the batter rest in the oven for several hours or overnight. When you lift the lid you will see that the batter has formed a sort of dome. The wonders of fermentation!

If this step does not succeed, curb your appetite and repeat the process, creating a nice and warm environment for your batter to swell with pride. 

• Place on medium heat and bake on both sides until golden.
• Grease a pan (24 cm/9.29 in diameter) and place 4-5 tablespoons of batter in the centre, spreading it out with circular movements until you have covered the surface of the pan.
• When the batter has fermented, add some water  to it, between 50-100 ml. It should not be runny, but spoonable, like fluffy cream.
• Enjoy (in the picture dressed with tahini and carob syrup).

NB: Buckwheat, which is not a grain but a relative of rhubarb, provides full vegetarian protein. Lentils are a good source of iron and protein; however, they do not provide you with the full set of nine essential amino acids (the 9/20 amino acids that we need to get through food); therefore, to obtain full protein they have to be combined with other sources of vegetarian protein.