As the title suggests, Dibba Rotti is a savory pancake made with lentils and coarse rice rawa. I’ll talk more about the rawa later in this post. ‘Dibba’ means thick in Telugu language and ‘rotti’ means roti or bread. Think of it as a deep-dish pizza, only much more healthy! It is also called ‘Minapa Rotti’ – ‘minapa’ refers to the lentil (urad dal). This dish is a popular breakfast in Andhra, since it is hearty, takes a while to digest, and it is protein-rich.
Rice Rawa
Generally, the rice rawa (coarse rice flour) I use for this recipe is the same as the one for Uppudu Pindi, a savory porridge-type dish. I blend rice to a not-too-fine powder and then run it through a large tea filter, to get rid of the finer particles. This ensures that the dibba rotti does not turn out too sticky. You can also do this brown rice. It takes longer to cook and doesn’t have quite the same fluffy texture.
Flax seeds
The original recipe has just 4 ingredients (urad dal, rice rawa, cumin seeds and salt). I like to add ground flax seeds to this batter. In fact I add ground flax seeds to almost any batter I make (roti, idli, dosa, you name it!). I got hooked on to flax seeds years ago. My ayurvedic doctor recommended them to help keep my cholesterol in check. These have worked wonders for me, so I consume as much as I can, without going overboard. I also add a pinch of baking powder to make it fluffy.
Dibba Rotti – Ullikharam
This, as they say, is a match made in heaven! I simply cannot imagine this rotti paired with anything other than Ullikharam, a spicy and tangy raw onion chutney. The thick rotti is typically cut into 4 pieces (like a small pizza) and served with Ullikharam. On those very rare occasions where I was too lazy to make the chutney, I have tried this dish with mango pickle. It is not a bad combo.
Dibba Rotti-Ullikharam
Urad (black gram lentil) is a high source of nutrients including manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, zinc and various B vitamins. It is also a very filling food, high in protein, resistant starch and dietary fiber. Flax seeds help cholesterol in check.
While you’re here, don’t forget to check out some of our delicious South Indian breakfast recipes!
- Delicious Veggie Poha Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Upma
- Vermicelli Upma
- Pesarattu-Green Mung Crepe
- No Ferment Cabbage-Onion Dosa
- Vegetable Uthappam
- Plain & Veggie Multigrain Idli
- Multigrain Dosa
- Delicious Sooji Upma
- Cracked Wheat Vegetable Idli
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Dibba Rotti | Savory Lentil Pancake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Urad Dal
- 1 Cup Rice Rawa
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Flaxseeds - Ground/Milled
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1 Pinch Baking powder
- 1/2 Cup Filtered water
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Bran Oil
Instructions
- Soak urad dal for 3-4 hours. Drain water, transfer to a blender. Add flax seeds, salt, baking powder, water and blend to a fine, thick consistency. In a separate bowl add rice rawa, wash and drain water. Now add blended batter and cumin seeds to the washed rawa and mix well. Add more water as needed.
- Heat half tablespoon oil in a pan on a stove top. Once hot, add batter to pan and spread it thick. Set stove on low-medium heat, set lid on pan and allow it to cook for a few minutes. Check to ensure moisture has dried out on the top half. Spray oil (or add evenly with a spoon, across the surface). Flip over to cook the other side for a few more minutes, till you get a golden brown crust all over.
- Transfer to a tray or cutting board. Cut to four equal pieces with a knife or a pizza cutter and serve with fresh Ullikharam.
