Instant cabbage sanna polo/dosa/pancake is a vegan, gluten-free, spicy and savory Konkani style instant pancake (from Mangalore in south India) made with cabbage, rice flour and chickpea flour. Paired with rice and dal, it is a soothing comfort food to enjoy for lunch or dinner.
Sanna polo is a savory dosa traditionally made by mixing in onions and cabbage or even finely chopped greens like spinach or methi in a coconut, lentil (specifically split toor dal or pigeon peas) and rice masala. You can even make them using the every trending highly nutritious moringa leaves or drumstick leaves, like moringa leaves sanna polo/dosa.
Soaked rice and lentils are blended to a coarse paste with coconut, red chillies and tamarind, and then onions and cabbage (finely minced) are mixed in to prepare the pancakes.
Sometimes, when I am short on time and crave anything spicy and quick to go with my meal (lunch or dinner), I try to come up with quicker ways to make them. This dish is one of them.
Instead of soaking the lentils-rice mixture (which needs some preplanning) and blending them with coconut, tamarind and dry red chillies, , I mixed in pantry available chickpea flour and rice flour with some fresh grated coconut along with cabbage, onions (white and green), spices etc.
The key step is to mix in cabbage (finely shredded; use a box grater) with onions and mix in salt to allow the vegetables to sweat and release the moisture. This moisture is all that is needed to make the sanna polo dough with chickpea flour (besan) and rice flour (to crisp up the pancakes) and your favorite spices!
Once it comes together, all you need to do is pat some on a heated iron griddle (I would have it no other way, no non stick for me!!) into a flat pancake like disc.
Shallow fry with some oil; coconut is best but you can use any cooking oil, until slightly crisp, cooked through and golden brown on both sides.
Make as many as you need and store leftover dough in the refrigerator for later use for up to 2 days.
Enjoy soft and crispy instant cabbage sanna polo/dosa as a side dish with some hot steaming rice and dalithoy (konkani style dal) to go with it. A simple and quick stir fry like Fresh Green Peas Upkari, Asparagus Upkari, Fresh Radish Upkari etc. and you will be well on your way to enjoying a simple Konkani style lunch!
Happy Cooking!
Step-by-step method to make Instant Cabbage Sanna Polo:
Finely grate cabbage and finely chop onions.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well and keep aside for about 10 minutes, for the moisture to be released from the mixture.
Once the water is released, sprinkle all the other ingredients according to taste.
When adding besan, start with ¼ cup and keep adding more until the mixture holds together and you are able to make soft dough balls. There is no need to add any extra water.
Heat a large iron griddle and once hot, drizzle some oil all over it.
Once the griddle is hot, take a ping-pong sized ball of dough and pat this on the hot griddle to a flat disc. It should be neither thick nor thin. Take care not to touch the hot griddle! You can make 3 dosas or pancakes at a time.
Reduce heat to medium low, sprinkle some more oil and close with a lid or cover. Cook until the bottom is cooked and turns light brown and crisp.
Flip the sanna polo and drizzle oil again. Increase heat to medium and cook uncovered until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Serve hot as an accompaniment to rice and dal.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Instant cabbage sanna polo/dosa is a vegan, gluten-free, spicy and savory Konkani style instant pancake; a perfect accompaniment for any meal!
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated cabbage
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- ¼ cup green onions
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 tbsp grated coconut, fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp hing/asafetida powder
- ¼ to ½ cup besan/chickpea flour
- 2 to 3 tbsp rice flour
- Salt to taste
- Coconut oil for shallow frying
Instructions
- Finely grate cabbage and finely chop onions.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well and keep aside for about 10 minutes, for the moisture to be released from the mixture.
- Once the water is released, sprinkle all the other ingredients according to taste.
- When adding besan, start with ¼ cup and keep adding more until the mixture holds together and you are able to make soft dough balls. There is no need to add any extra water.
- Heat a large iron griddle and once hot, drizzle some oil all over it.
- Once the griddle is hot, take a tennis ball sized ball of dough and pat this on the hot griddle to a flat disc. It should be neither thick nor thin. Take care not to touch the hot griddle! You can make 3 dosas or pancakes at a time.
- Reduce heat to medium low, sprinkle some more oil and close with a lid or cover. Cook until the bottom is cooked and turns light brown and crisp.
- Flip the sanna polo and drizzle oil again. Increase heat to medium and cook uncovered until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Serve hot as an accompaniment to rice and dal.
Notes
If the batter is too thin, add more besan or rice flour.
Instead of cabbage, you can use any other leafy vegetable like finely chopped spinach, methi leaves, moringa/drumstick leaves etc.
If you have red onions, use them; lends lovely flavor to the dish!
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