Kurakkan dosa, also called kurakkan thosai, is a thin, savoury pancake made from finger millet flour. Kurakkan is the Sri Lankan name for finger millet, the reddish-brown grain known in India as ragi, and its flour gives the dosa a deep brown colour and a nutty, earthy taste. This is the instant kind: instead of the soaked and fermented rice and urad dal batter used for an ordinary thosai, the flour is simply whisked with water, seasoned with onion, green chilli and curry leaves, rested briefly and cooked on a hot pan.
The idea is shared with South India, where ragi dosa is an everyday breakfast. The version below leans towards the Sri Lankan pantry, with a little freshly grated coconut in the batter, as in kurakkan roti, and it is eaten for breakfast or a light dinner with a sambol or a curry.
How to make kurakkan dosa
- Makes about 10 dosas (serves 3 to 4)
- Prep: 10 minutes (+ 15 minutes resting)
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 150 g (1 cup) kurakkan (finger millet) flour
- 50 g (1/3 cup) rice flour
- 40 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated coconut, or desiccated coconut soaked in a little warm water
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- About 400 ml water
- 2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil, for cooking
Method
- Mix the flours. Whisk the kurakkan flour, rice flour, cumin seeds and salt together in a large bowl.
- Make a smooth batter. Pour in about half the water and whisk to a thick, lump-free paste, then whisk in the rest a little at a time until the batter is about as thick as pouring cream.
- Add the flavourings. Stir in the coconut, onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Cover and rest for 15 minutes so the flour absorbs the water. It will thicken; whisk in a spoonful or two of water to bring it back to a pouring consistency.
- Heat the pan. Heat a flat cast-iron pan or non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles and disappears at once. Wipe it with a little oil on kitchen paper.
- Spread the batter. Stir the batter, since the flour settles, then pour a ladleful into the centre of the pan and quickly spread it outwards in a spiral with the back of the ladle into a thin round about 20 cm across. Drizzle 1/2 tsp oil around the edge.
- Cook the first side. Cook for about 2 minutes on a medium heat, until the top looks dry and the edges lift and turn crisp.
- Flip and finish. Turn the dosa and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more, until the onion is lightly browned. Serve straight away, then wipe the pan with oil and repeat with the rest of the batter.
Why is the batter not fermented?
A classic thosai batter is made from soaked rice and urad dal ground together and left to ferment overnight, which gives it lift and a gentle sourness. Kurakkan dosa takes a shortcut: flour and water only, so it can be on the table in under an hour with nothing planned the night before. The texture is thinner and crisper at the edges and softer in the middle, rather than spongy. Some cooks whisk 2 tablespoons of yoghurt into the batter for a mild tang; leave it out to keep the dosa dairy-free.
What does the rice flour do?
A dosa made only from kurakkan flour tends to be soft and can tear when you flip it. A smaller share of rice flour gives crisper edges and a sturdier dosa that turns easily. Keep the proportion at about three parts kurakkan to one part rice flour so the millet flavour stays in front.
How do you stop kurakkan dosa sticking or tearing?
- Heat the pan properly. Batter poured onto a pan that is not hot enough sticks and spreads unevenly.
- Keep the batter pourable. Kurakkan flour keeps absorbing water as it stands, so thin the batter with a little water between dosas if it thickens.
- Spread it once. Going back over batter that has started to set tears it.
- Wait for the edges. Flip only when the edges lift and the top looks dry.
What do you serve it with?
Serve kurakkan dosa hot, straight from the pan. Pol sambol is the easiest partner, and lunu miris adds a sharper heat. For a fuller meal, add dhal curry or a mild coconut-milk vegetable curry, or serve it the way thosai is often eaten, with coconut chutney and sambar.
What else is made with kurakkan?
Finger millet flour is used across Sri Lankan home cooking: in kurakkan roti, a thick coconut flatbread; in kurakkan kenda, a porridge; steamed as pittu; and in the sweet helapa. For a baked version, try the kurakkan bread loaf.
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