Vella Dosai | Wheat Jaggery dosa

Vella Dosai is a quick and healthy breakfast recipe that kids will enjoy. This is an age-old recipe that has been passed down through my family. If you’re in no mood to cook anything elaborate this 3-ingredient Vella Dosai will come to your rescue and make your breakfast a super hit. Get your kids involved in the batter-making process like I always do!

I have had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. On weekend mornings, Amma (mom) would entice me with these wheat jaggery dosas and I would jump from my bed to start the day. Fast forward to today, my son is the same! The moment I mention he was going to have something sweet for breakfast, he’ll readily jump out of his bed and finish his morning routine.

In our family, we would avoid consuming rice during Ekadasi and Shivarathri. I know the concept of fasting varies in every culture and in some, grains would be avoided altogether. Traditionally, my family made Vella dosai during Vrat or fasting days. Honestly, it always felt like a feast whenever Amma made vella dosai or paruppu kanji for dinner. As a kid I never realized that I was a part of the fast, thanks to these yummy delicacies that were a rare occurrence on normal days.

Here are other South Indian recipes from my blog

Tomato Thokku

Keerai Masiyal

Akkaravadisal

Ashoka Halwa

This Vella Dosai

• Is made using 3 ingredients that are readily available in your pantry
• Is a quick and easy breakfast or dinner option
• Will be enjoyed by both kids and adult alike
• You can eat it plain or have it with a dollop of butter
• Is ideal for Hindu fasting
• Can be made Vegan by skipping ghee

Ingredients for Vella Dosai

Whole Wheat Flour

Any type of whole wheat flour would work for this recipe.

Jaggery powder

I like using jaggery powder to make the process easier. You can also use crushed jaggery pieces. You’ll have to melt it before using it though.

Rice Flour

Rice flour is optional. You can skip if you want to.

Cardamom powder

Cardamom gives a wonderful flavor to this Vella dosai

Step-by-Step Method for making Vella Dosai

In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, jaggery powder rice flour, and salt. Skip rice flour if you are making it on a fasting day.

Also, the jaggery powder I get here has no impurities and I didn’t have to filter it. If you suspect yours has impurities, I highly recommend melting it with 1/4 cup of water and filter it before using it.

Add water little by little and mix well. The batter should be runnier than pancake batter and dosa batter but thicker than rava dosa batter. Please refer to my video for the batter’s consistency.

Add crushed cardamom powder and mix well.

Heat a cast iron girdle or dosa tawa. Grease with ghee

Add a ladle of batter from the out corners and fill inwards. Set the flame to medium-low and add ghee to the dosai.

When you see that the top part has dried completely and there’s a little browning on some parts flip the dosai. You can also slightly lift a corner of the dosai to see if it has turned brown.

Cook it for another minute and transfer it to a plate.

Serve it hot with a dollop of butter or more ghee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Vella Dosai with Jaggery chunks instead of powder?

Yes, you can. Just melt the same quantity of jaggery in 1/4 cup of cup and filter the impurities if any. Adjust the water quantity accordingly.

Can I skip rice flour?

Yes, you can rice flour. Flipping the vela dosas will be easier if you add rice flour. Also, it keeps the dosas soft even after they cool down. Traditioanally Vella Dosas are made only with whole wheat flour.

How should I store Vella dosai?

You can store the dosais at room temperature for 5-6 hours. The addition of rice flour ensures in soft dosais even after in cools down.

How to store the leftover dosa batter?

You can refrigerate the leftover dosa batter for upto a day. When wheat flour is left to sit with water, it forms a layer of brown water on top. Discard the water, add more water and rice flour if needed and make dosas as usual.