Kaattuyaanam Arisi Dosai | Kaattuyanam Rice Dosai

Kaattuyaanam Arisi Dosa or simply Dosa made of traditional red rice aka Kaattuyaanam Arisi from Tamil Nadu is a must make for rice lovers and health seekers alike

In the image you see:
Kattuyanam Arisi Dosai and Masala Dosa style Potato Palya
Ash gourd Aracchuvitta Kozhambu
Idly Dosa Podi with sesame oil

Let me give you a background about this Kaattuyaanam Arisi Dosai. A few years back in a casual conversation with my maternal uncle, our topic of discussion happened to be Rice. He was telling me that in olden days, there supposedly were more than 3000 varieties of rice which were all lost in time with less than fifty remaining and fewer varieties known to people today.

Most of us know only a handful of popular varieties like sona masoori, basmati, brown rice, ponni rice and may be matta rice. Luckily, that has been changing and it is heartening to see so many of the traditional varieties being revived by the regional farmers in the recent years.

I’ve been on the quest of different varieties of rice for a while now. This particular traditional variety of rice from Tamil Nadu surely is among the top ten that has gripped my curiosity. I can’t tell you how mesmerized I am of the sheer beauty and color of this jewel like Rice.

Native to the Kaveri basin of Tamil Nadu, this Red rice aka “Kattuyanam Arisi” (in Tamil) as it is known literally translates to “Wild Elephant Rice“.  Why that name you ask? It is apparently a really tall variety of rice which grows to heights above 7 ft that can hide even wild elephants in the paddy field.
The story behind it’s moniker, the jewel like color, it’s medicinal or the antioxidant properties, What’s not to like?

It is time to quit finding fault with Rice or blaming rice for weight gain. Are you With me?

Why make Dosa with this rice?

Red Rices are rich in fiber as the outer bran layer is retained even after the milling process. Due to this, it is more filling than the regular polished (read as bran removed) white rices that most people are accustomed to. The bran is nutrition rich and contains anthocyanins (what gives color to the rice), vitamins and minerals.

When I find new rices, I like to first try and experiment with them almost always in the form of Dosa. Because Dosa/Dosai/Dosay is finely ground and naturally fermented, it is easily digestible and also very forgiving as a recipe. I don’t really have to worry much about how digestible it is or how will it suit our body.

Fenugreek seeds and hing are a must in all my Dosa recipes.

So here goes the easy recipe. Enjoy!