Azhagar Kovil Dosai is a special Vegan Dosa / savory Pancake made at a temple in Madurai and served as prasadam to the devotees.
Dosa is a staple at home, and mom like most of us at home especially love steamed , soft and porous dosas as opposed to the commercial / crispy ones. Dosas at home are typically made instant or fermented, with rice / millets / quinoa. This particular dosa has a unique combo of using whole black lentils and spiced with ginger that lends its typical colour, and we love it with both chutney / molagapudi
History of Azhagar Kovil Dosai
Historically only rice prasadam / offerings like Chakkara pongal, Ven Pongal, Puliodharai, Dudhyodhanam, Akkaravadisal, etc are given out in South Indian Temples. This Kallazhagar Temple in Madurai is probably the only one (to the best of my knowledge) to serve Dosa as prasadam, and cooked in ghee, no less.
Azhagar Koil Dosa, also known as Kallalagar Dosa, is a popular South Indian dish that is native to Madurai, Tamil Nadu. This dish is named after the Azhagar Koil Temple, which is located in the city of Madurai and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Azhagar Koil Dosa is made by preparing a batter from rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds, and then allowing it to ferment overnight. The fermented batter is then spread onto a hot tawa (griddle) and cooked until it is crispy and golden brown. The dosa is then typically topped with a spicy chutney. The history of Azhagar Koil Dosa is not well-documented, but it is believed to have originated in Madurai as a variation of the traditional dosa. The dish has become very popular in Madurai and is often served as a breakfast or evening snack. It is also a popular street food in the city and can be found at many food stalls and restaurants.
WIki says: Constructed in the Tamilian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshiped as Kallalagar and his consort Lakshmi as Thirumamagal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alagar_Koyil#:~:text=Constructed%20in%20the%20Tamilian%20style,his%20consort%20Lakshmi%20as%20Thirumamagal.
Other offbeat Dosas on the blog you may like
Prep time – 5 Mins , soaking time – 4~6 hours, grinding time – 15 Mins ; fermentation time – 10~12 hours
Makes – approx 8-9 dosas
GF, Satvik and vegan whole black gram n rice pancakes served with Flaxseed Molagapudi and Pudina Thogayal.
What do you need to make Azhagar Kovil Dosai
- 100 ml Whole black gram (Karuppu Ulundhu / WHole Urad dal with skin)
- 100 ml Raw rice (any short grained rice like Ponni / Sona Masoori)
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (Vendhayam / Methi)
- 4 TBSP Oil / ghee- to pan fry
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Dry ginger powder
- 1 tsp crushed fresh black pepper
- 1/3 tsp asafoetida (skip for GF, else highly recommended)
How to make Azhagar Kovil Dosai:
- Wash and soak the rice and dal separately for 4 hours or even overnight. Soak fenugreek seeds with the rice
- Grind both the rice and dal to a smooth paste. Add requisite salt and mix well.
- Let it ferment for 10-12 hours or overnight .
- After fermentation, mix in the toppings / add-ons indicated below. Check for salt and spice and mix thoroughly.
PIN FOR LATER
To make the dosas –
- Grease an oil Skillet (tava). Mix the well fermented batter and pour a deep ladle full of the batter onto a medium-hot tava . Do not spread, let it be like a thick Dosa, ~ 6 / 7 inches in Diameter.
- Drizzle Oil or ghee (or even a mixture of both if you are not vegan) around the sides. Let it cook well and turn slightly crusty.
- Flip on the other side and let it cook again for 1 min.
- Serve immediately with any chutney or Sambhar.
- We had ours with Flaxseed Molagapudi and Pudina Thogayal.
Azhagar Kovil Dosa | A-Z Dosa Varieties
Equipment
- Wet Blender
- Pots and Pans
- Tava / Skillet
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 100 ml Whole black gram Karuppu Ulundhu / WHole Urad dal with skin
- 100 ml Raw rice any short grained rice like Ponni / Sona Masoori
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds Vendhayam / Methi
- 4 TBSP Oil Ghee is used to pan fry this traditionally
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Dry ginger powder
- 1 tsp crushed fresh black pepper
- 1/3 tsp Asafoetida skip for GF, else highly recommended
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice and dal separately for 4 hours or even overnight. Soak fenugreek seeds with the rice
- Grind both the rice and dal to a smooth paste. Add requisite salt and mix well.
- Let it ferment for 10-12 hours or overnight .
To make the dosas
- After fermentation, mix in the toppings / add-ons indicated below. Check for salt and spice and mix thoroughly.
- Grease an oil Skillet (tava). Mix the well fermented batter and pour a deep ladle full of the batter onto a medium-hot tava . Do not spread, let it be like a thick Dosa, ~ 6 / 7 inches in Diameter.
- Drizzle Oil or ghee (or even a mixture of both if you are not vegan) around the sides. Let it cook well and turn slightly crusty.
- Flip on the other side and let it cook again for 1 min.
- Serve immediately with any chutney or Sambhar.
- We had ours with Flaxseed Molagapudi and Pudina Thogayal.
So glad you are doing a dosa marathon too! Love this dosai…it has turned out so fluffy and soft!! Now I need to bookmark this and try asap!
Pramadam….a very nice and informative post about the not so very popular prasadam recipe Azhagar kovil dosai . I have faint memories of tasting it at Azhagar koil in Madurai few years back.
thank you pa, memories for me too – though very faint now recreated on the plate 🙂
In our family, I am all for the soft spongy porous dosa as it soaks up sambar well. Hubby is for the thin crispy ones. Love this unique dosa recipe with whole black urad. Will be trying out this one soon. Looks super tempting with all those tiny holes.
thank you so much, please do try and am sure you would like this Azhagar kovil dosai a lot
Azhagar Kovil Dosa looks so porous and tempting. The images are wholly justifying. Prasadam offered in the south Indian temples of these kinds is so naturally divine and tasty. Will try out this dosa at home. Lovely post.
thanks Neha. It is truly divine, as are most temple prasadams.
This is something different you have made. I must try this one using black urad dal. Good to know about this temple in Madurai.
thanks Jayashree, and please do try it sometime soon
It is interesting to note the connection of this karuppu ulundhu dosai and azhagar kovil. Though we made the dosa many times, glad to note the history behind it.
it sure was interesting for me too, Seema.