Konkan Style Kalingana Polo
Konkan Style Kalingana Polo is an age-old recipe from Konkan Region in India. Kalingana means watermelon in Konkani and Polo means Dosa, and as the name suggests, here the watermelon rind is the key ingredient.The most popular part of the watermelon is the pink flesh, but like its cousin, the cucumber, the whole thing is edible. This includes the green scraps that usually end up in the compost bin.
Equipment
- Vitamix Blender
- Mixing bowl for resting the batter.
- Griddle to make Polo/Dosa. I used a cast iron griddle.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Batter
- 2 cups Watermelon Rinds Roughly chopped.
- 1 cup Brown Rice Soak in water for 4 hours and use. Discard water while adding rice for grinding.
- ¼ cup Beaten Rice or Rice flakes. Also known as chuda, chiwda, poha, avil. Soak for 1/2 an hour and use.
- ¼ cup Grated Fresh Coconut
- 1.5 tsp Salt
ingredients required while making Polo
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves. Finely chopped.
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil or any cooking oil. for roasting Polo or Dosa.
Instructions
Making batter
- Add all ingredients listed to a grinder.
- Grind to a smooth batter. You may not need to add any water since the watermelon rind will have enough water content.
- Transfer the batter to a big pan.
- Add about 1/4 cup washed off water from the grinder jar.
- Mix everything , cover with a lid or with a cling film. Allow to ferment for 6 hours. You can even make the batter ahead and store it in the refrigerator once it is fermented. It will keep well for 4-5 days.
- In humid climate, the batter may ferment sooner. As soon as it ferments, keep it in the refrigerator and take out when ready to use. You can even make the batter ahead and store it in the refrigerator once it is fermented. It will keep well for 4-5 days.
Making Polo/Dosa
- You can add some water to make it a free flowing dough.
- Add chopped coriander to the batter just before making dosa.
- Heat a griddle. Grease with little oil.
- Spread a ladleful of batter. Let it spread on its own. These dosas will be slightly thicker than the conventional dosas.
- Drizzle some oil all around.
- Flip and cook the other side too.
- Take out and serve with any chutney of your choice.
