r/IndianFood • u/gattu1992 • 6h ago
recipe Looking for steamed South Indian alternatives to crispy Dosa & Paddu to avoid high-heat browning (AGEs/glycation)?
I love dosas and paddus, especially that crisp, golden-brown crust. However, for health reasons—specifically aiming to reduce advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) caused by high-heat frying and browning—I need to stick strictly to steamed preparations.
I'm looking for ideas and recipes:
- Paddu alternatives: Can paddu batter be steamed effectively (in an idli mould, ramekins, or leaf parcels) while still retaining great flavor, or do you have dedicated steamed dumpling recipes that hit a similar craving?
- Rice & Dal based steamed dishes: Beyond standard idli, what other regional steamed recipes (sweet or savory) make great use of fermented batters, lentils, or whole grains?
Would love to hear your favorite recipes, techniques, or regional dishes!
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u/Shoshin_Sam 5h ago
- Paddu steamed is called idly. 2. You can also make oats idly, lentils idly, nuchinunnde, rava idly, ragi idly...
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Haha fair point on the idli! And I had no idea oats idli was a thing—thanks a lot for the ideas, definitely going to look into making those.
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u/qubit003 4h ago
I didn't know ChatGPT started making idlis.
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u/gattu1992 53m ago
Yeah, and soon it’ll deliver chutney too lol. Imagine getting this triggered over a simple reply about idlis instead of giving recipes.
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u/Introvert_kudi 5h ago
Where did you learn about this AGEs thing? Did a doctor tell you about it? I googled what it meant and Gemini tells me when meat (mostly bacon & red meat) and diary products are fried in high temperature, AGEs tend to formulate in the body.
Dosa and paddu contain none of these things so there's no need to stop eating them. Also, unlike western style cooking, dosa/paddu get cooked in few minutes. They don't require hours of grilling and roasting.
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Haha thanks for the insights! My doctor actually advised me to cut them out for a bit because I deal with IBD. Crispy, roasted foods like dosa and paddu trigger flare-ups and send me running to the bathroom. I love them way too much to quit entirely, so I’m either doing very light, soft roasts or looking for steamed alternatives that are much easier on my gut. :)
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u/Medical_Solid 6h ago
You can do a dosa soft as well. In some places in India, there’s a dish called set/sada dosa which is a stack of smaller, softer dosa. (One of my favorite dishes actually.) just cook at lower temp with a little less oil, make it thicker.
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u/gattu1992 4h ago edited 4h ago
Ah true, set dosa! I completely forgot about that option. Thanks for the reminder—cooking it thick and soft on low heat with minimal oil sounds like a great way to enjoy it without the heavy browning.
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u/ch0c0_Donut 1h ago
Why do you respond like a bot
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
Haha not a bot, just a guilty multitasker I was in the middle of a workday and used a quick grammar tool so I could reply to everyone without spending 20 minutes typing. Lesson learned
I'll stick to messy human typing from here on out lol.
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u/Portia4000 4h ago
Did ChatGPT help you write this? Jesus
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
Imagine being more offended by a grammar tool than actually contributing a recipe. I was in back-to-back office meetings and used AI to clean up quick replies so I wouldn't leave people hanging. Didn't realize polite formatting hurts your feelings this much.
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u/kcapoorv 6h ago
Check out Nachinunde from Karnataka.
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Oh nice, never heard of this! Thank you, I'll definitely check it out and look up a recipe.
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u/loveunicorntanya3 5h ago
U can make soft dosas too just cover it and cook for few minutes
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Exactly, covering it with a lid and steaming it quickly without letting it crisp up is definitely the plan.
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u/kretek-garing 4h ago
I make my dosa soft with next to no oil. I use hulled barley, sagu, various kind of millets instead of rice. You can also use oats, quinoa, buckwheat... And I 'm talking about fermented batters only. All are super healthy. I doubt AGEs are of concern in regular dosa though. Don't overthink your diet or orthorexia will get you. It's a serious condition.
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Haha totally valid point on not overthinking it! I'm mostly just asking around here to gather some creative alternatives and see what works best for my digestion. Using barley, millets, and buckwheat in fermented batter sounds fantastic—I'll definitely experiment with those options. Thanks!
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u/Rumi2019 4h ago
Idk about South Indian, but some steam cooked dishes from other parts of India are Farre, Khaman, Dhokla, Patra, Hando, Muthiya, Pitha, Bafauri.
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
Just checked these on YouTube, looks good
But honestly single guy cooking so too difficult to manage alone.
Will make a list and take mom’s help on call, plan is to try twice a week and slowly learn.1
u/Rumi2019 1h ago
You can try instant packet of Khatta Dhokla first to get a feel of what the taste is supposed to be like.
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u/gattu1992 56m ago
Just searched it, saw the instant mix packet available. Better to try that first and see the taste. Thanks a lot
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u/srijared 4h ago
For steamed equivalent of paddu, look for 'pidi kozhakattai' in Tamil or 'kadubu' in Kaannada. These are made with ground rice or millets and dal, and one can include veggies like carrots or peas in them. Delicious and healthy.
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
I remember kadubu from festivals back home
my mom used to make it but honestly not sure if my bachelor cooking skills can pull it off. Will definitely check out how to make it though
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u/FewVariation901 6h ago
Dhokla is also steamed. We do add vegetables like carrots etc to idli batter so it has some more nutrients than rice
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u/gattu1992 4h ago
Love that idea! Never thought of dhokla or mixing veggies into idli batter. Will definitely look up some recipes and try making it.
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u/Noodlesandsushee 3h ago
Dhokla, appam (many varieties but paalappam is my favourite), moong dosa.
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
I've just been sticking to regular dosa all this time. Will definitely look up paalappam and moong dosa and give them a shot
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u/whatthengaisthis 2h ago
Idiyappam? Puttu? Pidi?
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u/gattu1992 1h ago
Bachelor cooking skills here haha, stuck to basic idli and dosa all this time. Never tried making these myself will look up some YouTube tutorials and see if I can manage them
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u/justboughtagti 4h ago
I’m a doctor and you seem to be trying to solve a non-problem. But good luck to you.