A High-Protein, Low-Carb Dosa Recipe to Fuel Your Mornings

What does “feel-good food” mean? It depends on who you ask. That’s why each month our Feel-Good Food Plan—with delicious recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new. This month our associate director of social media, Urmila Ramakrishnan, shares how she finds joy in food while living with diabetes.

I’ve cherished a leisurely weekend brunch since childhood. My mom would spend Saturday mornings frying up luchi (crisp flatbread) and aloo sabji (potatoes sautéed with vegetables). Or my dad would make spiced scrambled eggs to accompany roti canai and curry. We’d gather around the table with coffee, chai, or Milo (a chocolaty malt beverage) and spend the rest of the morning eating, drinking, and chatting.

The most special brunches were the ones with my dad’s dosas. He’d start the three-day process the Thursday before—meticulously measuring out the rice and lentils to soak, ferment, then grind into a batter. He’d toss water onto a hot dosa tawa to make sure it sizzled before ladling the mixture into the pan, sprinkling cilantro, onion, and chiles on top, and brushing the sides with ghee. My dad’s dosas were perfection—paper-thin, lacey, crispy, filling.

But I had to reevaluate all my favorite foods when I was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. Suddenly I found myself re-learning how to eat to keep my blood sugar levels from spiking. As someone who has worked in food media for years, this was a daunting challenge. There are days when it’s nothing but cakes and cookies in our test kitchen.

There’s also a lot of stigma surrounding type 2 diabetes, jokes about medications like Ozempic, and misinformation that makes you feel isolated, like you only have yourself to blame. Often I get questions about the white thing on my arm (it’s a continuous glucose monitor). It took me a long time to open up about my condition, especially at work.

The reality is, every body is different, and there are many factors that play into who gets diabetes, like any disease or chronic condition. Finding what makes my body feel good has taken years of working with a nutritionist, wearing a monitor, and talking with my physician. I’m still figuring out ways to enjoy the foods I love while keeping my A1C in check.

March’s Feel-Good Food Plan is all about adaptability. If my body changes, my cooking can too, and I can still have fun in the process. Join me!

March’s Feel Good Recipes

March marks the start of spring, even if there’s still snow on the ground. The days are getting longer; the temperature sometimes even spikes above 50 degrees. One day, I’m making Wedding Soup, the next day Happy Fridge Salad. In honor of this seasonal limbo—and my favorite meal of the day—here are four savory, low-carb breakfast recipes I’ve saved in my Epicurious app.

Batchable adai

Adai is something my family would make if we had unexpected visitors. Think of it like the no-ferment, golden-hued cousin to dosa. The batter can be made and stored in the fridge for the week as part of your meal prep, or stored in your freezer for up to three months. You can also fry a whole batch, store in the fridge, and reheat them throughout the week in the air fryer or microwave.

Soup for breakfast

I grew up slurping laksa in the sweltering summer heat on family trips to Malaysia, so I am one of many firm believers that soup can and should be breakfast. If you agree, try this Gingery Chicken Noodle Soup from Zaynab Issa (or just make it for dinner!). It comes together in one pot and feels like eating a homemade bowl of Maggi masala noodles. I usually omit the noodles and add more carrots, plus a 7-minute egg.

Make-ahead strata

One of my favorite breakfasts is bhurji and roti canai. When I was growing up, my dad would make Indian-inspired omelets and spiced egg scrambles with onion, tomato, chile, and cilantro. Cookbook author Hetal Vasavada’s Egg Bhurji Strata channels those flavors into a dish that can feed a Saturday brunch crowd or be enjoyed throughout the week. Browned leeks and onion add caramelized depth, and fresh ginger brings a pleasant heat. Day-old sourdough soaks up a seasoned egg mixture, baking into a delightfully craggy casserole covered in gooey cheddar. Hetal recommends topping slices with green chutney, but my favorite pairing is Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Chilli Sauce. It’s like a spicier, sweeter version of ketchup, and mingles perfectly with the earthy cumin and turmeric in the eggs.

Portable breakfast burritos

My on-the-go breakfast of choice is a DIY frozen burrito. I load mine up with eggs, beans, and veggies, and opt for whole-wheat tortillas. To prepare them, I mix my fillings with beaten eggs, cook it all in the oven in a rimmed baking sheet, and then portion that into rectangles. This trick makes it way easier to scale up the recipe without standing over a skillet for an eternity. Wrapped individually in foil, labeled, and frozen, they’re an easy breakfast that can travel to work, and they heat up beautifully in the microwave. If you’re just looking for a single burrito, this Breakfast Burrito to Go is a great place to start:

Chickpea Pancakes

I remember the first time I had food director Chris Morocco’s Chickpea Pancakes With Greens and Cheese in the test kitchen. It was one of those recipes that I instantly knew I had to make at home. With a crisp crust and nutty flavor, they reminded me of the farinata I ate while living abroad for grad school. Made with just chickpea flour and water, plus a little oil and salt, they’re nourishing satisfying fuel for super busy days. Sometimes I’ll swap the kale and brussels sprouts for other vegetables like Napa cabbage and bok choy, or rainbow chard and kohlrabi. I’ve also swapped the cheddar for other cheeses that melt well, like mozzarella or fontina.

More Feel-Good Finds for The Month

Weekend boxing classes

In my early 20s, I spent most of my evenings in my gi at my local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/kickboxing gym. I took the practice with me when I moved to Italy and Denmark for grad school, but fell off when I moved back to the States. Recently, a gym opened near me that has a great, inclusive energy and offers Saturday morning boxing classes. It might sound counterintuitive that something as violent as punching a bag can be calming, but it’s the only hour of the day when my mind is completely quiet. Also: Months after I joined, I found out that my coach is a boxing legend with not one but two Netflix documentaries about him.

Low-sugar root beer

I’ve more or less quit drinking alcohol to help with my A1C for about a year now. Every so often, I’ll crave a cocktail, but the options are limited when you’re also aiming for low-sugar drinks. I picked up an Olipop root beer on a whim, and now I always have a six-pack in my fridge. Is it the same as real root beer? No. But it scratches that itch of sipping on something more fun than fizzy water and still contains less than 7 grams of sugar per can. I like to drink it out of a stemless wine glass, just to feel a little fancy.

Cozy video games to relax

I’m what you’d call a cozy gamer, the opposite side of the spectrum of a World of Warcraft or Halo fan. In the games I love, you’re earning bells to pay off a landlord to build the home of your dreams (Animal Crossing™: New Horizons), or helping spirits by feeding them their favorite meals while you’re on a big ship (Spiritfarer). My latest obsession is Figment, which follows main character Dusty as he tries to battle nightmares. The setting is a bit of a fever dream, but the art is whimsical and touches on trauma and neuroscience in an interesting way. I’ve also been loving Good Pizza, Great Pizza. In the game, you open up a pizza shop across the street from your rival. You play through levels taking orders and building pizzas for customers. There’s even a Pizza News Network and a version of the Pizza Illuminati.

Plant care, simplified

I started collecting plants at the start of the pandemic, and it quickly became more of a personality trait than a hobby. I currently have over 60 plants in my home, and I’ve been trying to find ways to make taking care of them feel more meditative than laborious. If you’re just getting started, check out PlantsWithKrystal or Botanicallybe’s content; they’re both great teachers. My best tip: Do not put your plants on a watering schedule. You have to check in with them instead. Once a week, I stick a wooden baking skewer into the soil: Like testing a cake’s doneness, if the skewer comes out clean, it’s time to water; if it’s moist, hold off. These plant care gloves from We the Wild have also made leaf dusting (every couple weeks) so much easier. And the brand’s neem oil and liquid fertilizer are my go-tos for encouraging healthy growth.

Next Time

April’s Feel-Good Food Plan will be hosted by social media manager Olivia Quintana, who’s sharing how one-pan dinners are about much more than convenience. We’ll see you then.