Dosai Recipes

DOSA RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE DOSA BATTER

Steps:

• Firstly add urad dal, chana dal & methi seeds to a large bowl. Rinse them very well several times and discard the water. Soak them together in enough fresh water for 4 to 5 hours.
• Next add rice to another bowl and rinse a few times. Pour fresh water and soak in ample water for 4 to 5 hours.
• Soak poha in ¼ cup water 30 mins before blending the batter.
• Drain the water from the dal & methi. Add them to a blender jar along with salt, soaked poha and ¾ cup water. You can also skip salt at this stage if you live in a hot region. Add it to the batter just before you make dosas.
• Grind to a smooth batter until smooth & bubbly or frothy. If needed add more water about 2 to 4 tbsps. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny. Transfer this to a large pot.
• Drain the water completely from rice & add it to the jar. Then pour ½ cup water.
• Blend to a smooth or slightly coarse batter. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny.
• Pour this to the urad dal batter and mix well both of them well with your clean hand. Warmth in the hand will help in fermentation. The consistency should not be too thick & too runny otherwise the batter will not ferment. (Check video to understand the consistency)
• Cover the pot and ferment it in a warm place until the batter rises and turns bubbly. If you live in a warm region, then you can just keep it on the counter overnight. It may take anywhere from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
• To ferment in colder regions, preheat the oven at the lowest setting (140 F or 60 C) for 10 mins. Turn off the oven and keep the dosa batter inside with the oven light ON. You can also use your instant pot to ferment with the yogurt settings. Use an external lid and not the IP lid. I ferment for only 7 to 8 hours in the oven & IP.
• Check if properly fermented: Well fermented dosa batter will rise & increase in volume. It will be frothy and bubbly. To check, drop half a spoon of this batter into a bowl filled with water. Well fermented batter will float & not sink.
• Stir the dosa batter once. Transfer a portion of this to another small bowl to make dosas. Refrigerate the rest for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
• The fermented batter usually becomes thick, so add little water good enough to thin it down. At this stage it has to be of a pouring consistency yet thick. (check video)
• If making masala dosa, you will have to make this potato masala or any chutney from here.
• Grease a dosa pan or tawa with few drops of oil. You can also rub the oil with a slice of onion. This prevents the dosas from sticking to the pan.
• Heat it until hot enough. To check you can sprinkle little water over then pan. If it is ready it will sizzle.
• Stir the batter well in the bowl. Take a ladle full of dosa batter & pour on the center of the hot griddle/ tawa.
• Immediately begin to spread it evenly starting from the center in a circular motion in clockwise direction to make a thin crepe.
• Increase the heat to slightly high and let it cook for a minute then add oil or butter towards the edges.
• The edges of the dosa will begin to leave/ come off the pan when done. Continue to toast until the dosa turns golden and crisp.
• Not all dosas need to be cooked on the other side. Only thicker ones need. If you wish to cook on the other side, flip it when the edges begin to rise from the pan. Cook on the other side of the dosa. Then flip back and toast until the base becomes crisp & golden.
• Before making the next dosa, reduce the heat to low. You can also rub with the cut onion and then pour the batter.
• Serve dosa with coconut chutney, potato masala & tiffin sambar.

MILLET DOSA (KAMBU DOSA)

Steps:

• Add rice and millets/ bajra to a large pot and wash them well at least thrice.
• Add water and soak them for at least 4 hours.
• Add urad dal to another pot. Wash it well and soak for 4 hours.
• Drain the water from both the pots.
• Add dal to a blender jar along with water just enough to blend. I used about 3/4 to 1 cup.
• Blend it till smooth and frothy. Transfer it to a large bowl.
• Add rice and kambu/ bajra to the same jar along with little water. Blend it well until smooth.
• Mix together the batter. If you live in a cold place you can add non iodized salt at this stage. Cover the bowl.
• Ferment it in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours or as needed.
• After fermentation the batter rises well and turns light. Add salt if you have not added before fermenting. Add little water to bring it to a consistency. The consistency must be neither too thick nor too thin (runny). It must be of spreading consistency. Mix well.
• Grease and heat a dosa tawa/ griddle.
• When it is hot enough, pour 1 laddle of batter to the center of the tawa. Begin to spread from the center and make a thick or thin dosa as per your preference.
• Drizzle some oil around the edges. Cook until the edges leave the pan.
• Flip and cook on the other side. Flip back and cook until crisp.
• Serve millet dosai hot with any chutney.

DOSAI RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare this delicious plain dosa recipe, first you need to make the dosa batter. For that, wash rice and urad dal in a bowl together under running water and then drain the extra water. Soak them both in fresh water along with fenugreek seeds overnight or for 6-8 hours. Next day, drain the extra water and add the soaked dal along with methi dana in a blender jar along with salt and water (1/4 cup). Grind to a fine paste reserve for at least 5 hours. Once done, divide it into 8 equal portions and keep aside. The dosa batter is now ready.
• Next, peel an onion and cut it into halves. Tie one half of the cut onions in a muslin cloth and dip in cooking oil. Rub the surface of a pre-heated griddle with the flat side. Warm the griddle over low heat and spread a portion of the batter over the surface by moving a laddle in concentric circles from the middle going outwards.
• When little performance appear on the rapidly cooking pancake, flip it over and cook for few seconds. Ensure that the pancake does not become crisp. Repeat the process with the remaining portions of batter and make more such dosas.

WHEAT DOSA

Steps:

• Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cup water and mix until it's lump free, the chunks of flour have dissolved, and the batter has a good consistency, adding more water if needed.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil on a griddle over medium heat. Pour some of the batter onto the griddle; spread the batter in a circular motion, slowly yet steadily. Cook until the edges start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the grill. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil between each batch.

CLASSIC MASALA DOSA

Steps:

• Make the dosa batter: Put rice in a bowl, rinse well and cover with 4 cups cold water. Put urad dal and fenugreek seeds in a small bowl, rinse well and add cold water to cover. Leave both to soak for 4 to 6 hours.
• Drain rice and dal-fenugreek mixture in separate colanders. Put rice in a food processor, blender or wet-dry grinder. Add 1 cup cold water and grind to a smooth paste. It will take about 10 minutes, and it may be necessary to work in batches. Repeat the process with the dal-fenugreek mixture.
• Combine the two pastes in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together, adding enough water to obtain a medium-thick batter. You should have about 6 cups. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place. Let ferment until the surface is bubbly, about 8 hours. Stir in the salt. Use the batter straight away or refrigerate for later use. (Batter will keep for up to a week, refrigerated. Thin with water if necessary before proceeding.)
• Make the potato filling: Put ghee in a wide skillet over medium heat. When oil is wavy, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Wait for seeds to pop, about 1 minute, then add red peppers and onion. Cook, stirring until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add turmeric, asafetida, ginger, curry leaves, garlic and green chile. Stir to coat and let sizzle for 1 minute.
• Add potatoes and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring well to combine, until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Mash potatoes a bit with the back of a wooden spoon. Season well with salt, add cilantro, then set aside at room temperature. (Potato filling may be prepared up to a day in advance.)
• To make dosas, set a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush with about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Ladle 1/4 cup batter in the center of griddle. Using bottom of ladle, quickly spread batter outward in a circular motion to a diameter of about 7 inches. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over the top. Leave dosa batter to brown gradually until outer edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes, cooking on one side only. With a spatula, carefully loosen dosa from griddle. Bottom should be crisp and beautifully browned. Spoon 1/2 cup potato filling onto top of dosa, centering it as a strip in the middle of the round dosa. Flatten the potato mixture slightly. Using the spatula, fold the sides of the dosa around the filling to make a cylindrical shape. Serve immediately. Continue making dosas one at a time.

DOSA

Steps:

• Wash all the ingredients, except for the oil, three or four times, then drain. Leave to soak in cold water in a bowl overnight.
• Drain the water from the ingredients, but keep it and set aside. Transfer the soaked ingredients to a food processor and grind to make a smooth paste. Make sure the batter doesn't look grainy - you can use a little of the soaking water if you need to. It should be like a thick, smooth pancake batter and should coat the back of a spoon. Empty into a large bowl and cover. Keep it in a warm place overnight to allow the batter to ferment (see tip, below). It will have doubled in quantity and look bubbly. If you're not using the batter straight away, chill for later. It will keep for up to five days.
• Very gently stir the batter. It will have thickened in consistency, so you can add a little water to give it a thick but pourable consistency.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan on a low to medium heat for 5 mins. Drizzle over a few drops of oil, then wipe the pan with kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.
• Sprinkle a handful of water on the hot pan to cool it, then dry with some kitchen paper. Pour one ladle of the dosa batter in the middle of the pan. Using the bottom of the ladle, quickly move it in a circular motion, allowing the batter to spread outwards from the middle towards the edge of the pan, to form a round, thin pancake.
• Drizzle a few drops of oil all over the dosa and increase the temperature to a high heat. When it turns slightly golden and the edges begin to lift, add any stuffing (like dosa masala potato stuffing) to the middle. Continue to cook until the underside looks completely golden and crisp. Use a flat spatula to loosen the edges, then roll over the potato stuffing and lift onto a plate.
• Before you make the next dosa, decrease the temperature of the pan back to a medium heat and repeat the above steps.