Dosa is a crepe with a crispy exterior and a spongy and melt in the mouth interior, which encases the mildly spiced potato and onion curry, that is dipped in coconut chutney.
By Nandita Nataraj
Dosa- The savory rice and lentil crepe is perhaps one of the most popular Indian foods around the world. A crepe with a crispy exterior and a spongy and melt in the mouth interior, which encases the mildly spiced potato and onion curry, which is then dipped in coconut chutney. To me, it is one of those ultimate breakfast dishes that can keep me going till lunch.
To me, Dosa brings back a lot of memories. The memories of my mother or my grandmother making dosas on those blackened ancestral skillets. And us girls loitered in the kitchen asking “is it ready?” every five minutes.
Before I came across this recipe, I could make decent dosas. but they lacked the taste and texture of a South Indian hotel. And then, I came across this recipe in a TV show. The cook refused to divulge the measurements. But he had given out the ingredients. I had to experiment quite a few times to get the right taste and texture. After that, there was no looking back. I could make restaurant style dosas right at home.
This recipe might seem a bit long and tedious. But trust me, the taste is well worth the effort. Give my version of dosa a try and I assure you, you will not miss the Masala dosas from the restaurant ever again.
Get the recipe for onion and potato curry here.
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Masala Dosa: Rice and Lentil Crepe
- Yield: 24 dosas
Description
Dosa is a crisp crepe with a spongy, melt in the mouth interior, which encases a mildly spiced potato and onion curry, that is dipped in coconut chutney.
Ingredients
- Sona Masuri rice- 2 cups or 240gm
- Beaten rice- 2-3tbsp
- Urad dal- 1 cup or 120gm
- Fenugreek seeds- 1-1/2 tsp
- Rice flour- 2 cups
- Fine semolina or chiroti rava- 1/2 cup, dry roasted
- Salt to taste
- Sugar- 1/2 tsp
- Oil or ghee to grease and roast the Dosas
- One recipe onion and potato curry
- Coconut chutney to serve
Instructions
- Wash and soak the Rice along with the beaten rice in enough water and set aside for 5-6 hrs
- Wash and soak the urad dal along with the fenugreek seeds in enough water and keep aside 5-6hrs
- Make a paste by mixing the rice flour and the semolina with enough water. Mix well so that there are no lumps.
- Drain the soaked urad dal and fenugreek mixture and blend in a blender till smooth and airy by adding water little by little.
- Drain the soaked rice and beaten rice mixture and blend in the same blender jar till smooth.
- Combine the ground urad dal paste and the rice paste along with rice flour and semolina mixture and beat well. Set aside to ferment for atlas 5-6hrs.
- Once the batter has fermented and risen, add the salt and sugar and mix well.
- If the batter is thick then add water to achieve the required consistency.
- Heat a non stick or a cast Iron skillet. Sprinkle a little water. If it steams and sizzles then the skillet is ready to use.
- Pour a ladle full of batter on the skillet and spread the batter with the ladle in a circular motion to make a dosa of 6-7″ in diameter.
- Drizzle a teaspoon oil or ghee around the dosa and cook on medium heat till the dosa turns brown and crisp.
- Place a table spoon of the onion and potato curry in the centre and fold over to make a semi circle.
- Serve immediately with coconut chutney on the side.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Notes
Use your hands to mix/beat the ground pastes. Using your hands will not only ensure that batter becomes light and airy but it will also speed up the fermentation process.
The batter should neither be too thick or too thin. It should be just thick enough to coat the back of the ladle or spoon.
To avoid the batter from going stale, add the required amount of salt and a pinch of sugar only to the portion of the batter that is going to be used. The remaining batter can be refrigerated for almost a week.
The batter should always be at room temperature. If the batter is refrigerated, leave it in room temperature for about 20mins before you proceed.
To prepare the tawa or skillet, heat it till it becomes very hot. Sprinkle some water. It should evaporate quickly. Wipe the skillet with a tissue or a cloth and then rub it with potato or onion slice dipped in oil. The skillet should not be very hot when spreading the batter.
- Category: Side, appetizer
- Cuisine: Indian
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