Dosa Recipe | Dosa Batter

Dosa is the ever-popular South Indian breakfast of crispy crepes made with floor rice and lentil batter that’s fermented. With only a handful of elements study to make the basic Dosa recipe from scratch with my straightforward video and step-by-step images. I additionally cowl making your personal dosa batter in a blender or mixer-grinder, recommendations on fermentation and cooking dosa that can assist you make the most effective dosa – crispy, smooth and so good to dunk in a bowl of Coconut Chutney or piping scorching Sambar.

About Dosa

Dosa additionally referred to as as Dosai (in Tamil language) is a well-known and in style South Indian breakfast or snack in India as nicely in the remainder of the world. Dosa are principally crispy or smooth crepes made with floor and fermented lentil and rice batter.

To make the batter, first the lentils and rice are soaked in water for 4 to five hours. They’re then floor individually to a wonderful consistency.

Then each the lentil batter and the rice batter are combined with salt in a large bowl or pan. This batter is then allowed to ferment in a single day or for 8 to 9 hours.

After the batter is fermented, it will increase in quantity, has a pleasing fermented aroma and a barely bitter style. A well-fermented batter makes the most effective dosa. Additionally, you will see many tiny air-pockets within the batter.

Making the batter after which fermenting it’s such a pleasure that I at all times sit up for making fermented meals like dosa and Idli.

The fermented batter is poured on a seasoned cast-iron pan or skillet (tawa) and unfold like a pancake and cooked until crispy and golden with a drizzle of oil or ghee.

Which Lentils To Add

The lentils used to make dosa batter are husked and break up Black Gram. These are also referred to as Urad Dal in Hindi. The opposite English names of urad dal are Black Matpe Bean, Mungo Bean and Vigna Mungo (botanical title).

Urad dal is obtainable entire in addition to break up. To make dosa, you should utilize both the husked entire urad dal or the husked and break up urad dal. Each all these urad dal have an off-white coloration. The black husks on them have been eliminated.

For a crispy dosa including 2 to three tablespoons chana dal (husked bengal gram) works splendidly. Some variations additionally embody including each 2 tablespoons of chana dal and a pair of tablespoons of tur dal (pigeon pea lentils).

You may as well add about ¼ cup moong lentils to the batter. Although urad dal kinds the majority of the lentils, however for a combination of assorted proteins, take into account including 2 to three tablespoons of lentils like chana dal, tur dal, moong dal or masoor dal (crimson lentils).

Which Rice To Use

The rice used to make dosa batter will be brief or medium-grained white rice or parboiled idli rice.

A fundamental dosa recipe will simply have rice, urad dal and salt. The proportions for making dosa fluctuate and by altering the proportions you may alter the feel by having a smooth thick dosa to a skinny dosa or a crispy dosa.

The addition of some extra elements like flattened rice (parched rice or poha), several types of lentils additionally modifications the feel. The colour additionally varies from being an opaque white to pale golden or reddish or golden.

Many readers ask me what’s parboiled rice and idli rice. So I’ll point out it.

• Parboiled rice is rice which is partially cooked of their husks. Later they’re dried and milled. They’re also referred to as transformed rice. Parboiled rice is used for making steamed rice, savory rice porridge (which we name kanji) and snacks too.
• Idli rice is a sort of parboiled rice and is particularly meant to make idli or dosa. However I’ve additionally cooked them they usually style nice with sambar or every other curry or stew. Observe that you should utilize additionally make the batter with solely common white rice. I personally favor the Indian sorts of sona masuri or parmal rice.
• Common rice is polished white rice the place its husk, bran and germ have been eliminated.

So we are able to sum up that there are numerous sorts of dosa that may be made with textures starting from crisp to smooth to fluffy to mild.

These various textures are as a result of proportion of the rice, urad dal and different elements used within the dosa batter recipe. That mentioned, dosa will also be made with brown rice or hand-pounded rice.

Why This Dosa Recipe Works

Plain dosa can be referred to as as Sada dosa. The phrase “Sada’ means plain or easy. Actually in order this humble Sada dosa is served with out the potato stuffing (potato masala). So that you relish the dosa with simply the coconut chutney and sambar.

The Sada Dosa recipe I’m sharing here’s what I typically make. The dosa batter recipe makes use of 3:0.75 proportions for rice and lentils respectively. Aside from the rice, I additionally add some flattened rice (poha) for softness and fenugreek seeds (to assist in fermentation).

Including flattened rice provides a contact of softness to the dosa. So this dosa recipe makes for crisp in addition to smooth textured dosa. That is how we favor them at house.

On this recipe, I’ve used a mixture of idli rice and common rice. However you can even simply use idli rice or common rice. Each sona masuri and parmal rice additionally work nicely within the recipe. Within the video, I’ve proven making the dosa with idli rice solely.

The dosa batter that’s made with this recipe will end up the entire batter in a day for a household of three to 4. In summers, I normally make a lesser proportion because the batter tends to get bitter shortly. Whereas in winters, I double the proportions.

I’ve additionally floor the rice and lentils collectively as this a lot amount my mixer-grinder can accommodate with out grinding them individually. However when you improve the proportions, then do grind the lentils and rice individually.

It is a foolproof tried and examined dosa recipe and you may simply scale the recipe. If doubling or tripling this dosa recipe, then soak urad dal + methi seeds in a separate bowl. Grind urad dal and methi seeds individually. Grind rice individually. Then combine each the batters in a big bowl or pan.

This dosa batter is a 2 in 1 batter as it may be used to make Idli, Uttapam and Paniyaram. The perfect a part of this dosa batter is that you would be able to make the dosa skinny, crisp in addition to thick. It’s as much as you. I make each. With the identical batter, you can also make a wide range of dosa.

Step-by-Step Information

How one can make Dosa Recipe

Soaking the lentils, rice, making the batter, fermenting the batter requires time, planning and a few prep work. So in your ease of understanding, I’ve divided this step-by-step information into 4 most important components:

1. Soaking rice and lentils
2. Making dosa batter in a blender or mixer-grinder
3. Fermenting dosa batter
4. Making dosa

Soak Rice and Lentils

1. In a bowl take ½ cup idli rice or parboiled rice together with ½ cup common rice. As a substitute of including common rice, you can even make the dosa with a complete of 1 cup idli rice as I’ve proven within the video.

Kindly notice that the video has the recipe elements doubled in proportion.

2. To the identical bowl, add ¼ cup urad dal and ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi).

3. Rinse the rice, lentils and methi seeds collectively a few occasions and hold them apart.

4. In a separate bowl, take 2 tablespoons of thick poha (flattened rice or parched rice).

5. Rinse poha a couple of times in water after which add to the bowl containing the rinsed rice+lentils+methi seeds.

6. Add 1.5 cups of water and blend. Cowl with a lid and soak the whole lot for 4 to five hours.

Make Dosa Batter

7. Drain all of the water and add the soaked elements to a mixer grinder or a blender.

8. Add ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind or mix until you get a wonderful grainy consistency of rice within the batter. A easy consistency of the batter can be wonderful.

If the mixer will get heated up, then cease and anticipate some minutes. When the mixer cools down, grind once more.

Relying on the jar capability, you may grind the whole lot as soon as or in two batches. I floor in two batches and added a complete of ¾ cup water.

9. Now take the batter in a big bowl or pan. In case the dosa batter turns into skinny, then add just a few tablespoons of rice flour to thicken it. Combine the rice flour very nicely within the batter.

10. Add ½ teaspoon of edible rock salt. Combine very nicely. As a substitute of rock salt, you should utilize non-iodized salt or sea salt crystals or Himalayan pink salt.

Ferment Dosa Batter

11. Cowl and permit to ferment for 8 to 9 hours or extra. The time of fermentation will fluctuate relying on the temperature situations, local weather and altitude.

In winters, the time of fermentation can go as much as 14 to 24 hours. In case you stay in a chilly metropolis or excessive altitude then I extremely suggest fermenting the batter in an On the spot pot in case you have one.

I’ve listed under extra fermentation suggestions and solutions together with fermenting dosa batter in an On the spot pot. So do learn these helpful and useful suggestions.

Within the under picture, you see the dosa batter after 11 hours of fermentation. A correct fermentation will double or triple up the quantity of the batter with a light-weight bitter aroma.

12. Now evenly stir the batter, earlier than you start to make dosa. Additionally, you will see many tiny air pockets within the batter. As you see within the under picture, the batter could be very nicely fermented.

Make Dosa

1. Warmth a forged iron pan. When the pan turns into scorching, unfold ¼ to ½ teaspoon oil everywhere in the pan with a spoon or with a thick paper towel dipped in oil. For a richer style, you may prepare dinner the dosa with ghee or butter.

Observe that the oil must be unfold evenly or else it turns into troublesome to unfold the batter. If the pan is nicely seasoned you don’t have to unfold oil. I counsel conserving a separate skillet or tawa to make solely dosa.

Do hold the warmth on low to low-medium flame, so that you’re simply capable of unfold the batter. If the pan base could be very thick, then hold the flame to medium.

For a low-fat choice, simply make the dosa with none oil. However make it possible for your pan is nicely seasoned. In any other case the dosa will stick with the pan.

2. Now take a ladle filled with the dosa batter or about ¼ cup of the batter. Pour the batter and gently unfold the batter ranging from the middle and transferring outwards. Within the under picture you will note a well-spread dosa batter.

3. Prepare dinner the dosa on low to medium warmth. Do regulate the warmth as per the pan measurement and thickness. You may even cowl the dosa with a lid and let it get cooked from the underside as I do.

4. Prepare dinner until the bottom is properly golden and crisp. The bottom will go away the pan and the perimeters separate when it will get cooked.

Whenever you see the batter on the highest cooked nicely and the bottom has grow to be golden, then sprinkle ¼ to ½ teaspoon oil on the perimeters and middle. With the spoon unfold the oil on the dosa.

In case you favor, you may flip the dosa and prepare dinner the highest aspect for a minute.

6. When the dosa has properly browned from the underside and the floor appears to be like nicely cooked, smooth with none specks of undercooked batter, then fold with a spatula and raise it from the pan.

Make the remaining batches of dosa this manner. Preserve the leftover batter within the fridge for 1 to 2 days or you may freeze it for per week.

9. Serve Dosa scorching with coconut chutney, potato masala and sambar. It’s best to serve these crispy dosa scorching.

If you wish to serve with potato curry (potato masala), then do examine my recipe of Masala Dosa. You may as well examine this recipe of Poori Masala which makes for a tasty potato curry.

If in case you have any batter remaining, then retailer in an air-tight container for two to three days within the fridge. You may as well freeze the batter for per week. Earlier than making dosa, thaw the batter at room temperature.

Knowledgeable Ideas for Dosa Batter Fermentation

1. Temperature: Do have in mind the temperature of the town through which you reside, as temperature is among the most vital components for correct fermentation.
2. Urad Dal:  Guarantee that the urad dal you utilize is contemporary and inside its expiry date.
3. Salt: Use non iodized salt. I take advantage of edible rock salt. You may even use pink salt or sea salt.
4. Rice: You may make this dosa recipe with solely parboiled rice recipe (idli rice) or common white rice or with a mixture of idli rice and common rice.
5. Fermenting Batter in cooler climates:
   • Preserve the batter bowl in a heat place – e.g close to a heater or in a heat place in your kitchen.
   • You may as well preheat your oven at a low temperature (80 to 90 levels Celsius) for about 10 minutes. Then swap off the oven and hold the batter bowl inside – I take advantage of this methodology when it turns into very chilly outdoors.
   • Alternatively, in case your oven has lights, then hold the lights on and place the batter inside.
   • Addition a little bit of sugar does assist in fermenting the batter – I take advantage of this methodology at occasions within the winters right here.
   • Skip including salt to the batter as salt retards the fermentation course of. Generally I add each salt and sugar collectively. I at all times use edible rock salt within the idli batter.
   • Preserve the batter for an extended time to ferment, like 14 to 24 hours.
   • Do keep in mind that even when you don’t see the batter doubled or tripled, it is best to see tiny bubbles within the batter. You also needs to get the everyday faint bitter fermented aroma from the batter.
   • Including ¼ to ½ teaspoon of prompt yeast (dissolved in 2 to three teaspoons water) 30 to 45 minutes earlier than you make the dosa additionally helps. However do that methodology when the batter has not fermented nicely. The draw back of this methodology is that you need to use all of the batter directly. In case you refrigerate then the batter will get too yeasty.
   • You may as well add ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda after which ferment the batter in chilly seasons.

How one can ferment dosa batter within the On the spot Pot

For cooler or colder climates or seasons, the On the spot Pot is available in very helpful to fermenting the batter. For fermenting all my idli and dosa batter in the course of the cooler seasons, I’ve been utilizing the On the spot Pot.

After you’ve made the batter, both place it in a bowl or pan or pour the batter within the metal insert of your IP. I normally place the bowl of dosa batter on a small trivet contained in the metal insert.

Place the moment pot glass lid. Press the yogurt button and select the low mode setting of the yogurt choice. Don’t select the conventional mode as it’s going to prepare dinner your batter very slowly and also you don’t need that.

Set the time to eight to 12 hours. The time to ferment will rely on the the local weather, season, temperature and altitude of the place you’re residing in. In hotter or hotter season, the batter ferments within the On the spot Pot in about 7 to eight hours and in winter it takes 10 to 12 hours.

How one can make dosa batter in a moist grinder

In accordance with me, each the a moist grinder and a blender or mixer-grinder work nicely. For giant batters, a table-top moist grinder (stone grinder) does a wonderful job.

A mixie or mixer-grinder is nice for small to medium portions of batter. I’ve used each moist grinder in addition to mixer-grinder.

For giant portions of batters, I do use a moist grinder, however these days I take advantage of mixer-grinder, because the one I’ve is simply too giant and lifting and washing it’s one massive activity.

So I take advantage of my Preethi mixer-grinder (Blue Leaf platinum MG 139 750-watt) and it offers me good outcomes each time. The batter doesn’t grow to be scorching or heat. Vitamix can be an ideal blender to whip up a dosa batter in minutes.

In case you plan to grind the batter in a desk high moist grinder, then double or triple the proportions of the elements for this recipe. For a moist grinder, you will have so as to add some extra water whereas grinding. The urad dal batter actually turns into fluffy and light-weight like whipped cream in a moist stone grinder.

I’ve listed the proportion of water that you want to add whereas grinding the elements in a table-top moist grinder.

• For ½ cup of urad dal, add 1.5 cups water
• For two cups of rice, add 2.5 cups water

Add the water in components when grinding urad dal along with the fenugreek seeds, in order that it turns into properly fluffy and will increase in quantity.

After you’ve floor the urad dal, you don’t have to take away it. Simply let the batter stay within the moist grinder. Add the rice and proceed to grind.

How one can season a skillet or tawa for making any dosa selection

One other level to be thought of is using a seasoned tawa or pan. If utilizing a forged iron tawa, it must be nicely seasoned. By seasoning I imply the pan is used usually to make dosa. In case you make roti on a tawa and use the identical tawa, then there’s a risk that the dosa will stick.

To season a pan, warmth it on a medium to excessive warmth. Smear the pan with oil throughout. Swap off the warmth and hold it apart for two to three days.

Earlier than making dosa, warmth the pan. Take away the residue oil with a kitchen paper tissue. Once more unfold oil throughout. Warmth for some seconds after which once more take away the oil. Once more unfold oil and use the pan for making dosa.

If the pan is just not seasoned, the dosa will stick on it. Forged iron pans are the most effective to make dosa. You may even make it in a non-stick pan, however do strive as soon as making in a forged iron pan and you’ll discover the distinction.

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This Dosa Recipe from the archives first printed on Could 2016 has been republished and up to date in January 2023.