Try this Dosa recipe recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 cup whole skinned urad dal
- 1 1/2 cups par boiled rice or idly rice (can use 2 cups if ma
- 1 tbsp. chana dal
- 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
- 2 tbsp. poha / attukulu/ beaten rice
- non iodized salt or crystal as needed
- fresh water as needed (do not use lentil soaked wa
- 1/2 cup whole urad dal
- 1 1/2 cup parboiled or idly rice
- non-iodized or crystal salt as needed
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 to 13 dosa (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash urad dal, chana dal, methi seeds several times and soak them together in enough water for 4 hours.
- Wash rice until water runs clear. Soak separately in ample water for 4 hours.
- Wash and soak poha just 30 mins before grinding.
- Add the dals, methi and poha along with salt. Pour water just as needed. Grind to a smooth paste until bubbly or frothy. You can skip using salt during summer. Add it just before you make dosa.
- Transfer this to a large pot if using a mixer. If using a wet grinder, you can just keep the urad dal batter in the container if making in small quantity as much mentioned in the recipe.
- Add rice to the jar and then very little water. Blend to a thick paste.
- Add this to the urad dal batter and mix. Check the consistency, it must not be very thick or very thin else the batter will not ferment well. Check the salt as well and adjust.
- Keep this in a warm place until fermented. It may from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
- Next morning gently stir the batter once. Add water enough to thin it down to make it of a pouring consistency.
- If making masala dosa, you will have to make potato masala from the link mentioned in step by step photos (step 15).
- Grease a dosa pan/ tawa with few drops of oil. If using a iron tawa, grease tawa with oil and a slice of onion.
- Heat it until hot enough. Pour a ladle full of batter on the tawa center and spread it evenly in a circular shape.
- Drizzle oil and allow to cook on a medium high heat until red or golden.
- Flip it when the edges begin to rise from the pan.
- Cook on both the sides if you desire.
- Repeat making more on the hot tawa.
- Serve with chutney, potato masala.
Why does the batter refuse to ferment on a cold kitchen counter? Temperature dictates the microbial activity of lactic acid bacteria during the required five to sixteen hour incubation window. Warm environments accelerate gas production, creating the bubbly texture necessary for a light structure, while chilled conditions stall the process entirely. Separating the initial four-hour soak for the grains and the lentils ensures each component absorbs optimal moisture before mechanical shearing breaks down their cellular walls.
Freshly milled fenugreek seeds and urad dal provide natural wild yeasts and starches that commercial substitutes cannot replicate, directly impacting how evenly the batter browns on a hot griddle. Stale lentils yield a dense, flat result because their diminished enzymatic activity fails to produce sufficient carbon dioxide during the resting phase. Using crystal salt instead of heavily processed iodized varieties prevents unwanted chemical interference with the delicate fermentation flora.
Pouring cold water into the fermented mixture requires precise adjustment to achieve a fluid, ladleable consistency without drowning the trapped air bubbles. Seasoned cast iron pans demand specific surface conditioning, such as rubbing a cut onion across the oiled metal, to polymerize fats and create a non-stick barrier that releases the delicate crepe effortlessly. Maintaining medium-high heat guarantees the rapid evaporation of moisture, turning starches golden and crisp before the interior dries out.
Naturally devoid of dairy and wheat, this fermented batter accommodates gluten-free and vegan dietary requirements without altering the foundational ratios of rice and pulses. Substituting parboiled idly rice with standard varieties changes the starch amylose ratio, yielding a slightly different structural integrity that still crisps reliably under proper thermal application.
