Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Dosa

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I decided to update my dosa recipe from 2018.  Well I say it’s my recipe but it’s really my mom’s recipe. She is known for making good dosas so here it is!

A couple things you should know! –

  • There are so many different ways to make dosa – the kind of lentils used and the rice:lentil ratio may vary depending on the kind of dosa texture you are trying to achieve (i.e – crispy vs. soft)
  • Dosa takes time to make! The actual time spent in the kitchen isn’t a lot, but you have to soak the ingredients first overnight and then allow the batter to ferment for another 24 hours (at least).
  • Soak the idli rice in a separate bowl and the lentils (the urad daal and channa daal combined) in a separate bowl. (I’m not actually entire sure why this is or if it in fact is necessary, but my mom swears by it!)
  • When grinding everything up, do it in batches! Use the water that you soaked the lentils in to help grind the lentils and rice.
  • To ensure that the dosa batter ferments, make sure to cover the batter and place it in a warm area.
  • Add salt to the dosa batter right before you start cooking them on the stove. The reason being is salt could potentially interfere with the fermentation process.
  • You can store the batter after it ferments for up to a week in the fridge!
  • Feel free to serve the dosa with your favorite fillings – potato curry, cheese, onions, etc.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups idli rice
  • 1 cup urad daal
  • 1/4 cup channa daal
  • 1/4 cup poha
  • 1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
  • 2 cups water (reserved from soaking lentils)
  • 21/2 cups additional water (to add to fermented batter)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Begin by washing your rice and lentils really well until the water runs clear.

  2. Soak the idli rice, poha, and methi seeds in one bowl of water and the lentils (urad daal and channa daal) in another bowl of water for about 8-12 hours.

  3. The next day, the lentils and rice should have swelled up. Drain the water from the rice. Then drain the water from the lentils, but reserve it! We will use the water that we soaked the lentils in to help grind everything in the blender.

  4. Using a high speed blender, grind the lentils and rice in batches. Add a little bit of the reserved water at a time. I used in total about 2 cups of water.

  5. Empty the batter from the blender into a large pot or bowl. Stir for a few minutes. The texture of the batter at this step should be slightly grainy.

  6. Now cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Keep it in a warm area in your kitchen. Let the batter ferment for about 24 hours.

  7. The next day, check your batter. It should look cracked at the top and when you go to stir it, it should have air bubbles. (Think of bread dough when it rises).

  8. Stir in the salt and some water (I added 2 1/2 cups of regular tap water). The batter should be similar to crepe batter in consistency.

  9. Heat up a flat pan or tawa on medium-low heat.

  10. Using a ladle or the back of a steel cup, pour in the batter. Now starting in the center, move the ladle or cup around in circular motion. (This step takes practice, so if it's your first time and you don't get a thin dosa, don't sweat it!)

  11. As the dosa crisps up, pour a little bit of oil on the edges of the dosa with a teaspoon.

  12. Feel free to add in masala or a potato curry to the dosa at this step. Gently run your spatula underneath the dosa to remove it from the pan.

  13. Serve hot with your favorite chutneys and sambar.