Dosai Recipes

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.

MASALA DOSA RECIPE (RESTAURANT STYLE)

Steps:

• Add urad dal, chana dal and methi seeds to a large bowl. Rinse them well a few times and pour lots of fresh water. To another large bowl, add rice and rinse it well few times. Pour lots of fresh water.
• Soak for 4 to 5 hours. 30 mins before you begin to make the batter, rinse poha twice. Pour water enough to immerse it fully. Soak it for 30 mins.
• Later drain the water from the dal completely and add to a blender jar along with poha.
• Pour 1¼ cup water and salt. If you live in a hot weather then skip salt now and add after fermentation.
• Blend the batter well until thick, frothy and smooth. While you blend ensure your blender doesn't heat up and get overloaded. So give a break in between and blend.
• Transfer the batter to the bowl in which you soaked the dal.
• Drain the water from rice completely and add it along with ½ cup water to the blender jar.
• Blend slightly coarse or smooth to suit your liking. I make a slightly coarse batter of fine semolina texture. If needed pour the rest of the ¼ cup water while blending. I use up full 2 cups water mentioned in the recipe to blend.
• Pour this rice batter to the dal batter & mix well. You can check the video or step by step photos to know the consistency of batter.
• I divide the batter to 2 large bowls. You can do the same if you prefer to use it on 2 different days. Cover the bowl.
• Allow the masala dosa batter to ferment in a warm place for about 6 to 16 hours depending on your weather. The batter has to rise and turn slightly fluffy. Do not over ferment the batter.
• If you live in a cold place, then preheat the oven to 60 C or 140 F for 10 mins. Keep the batter inside with the oven light ON. Or You can also use your instant pot in the yogurt settings.
• Boil or steam potatoes until just done. Do not cook them until very mushy.
• Instant pot: You can pressure cook the potatoes in your IP following these timings - 5 mins if using small potatoes, 6 to 7 mins if using medium ones and 10 mins if using large potatoes.
• Pressure cooking: If using a pressure cooker, then add peeled and diced potatoes to a bowl and pour water to partially cover them. Place it in the pressure cooker and let it whistle thrice.
• While the potatoes boil, soak 1 teaspoon chana dal and 1 teaspoon urad dal in little hot water so they soften. After 30 mins drain the water from the dal and keep aside. When the pressure releases, remove the potatoes.
• Heat a pan with oil. Then add cumin, mustard, chana dal and urad dal. Saute until the dals turns golden.
• Then add onions, curry leaves and chilies. Fry until the onions turn lightly golden.
• Add hing and ginger. Fry until the aroma of ginger comes out.
• Crumble the potatoes and add them to the pan. Add turmeric and salt along with 2 to 3 tbsps of water. Skip pouring water if your potatoes are too moist or lightly mushy.
• Saute for 2 to 3 mins. Add coriander leaves. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set this aside.
• Bring the batter to consistency by adding little water. It must be of thick pouring and spreading consistency.
• Heat your dosa tawa on a medium heat. If using cast iron pan, when it turns slightly hot, drizzle few drops of oil on it. Insert a fork or a butter knife into a cut onion and rub the oil all over the pan. If using cast iron griddle, you can also season it the previous night.
• Check if your pan is hot enough by sprinkling little water on it. It is hot enough it will sizzle and the water evaporates. This tip is only for cast iron pan. Do not try this on a non-stick.
• When the pan is hot enough, stir your batter once and take a ladle full of it.
• Pour it in the center of the hot tawa. Immediately begin to spread it in a circular motion starting from the center, keep moving your hand in clockwise direction, making circles until you reach the edges of the pan. Refer video or check images below.
• You can make thick or thin dosas as per your desire. If you are unable to spread the batter, it means the batter is too thick or the pan is too hot. Check the troubleshooting tips above.
• Pour about half tsp oil or spread ¼ tsp soft butter around the edges & a little here and there.
• Cook the masla dosa on a medium heat. Within few minutes, you can see the edges leave the pan. Flip and cook just for 1 minute.
• Flip it back and cook until the base turns golden and crisp. If making mysore masala dosa, smear the red chutney (recipe below) as desired. Place the curry in one half of the dosa. Fold it or roll it.
• To make the next dosa, if using cast iron pan repeat the process of rubbing with cut onion. Make sure the tawa is hot enough and not over hot otherwise it will burn the dosa. Do not cook the dosa on low heat as it makes the dosa hard.
• Serve crispy masala dosa hot with coconut chutney and tiffin sambar.
• Roast 2 tbsps chana dal until golden along with 6 to 8 dried red chilies. Chilies have to turn crisp.
• Saute 1 large onions lightly in 1 tsp oil until the raw smell goes off. Add 2 pinches of cumin.
• Cool everything. Powder the dal and chilies first.
• Add half tsp tamarind (optional), 2 garlic cloves and salt. Blend till smooth. You will have a thick chutney. If the chutney turns very thick, add 1 to 2 tbsps of water and blend again.

DOSA RECIPE | DOSA BATTER RECIPE

Steps:

• In a bowl take the idli rice or parboiled rice along with the regular white rice. Instead of adding regular rice, you can also make the dosa with a total of 1 cup idli rice as I have shown in the video. The video has the recipe ingredients doubled in proportion.
• To the same bowl, add urad dal and fenugreek seeds.
• Rinse the rice, lentils and methi seeds together a couple of times and keep aside.
• In a separate bowl, take the flattened rice.
• Rinse it once or twice in water and then add rinsed flattened rice to the bowl containing the rinsed rice+lentils+methi seeds.
• Pour 1.5 cups water. Mix. Cover with a lid and soak everything for 5 to 6 hours.
• Drain all the water and add the soaked ingredients in a wet grinder jar.
• Add ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind till you get a fine grainy consistency of rice in the batter. A smooth consistency of batter is also fine.
• If the mixer gets heated up, then stop and wait for some minutes. When the mixer cools down, grind again. Depending on the jar capacity, you can grind everything once or in two batches. I ground in two batches and added overall ¾ cup water.
• Now take the batter in a large bowl or pan.
• Add ½ tsp rock salt. Mix very well. Cover and allow to ferment for 8 to 9 hours or more. Time of fermentation will vary depending on the temperature conditions.
• A proper fermentation will double or triple up the volume of the batter and you will see tiny air pockets in the batter with a light sour aroma.
• Now lightly stir the batter, before you begin to make dosa.
• Heat a cast iron pan. When the pan becomes hot, spread ¼ to ½ teaspoon oil all over the pan. Do keep the heat on low to low-medium heat, so that you are easily able to spread the batter. If the pan base is very thick, then keep the flame to medium.
• Do not spread oil if you are using a non stick pan, as you won't be able to spread the batter.
• Now take a ladle full of the batter. Pour the dosa batter and gently spread the batter starting from the center and moving outwards.
• Cover it with a lid and cook the dosa on a low to medium heat. Do regulate the flame as per the pan size and thickness.
• When you see the batter on the top has cooked well and the bottom has become crisp and golden, then sprinkle ¼ to ½ teaspoon oil on the edges and center.
• With the spoon spread the oil on the dosa.
• Cook till the base is nicely golden and crisp. The base will leave the pan and the sides will also get separated when it gets cooked.
• Fold and serve sada dosa hot. Make all dosai this way.
• Serve these crisp plain dosa with sambar or potato masala or coconut chutney.

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.