Easy Dosa Recipe for You to Try

Dosa is a traditional South Indian breakfast consisting of crispy crepes cooked from fermented rice and lentil batter. Dosa, also known as dosai (in Tamil), is a well-known and popular South Indian breakfast snack and something that is enjoyed in India and around the world. Its batter can also be used to make a variety of other foods, including idlis, paniyaram, and uttapam. Read on to learn the easy dosa recipe step by step. 

Dosa Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup parboiled rice 
2. 3/4 cup rice
3. 1/2 cup whole urad dal (without skin) 
4. 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 
5. 1/2 tablespoon chana dal
6. Water, as needed
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil

Method

Step 1: Take all you need to make the dosa batter. The primary ingredients are rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds. For Dosa, chana dal is used to create a golden colour.

Step 2: Regular and parboiled rice should be rinsed in water three to four times each, then soaked in two cups of water for four to five hours. Place both varieties of rice in a medium bowl and add water to cover the grains by 3/4 of the way up the bowl. The water will become cloudy as you touch the rice between your fingertips to rinse it. Drain the water, then proceed three or four more times.

Step 3: Combine chana dal and urad dal in water, add fenugreek seeds and let it sit for 4-5 hours.

Step 4: Put the urad dal water in a small bowl and set it aside (it will be used in the next step while grinding the dal). Fill the medium jar of a mixer grinder or blender with the mixture of drained urad dal, chana dal, and fenugreek seeds.

Step 5: Use the water set aside in the previous step to grind the remaining 1/2 cup of dry urad dal, adding water as needed to create a smooth, airy batter. The batter needs to be light and airy, not overly thick. Place it in a big container.

Step 6: Rice should be drained of water before being added to the mixer grinder jar. You can grind the rice in many batches depending on the jar size.

Step 7: As necessary, add water as you grind to produce a smooth texture. Avoid adding too much water at once; instead, add 1-2 teaspoons (or about 1/2 cup) at a time. When grinding, rice uses less water than urad dal. Rice batter won’t be as smooth as urad dal batter and will be a little grainy. Transfer it to the same bowl that contains the urad dal batter.

Step 8: With a spoon, thoroughly combine the two batters and add salt. The final batter shouldn’t be very thick or thin. For fermentation, cover it with a plate and leave it at room temperature for 8–10 hours or overnight. Keep the batter warm (or inside the oven with the light on) during cold weather to allow for fermentation.

Step 9: When you stir the batter with a spoon during fermentation, the volume of the batter would increase and little bubbles would show up on the surface. A spoon is used to stir the batter. If it appears to be too thick, add a few teaspoons of water and thoroughly combine until it is of pouring consistency (a little watery than idli batter).

Step 10: Iron or non-stick tawa (griddle or skillet) should be heated over a medium flame. Add a few water drops to the surface. The tava is hot enough to cook if water drops sparkles and disappears within a few seconds. Spread a half-teaspoon of oil evenly across the griddle using a spatula or a dry, clean cloth. Take a ladle full of batter, pour it over the tawa’s surface, stir it in a spiral motion while spinning the ladle, and form it into a circle with a diameter of about 7-8 inches.

Step 11:  Apply 1 teaspoon of oil (or ghee or butter for crispy dosa) over the edges of the dosa, or use a brush to apply oil/ghee/butter evenly. Cook for about two minutes, or until the edges begin to rise and the bottom surface turns light brown.

Step 12: Cook for a minute after flipping it. You do not need to cook the other side of a thin dosa (as in the picture). Place it on a platter. Before preparing the next dosa (to avoid the dosa sticking to the pan), wipe the tawa with a clean, damp towel. Then, repeat steps 10 and 11 with the remaining batter. The basic dosa is ready, hot, and crispy.

Tips to Enhance the Taste

1. If you are making a large batch of dosa batter, always place the needed amount of batter in a separate bowl and adjust the consistency of the batter.
2. If you use a non-stick pan, don’t use it too frequently because the coating will degrade and begin to wear.
3. Dosa batter should always be stored separately from dosas. This is because they will turn rubbery and will not taste very good. After the dosa batter has fermented, place it in the refrigerator.
4. Make sure the batter is not heated while grinding; this is necessary to ensure proper fermentation. If you’re making a large batch of batter, grind the rice and dal in batches to avoid overheating.

Serving Ideas

For breakfast or dinner, serve paper dosa with white coconut chutney and vegetable sambar. It can also be accompanied by red and green coconut chutneys.

Nutritional Content in Dosa

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can I cook the dosas beforehand and store them?

Dosas lose their texture and become rubbery with time. Because they don’t reheat well, it’s best not to cook dosas in advance. Simply save any leftover batter in the fridge and make fresh dosas whenever the mood strikes.

Q2. Can I store the batter in the freezer?

Dosa batter can be stored in an airtight jar in the freezer for up to three months. Before cooking dosas, let them soften at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Q3. What ingredients are used in dosa?

Rice, urad dal, and salt are the main ingredients of a dosa batter. Methi or fenugreek seeds are always included, however, they are only optional.

Q4. Can I substitute rice flour for rice in the dosa recipe?

No, you cannot substitute soaked and ground rice for rice flour in this recipe because they have quite different textures.

Q5. How can I make a dosa crisper?

Add a small amount of poha and two tablespoons of chana dal for crispy dosa.

Q6. Why is my dosa batter not cooking correctly?

The batter won’t spread correctly if the Tawa is too hot or if it is too thick. Throughout the cooking process, try to keep the temperature right.

Q7. Is Dosa gluten-free?

Yes, plain dosa is inherently gluten-free and vegan.

Q8. Why is my dosa sticking to the pan?

If the batter consistency is off, the tawa is not properly seasoned, or the temperature is too high while spreading the batter, the dosa will stick to the pan.  Maintain a separate tawa for making dosa if at all possible and make sure your tawa is well-seasoned. After you’ve finished making the dosa, give it a thorough clean and reseason.