Dosa
Dosa is the South Indian version of pancakes and goes well with almost any curry out there. They are usually eaten for breakfast or dinner and are easy to make once the batter is well fermented.
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 2 cups idli rice
- 2 cups long grain rice (or any raw rice)
- 1 cup whole urad dhal
- 4 tbsp toor dhal
- ½ cup aval (also known as poha)
- ½ tsp methi seeds
- 3-4 tsp rock salt or sea salt (adjust to taste)
For dosa:
- dosa batter
- oil for cooking
Instructions
For the batter:
- Wash rice and dhal in a mixing bowl. Soak rice, dhal and methi seeds in the same bowl for 5-6 hours.
- Soak aval in a separate bowl for 5-6 hours.
- Grind the soaked dhal, rice, methi seeds and aval in a blender or wet grinder. The batter should be smooth.
- Add salt to the batter and mix with your hands.
- Transfer to a tall container and fill until ¾ full.
- Keep the batter in a warm, dry place for fermentation. The batter should take 8-10 hours to ferment. It will take longer to ferment in the winter.
- Once fermented, the batter will rise. Store the fermented batter in the refrigerator.
For making dosa:
- Heat a dosa pan or griddle. Once hot, pour a spoonful of batter into the center of the pan.
- Quickly spread the batter evenly from the center of the pan in a circular motion. Keep making concentric circles until you reach an inch before the edge of the pan or until the batter thins out.
- Add oil around the edges of the dosa and cover with a lid. Cook until golden brown.
- For a soft dosa, remove from pan and serve.
- For a crispy dosa, flip the dosa and apply oil on the other side. Let it roast and remove when golden brown.
- Serve hot with sambar or chutney or any curry of your choice.
Notes
- You can spread podi on the dosa, add potato masala, cheese, vegetables or egg for more variations.