Dosa, South Indian savory pancakes, is one of the most popular foods in the world, also a popular food in other Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, etc) and known by several other names.
It is typically made from a naturally fermented batter of rice and lentils (mainly split black gram or urad dal) and served with vegetarian side dishes (chutney, curry, or sambar) for breakfast but you can have them at any time of the day be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Want to make DOSA?
Learning to make perfect CRISPY DOSA might take time & practice,
but it’s worth the effort and a lot of fun.
Check out my video on YouTube for step-by-step instruction
Here are some great recipes from Sri Lanka.
BEST-EVER Authentic Hoppers
Easy Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers (Biththara Appa)
Easy Hoppers with Store-Bought Rice Flour
Perfect Sri Lankan Appa (Hoppers,Appam)
The Best Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu
Dosa; an incredibly versatile food
There are many varieties of dosa and many different recipes depending on the cook, region, culture, and country so that the texture, size, and thickness are also varied. As is the case with most traditional foods, each home or region makes theirs just a bit differently. Sometimes that difference is found in the type of rice or lentils used; other times it is the ratio of the two ingredients that are different.
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Dosa batter: a naturally fermented batter
Dosa is made through a process of natural fermentation, that’s means traditionally no leaven is used for the fermentation. So, it is essential to leave the batter in a warm place for an adequate time until it is nicely bubbled. Natural fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food preservation and preparation, one of the wisdom of our ancestors.
Fermented foods are consumed in every country throughout the world and they do not just taste good but also very healthy. The fermentation process helps to mitigate anti-nutrients as well as increasing the bioavailability of the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients found in these seeds.
What is Black Gram (Black lentil or Urad)?
Black gram, also known as black lentil or urad, is used extensively in South Indian cuisine, and some other Asian countries. It is a rich source of protein and other valuable nutrients such as calcium, potassium, niacin, vitamin B. These beans offer rich nutritional value and a myriad of healing health benefits.
Whole beans are small, black-skinned, and oval beans that are pale yellow inside so the skinless form is smaller and pale yellow or white. Different recipes call for whole or split, skinned or not skinned. Each form cooks just a little differently and has a different taste. You can buy all these types of beans at Indian or Asian groceries.
Making ‘crispy dosa’-Useful info & Tips
Homemade Ground rice vs Store-bought Rice flour
In this post, I will show you how to make dosa batter by grinding soaked rice and lentils directly into a batter. However, you can also make dosa batter with commercially available rice flour.
The difference in ground rice and store-bought fine rice flour is in the texture of the final product. Ground rice is slightly coarser than commercially available fine rice flour and makes the best crispy dosa.
However, if you want to find a way to quicken the process, if you don’t have a wet grinder, or if you don’t want to avoid the hassle of soaking and grinding rice, you can make dosa batter with store-bought rice flour, it is easier and faster.
The proportion of rice to lentils
You can make thin & crispy dosa (known as paper dosas) or thick & soft dosa by changing the proportion of rice to lentils. Rice makes dosa crisper while lentils make it softer. When the proportion of lentils has increased the softness of dosa is also increased.
Typically, the proportion of rice to lentils is 4:1 or 5:1 for thin version 1:1 or 1:2 for thick version. The recipe I introduce here is good for making crispy dosa as the ratio of rice is higher when compared to lentils.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Wet grinder; for grinding soaked rice and lentils into a batter
Cast iron pan; Dosa is best made on a cast iron pan, especially when you want to make thin crisp dosas. Dosa pan is available in online stores like Amazon. You can also make dosa in a nonstick pan.
Plan-ahead on making Dosa
It takes generally around 1 to 2 days to make the batter, so we need to plan ahead of time and start this recipe at least before 24 hrs serving. The process seems quite extensive, but remember, most of the time there is an idle time where you just need to leave your rice and lentils to soak or leave your batter to ferment while enjoying the rest of your day.
Every ingredient has a roll
White Rice – Use long-grain white rice (Thai white rice or Basmati rice). Don’t use sticky white rice like Japanese white rice. Rice makes dosa crisper, when the proportion of rice has increased the crispiness of dosa is also increased.
Split Skinned (Hulled) Black Gram (Black lentil/Urad Dal) – You can also use the skinned whole beans but be sure to remove all of the black skin as they add a darker color and flavor to dishes. Lentil makes dosa softer, when the proportion of lentil has increased the softness of dosa is also increased.
Split Chickpea (Chana Dal) –It gives dosa golden color adding nutritional benefits.
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Seeds) –It helps with the fermentation process giving a kind of fluffy texture to the batter and adding nutritional benefits.
Make DOSA in easy 5 steps
- Wash & Soak the rice and lentils for about 6 to 8 hrs (or overnight)
- Drain and then grind the soaked rice and lentils
- Cover and let it fermentation
- Thin the batter with water as needed & let rest for 20 min
- Cook & enjoy hot
GRINDING
- Grinding rice and lentils separately makes the best dosa batter. Grind lentils to smooth consistency while the rice batter should be slightly coarsely ground.
- You need a smooth batter with a fine grainy texture to make crispy dosa. So, don’t worry if you find some tiny grains of rice in your batter.
- Use cool water (not hot water) when grinding.
- Grind rice and lentils gradually adding minimum water as needed until you get a somewhat thick paste. If you add too much water first, you will have trouble grinding it to a paste. So, start adding minimum water, then check the consistency and add more as needed.
FERMENTATION
- You need a well-fermented dosa batter to make dosa with the right texture. If your batter is not fully fermented, it will not stick to the pan and keep the shape when cooking.
- Use a large bowl or pot when starting the fermentation process, the batter will rise after fermentation so it may cause overflowing the batter.
- Cover and leave the batter for fermentation in a warm place (or inside the oven with the oven lights on) for an adequate time. (It will take one night or more depending on the warmness of the place)
- After good fermentation, the batter will be frothy, bubbly, and smell fermented.
DOSA PAN (TAWA)
A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is a perfect pan for making crispy dosa with a nice texture, so if you have one, do use it. If you don’t have one don’t worry you can also make dosa in a non-stick frying pan.
HEAT
- Heat is a crucial factor for making crispy dosa. Pan should be hot but not too hot, so be sure to adjust the heat to the correct temperature.
- To make crispy dosa, the pan should be hot. But you cannot spread the dosa batter thinly if your pan is too hot. On the other hand, if the pan is not hot enough, the batter will not stick to the pan.
- Do a simple test to know the right temperature; You can check the right temperature by splashing water on the surface of the pan. Water should sizzle and evaporate after dancing for a moment on the surface of the pan.
- Splashing water on the pan helps to lower the temperature on the surface of your pan so that you can easily spread the batter. You can also wipe the surface of the pan with a wet cloth/cooking paper or remove the heated pan from the heat and then place it on a wet towel for few seconds and then return to the heat before pouring the batter.
crispy dosa recipe
How To Make Perfect Crispy Dosa-Recipe & Video
Ingredients
- 250 g long-grain white rice
- 50 g split black gram/urad dal
- 1 tablespoon split chickpeas/chana dal
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 200 ml water or as required
- Salt to taste
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Wash and soak rice and lentils (split black gram and chickpeas with fenugreek seeds) separately in water for about 8 hrs or overnight.
- Drain the water and grind rice and lentil mix in a wet grinder or food processor adding water as needed. Grind lentils to smooth consistency while the rice batter should be slightly coarsely ground.
- Place the rice and lentil pastes in a large bowl that can hold twice the amount of batter and mix well.
- Cover and leave the batter for fermentation in a warm place until doubled.
- After fermentation, add salt to taste and mix gently. Now your Dosa batter is ready.
- Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high and grease with oil.
- Pour a ladleful of batter into the center of the pan and then quickly spread into a circle with the back of the ladle, starting from the center, in a spiral motion moving outwards to spread the batter evenly and thinly. (Adjust the heat as needed.)
- Drizzle little oil all over the surface of the Dosa and also around the edges. You can make drizzled oil spread all around the Dosa by swirling the pan. Cook until the Dosa turns golden on the edges.
- Flip and cook for 30 seconds or so. Once the Dosa is almost done, flip it back and fold in half or roll it and then remove to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve hot with vegetarian side dishes, sambhar, chutney, or curry.
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