How To Make A South Indian Dosa Food

DOSA RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE DOSA BATTER

Steps:

• Firstly add urad dal, chana dal & methi seeds to a large bowl. Rinse them very well several times and discard the water. Soak them together in enough fresh water for 4 to 5 hours.
• Next add rice to another bowl and rinse a few times. Pour fresh water and soak in ample water for 4 to 5 hours.
• Soak poha in ¼ cup water 30 mins before blending the batter.
• Drain the water from the dal & methi. Add them to a blender jar along with salt, soaked poha and ¾ cup water. You can also skip salt at this stage if you live in a hot region. Add it to the batter just before you make dosas.
• Grind to a smooth batter until smooth & bubbly or frothy. If needed add more water about 2 to 4 tbsps. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny. Transfer this to a large pot.
• Drain the water completely from rice & add it to the jar. Then pour ½ cup water.
• Blend to a smooth or slightly coarse batter. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny.
• Pour this to the urad dal batter and mix well both of them well with your clean hand. Warmth in the hand will help in fermentation. The consistency should not be too thick & too runny otherwise the batter will not ferment. (Check video to understand the consistency)
• Cover the pot and ferment it in a warm place until the batter rises and turns bubbly. If you live in a warm region, then you can just keep it on the counter overnight. It may take anywhere from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
• To ferment in colder regions, preheat the oven at the lowest setting (140 F or 60 C) for 10 mins. Turn off the oven and keep the dosa batter inside with the oven light ON. You can also use your instant pot to ferment with the yogurt settings. Use an external lid and not the IP lid. I ferment for only 7 to 8 hours in the oven & IP.
• Check if properly fermented: Well fermented dosa batter will rise & increase in volume. It will be frothy and bubbly. To check, drop half a spoon of this batter into a bowl filled with water. Well fermented batter will float & not sink.
• Stir the dosa batter once. Transfer a portion of this to another small bowl to make dosas. Refrigerate the rest for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
• The fermented batter usually becomes thick, so add little water good enough to thin it down. At this stage it has to be of a pouring consistency yet thick. (check video)
• If making masala dosa, you will have to make this potato masala or any chutney from here.
• Grease a dosa pan or tawa with few drops of oil. You can also rub the oil with a slice of onion. This prevents the dosas from sticking to the pan.
• Heat it until hot enough. To check you can sprinkle little water over then pan. If it is ready it will sizzle.
• Stir the batter well in the bowl. Take a ladle full of dosa batter & pour on the center of the hot griddle/ tawa.
• Immediately begin to spread it evenly starting from the center in a circular motion in clockwise direction to make a thin crepe.
• Increase the heat to slightly high and let it cook for a minute then add oil or butter towards the edges.
• The edges of the dosa will begin to leave/ come off the pan when done. Continue to toast until the dosa turns golden and crisp.
• Not all dosas need to be cooked on the other side. Only thicker ones need. If you wish to cook on the other side, flip it when the edges begin to rise from the pan. Cook on the other side of the dosa. Then flip back and toast until the base becomes crisp & golden.
• Before making the next dosa, reduce the heat to low. You can also rub with the cut onion and then pour the batter.
• Serve dosa with coconut chutney, potato masala & tiffin sambar.

DOSA

Steps:

• Wash all the ingredients, except for the oil, three or four times, then drain. Leave to soak in cold water in a bowl overnight.
• Drain the water from the ingredients, but keep it and set aside. Transfer the soaked ingredients to a food processor and grind to make a smooth paste. Make sure the batter doesn't look grainy - you can use a little of the soaking water if you need to. It should be like a thick, smooth pancake batter and should coat the back of a spoon. Empty into a large bowl and cover. Keep it in a warm place overnight to allow the batter to ferment (see tip, below). It will have doubled in quantity and look bubbly. If you're not using the batter straight away, chill for later. It will keep for up to five days.
• Very gently stir the batter. It will have thickened in consistency, so you can add a little water to give it a thick but pourable consistency.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan on a low to medium heat for 5 mins. Drizzle over a few drops of oil, then wipe the pan with kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.
• Sprinkle a handful of water on the hot pan to cool it, then dry with some kitchen paper. Pour one ladle of the dosa batter in the middle of the pan. Using the bottom of the ladle, quickly move it in a circular motion, allowing the batter to spread outwards from the middle towards the edge of the pan, to form a round, thin pancake.
• Drizzle a few drops of oil all over the dosa and increase the temperature to a high heat. When it turns slightly golden and the edges begin to lift, add any stuffing (like dosa masala potato stuffing) to the middle. Continue to cook until the underside looks completely golden and crisp. Use a flat spatula to loosen the edges, then roll over the potato stuffing and lift onto a plate.
• Before you make the next dosa, decrease the temperature of the pan back to a medium heat and repeat the above steps.

SOUTH INDIAN ALOO MASALA (DOSA STUFFING)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida until they begin to crackle, then add the onions. Cook for 3-4 mins until the onions are slightly golden.
• Stir in the tomato purée along with the diluted sambar masala. Tip in the potatoes, 1¼ tsp of salt and mix well. Lightly crush the potatoes with a wooden spoon and cook for a further 3-4 mins. Taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with the coriander.

SAVORY DOSAS RECIPE (SOUTH INDIAN PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash the rice and urad daal well and drain. Add the fenugreek seeds to the mix and add enough water to the bowl to cover the mixture by about 2 inches. Soak overnight.
• The next morning, drain all the water from the rice mixture. Add to a high-speed blender and process-adding 1 3/4 cups ice-cold water-until a smooth yet slightly grainy paste has formed.
• Transfer to a large mixing bowl and gradually add another cup of water to make a batter. The consistency of the batter should be such that it thinly coats a spoon dipped in it.
• Add salt (or salt to taste) and keep the dosa batter aside in a warm, dark spot, covered, for 12 to 24 hours. After this fermentation, stir the batter well. It will have thickened to coat a spoon thickly. It is now ready to make dosas.
• Put some ghee or oil in a small bowl and keep ready. You will also need a small bowl of ice-cold water, a large, flat nonstick pan, paper towels, a ladle, a spatula, and a basting brush .
• Fold 1 sheet of paper towel into a thick rectangle and dip lightly into the bowl of ghee or oil. Squeeze out any excess and then rub the paper towel all over the surface of the pan to lightly grease. The ghee or oil should barely be visible in the pan. Turn on the heat to medium-high.
• Add a scant ladleful of batter to the center of the pan, much like you would for a pancake.
• Begin to spread the batter in sweeping circular motions to form a pancake of roughly 8-inch diameter. Do not be alarmed if the dosa develops tiny holes as you spread the batter. This is normal.
• As soon as you have finished spreading the batter out on the pan, dip the basting brush in ghee and drizzle all over the surface of the dosa and around its edges. Hold the pan by its handle, lift it up, and swirl it so that the drizzled ghee spreads all over the dosa.​
• Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, or until the upper surface begins to look cooked (it will no longer look soft or runny).
• Then, flip the dosa. By this time, the surface that was underneath should be light golden in color. Cook for 1 minute after flipping.
• The dosa is almost done. Fold it in thirds like a parcel and allow to cook for 30 seconds more.
• Before you start making the next dosa, fold another sheet of paper towel into a wad and dip it in ice-cold water. Squeeze to remove excess water and then rub it all over the surface of the pan to cool it slightly. This ensures your next dosa will spread evenly and not break because the pan is too hot.
• Repeat until you've used all of the batter.