Dosa Recipe : Make Crispy Plain Dosa at Home

Dosa Recipe

Jyoti Tejpal

To learn to make crispy plain dosa at home from scratch with step by step is no a big task. Dosa is the popular South Indian breakfast with fermented rice and lentil batter similar to idli.

Basically these are thin or thick Indian crepes, served with an array of chutneys and sambar. Dosa is a favorite among the Indians and there are literally 100 of varieties in tiffin centers and restaurants. Dosa is staple breakfast of every South Indian home.

Usually, the process has three steps, namely, soaking , fermenting, shallow frying to make a basic batter and prepare dosa. To make dosa the main ingredients we need are rice and urad dal. Optional ingredients are chana dal,fenugreek seeds, poha and others.

Dosa can be of many types. Ranging from sada dosa, masala dosa, paper roast, ghee roast, restaurant style crispy dosa to humble uthapam which is made usually to finish off the batter.

The history of dosa is very interesting. Dosa seems to have has its origin from Udupi, Karnataka. Till today crispy dosas or sada dosa from Udupi restaurants are very popular.

Benne dosa, Masala dosa, Mysore masala dosa, Set dosa, Adai are few popular varieties. Rice, urad dal and channa dal are rich in nutrients and it is one power packed breakfast to start the day just like idli.

You can make dosa at home easily with a mixer grinder. There are any ways to make and the proportions literally vary from home to home.

Making dosa at home is easier than idli. A wet grinder is not necessary for making the batter. A mixer grinder is very much sufficient to make perfect dosa batter.

Prep Time11 hr
Cook Time25 min
Total Time11 hr 25 min
Yield4 Plates
Serving Size300g
Energy112 cal

Cuisine
- Indian
Course
- Breakfast
- Main Course
Cooking Method
- Cutting
- Steaming
- Shallow Frying

Ingredients

- 1 cup raw rice
- 1 cup par boiled OR idli rice
- 1/2 cup urad dal
- 1/4 cup poha
- 2 teaspoons methi seeds
- Salt
- Water
- Oil for Dosa

Method

To make dosa batter

Measure and wash raw rice, idli rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Rinse the poha or aval well.

Mix everything together and soak in enough water for 3-4 hours.
Drain to take soaked ingredients in the mixer jar.

Add little water and grind to a very smooth batter.
Take out the ground batter in a deep bowl. Add salt and mix well

It is better to the a big bowl so that there is enough space for fermentation.
Let the batter ferment for minimum 10-11 hours.
After fermenting the batter, keep it in fridge.
Remove the batter from fridge and rest in room temperature at least 1 hour before making dosas.

To make dosa

Heat a tava.
Once the tava is ready, pour a ladle full of batter.

Swiftly spread the batter as thin as you wish.
Let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add butter . oil in the edges. The edges will start to brown and rise slightly.
At this point of time you can flip.

Flip the dosa and cook the other side adding few drops of oil.

Serve dosas immediately with chutney,sambar or potato masala.

To make crisp dosa recipe that is golden brown color we must add some channa dal while grinding batter.
Channa dal infuses a nice flavor and color. While the idli rice gives the much needed softness, raw rice is for crispiness and color.
Select good quality idli rice and raw rice. Same goes with urad dal or ulundu, it should be new and fresh.
We add a fistful of aval/poha in batter, it really makes difference, adding aval adds taste.
It will be easy to spread the dosa.
Apart form methi seeds are added and they are natural coolants.
To make perfect crispy dosa it is necessary to grind the batter really well.
First grind the batter with less water, by this way you can grind the batter to a smooth paste.
Always add more water after grinding.
It is better to mix enough water to the batter after grinding itself.
Do not keep the batter very thick for fermenting,
Add water and mix well before fermenting to make a uniform batter to yield crispy yet soft, golden colored ones.
The taste will be very similar to what you eat in restaurants.
You can serve dosa with idli sambar, sambar, chutney or milagai podi or potato masala.

4 servings per container
Serving Size300g
Amount per serving
Calories112
% Daily Value*
Total Fat1.04 g1.33%
Saturated Fat12 g60%
Trans Fat0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat0.293 g
Monounsaturated Fat0.529 g
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Sodium254 mg11.04%
Total Carbohydrate21.24 g7.72%
Dietary Fiber0.8 g2.86%
Total Sugars0.15 g
Protein2.51 g5.02%
Calcium6 mg0.46%
Iron0.74 mg4.11%
Potassium57 mg1.21%
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)0.2 mg0.22%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.