HOW TO MAKE DOSA

    It's since a long time, I was planning to write a post especially for DOSA, a humble dish on its own.  It is one comfort food in a South Indian household, a saviour, a quick-fix, an all-time all-rounder, equally good to be served for Breakfast, Dinner, and even it can be sneaked up as an evening tiffin.  Not only that, it is one of the most popular Tiffin item served in South Indian restaurants.

    Well, growing up in a South Indian household, we all have fond memories of Dosa, whatsoever.  It is one of the popular South Indian Dish and also one of the most frequented Tiffin item in a household.  Idli & Dosa is a staple, an unavoidable Tiffin Item at home.  Idli Dosa Batter is a must-have & a rescue ingredient in our pantry.  It is a common practice to have a Dabba (box) full of Idli Dosa Batter.

    I grew up eating Dosa, for most of the days in a week, my Mom would make Dosa for Breakfast or Dinner.  Some days, I ask my Mom to pack it in my school box, to which she was always reluctant, saying that it would dry off by the time you eat.  But I had always loved the Kanju Pona Dosas (dried dosas) with Chutneys or Sambar.   Well, when I say Dosa, the Dosa made at home was the slightly thick Dosas, not the crispy Paper like roasts, we get at restaurants.  Small Dosas, soft and white, made in small cast iron griddles. We call it Sada Dosai.  But the evolution of restaurants and the popularity of the same has led the Indian housewives to perfect the same old Dosas into crispy thin Dosas alias the Murugal Dosai.  And the arrival of Non-stick dosa pans paved the way for thin crispy dosas.

HOW TO MAKE DOSA

Well, coming back to Dosa Recipe, 

   South Indian Cuisine is incomplete without DOSA. Crowned to be one of the best among the long list of South Indian Tiffin Items.  An all-time comfort food, healthy, tasty and easily digestible. Most of the South Indian households wake up to the wonderful aroma of Idli or Dosa. A simple recipe with very few ingredients which seems quite straightforward, but only for the people who have cooked it and perfected it knows the skill behind soft or crispy Dosas. Though not a skill tough to achieve, once you get the proportions right and if the batter ferments well, you are good to go.  But, then comes the task of spreading it out neatly in the Dosa griddle.  Soft Dosas or Crispy Dosas the heat of the griddle, cooking time, the way you spread it out on the griddle all matters for a perfect Dosa. 

So, what you need to consider for Perfect Dosas are:

• Perfect Rice Dhal Ratio
• Type of Rice and Urad Dhal used
• Soaking Time
• Amount of water needed to grind the batter
• Consistency of the Dosa Batter
  
• Thoroughly mixing the batter
• Addition of Salt
• Fermentation Time
• Cooking the Dosas over a Dosa Pan.
  

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Cuisine - South Indian
Course - Main Course
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM   

Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Soaking Time - 4-5 Hours/Overnight
Fermenting Time - 8-10 Hours/Overnight
Cooking Time - 10 - 15 Minutes


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THE PROCESS OF MAKING DOSA

HOW TO MAKE DOSA

 

    I saw the evolution of the same old Small, soft Dosas to Murugal Dosas to Crispy Paper Roasts at home.  My Mom took meticulous measures to make perfect Crispy dosas for my brother.  She even went to an extent of scraping out the extra batter from the poured in Dosas to make it extra crispier and thin. So, when it comes to the batter you can get Soft or Crispy Dosas with the same batter, but the only difference is how you would like to make it.  A few steps and you can easily make your preferred Soft Dosas or Crispy Dosas.

INGREDIENTS:

For Dosa Batter:

Idli Rice/Par-boiled Rice - 1 Cup
Raw Rice - 1 Cup
Urad Dhal - 1/2 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Tuvar Dhal - 2 Tablespoons
Aval/Poha/Flattened Rice - 1/4 Cup
Salt - To Taste

For making Dosa:

Oil/Ghee - For Dosa

METHOD:

For Dosa Batter :

• Clean & Wash Rice, Urad Dhal, Tuvar Dhal, Aval & Fenugreek under running water for about 3–4 times or until the water runs clear.
• Soak all the above ingredients except salt for about 6–8 hours.
• Once soaked, Drain the water from the ingredients and grind it in a mixer or grinder.
• If grinding the batter in a Wet grinder, then add all the ingredients and grind it into a smooth paste, adding a little water at a time. 
• You might need approximately 2–3 cups of water.
• If grinding the Dosa batter in a mixer, then grind it in batches.  
• Use cold/ice water while grinding the batter in a Mixer (Blender).
• Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste and then transfer it into a bowl.
• Add salt to the batter & mix well thoroughly until well combined preferably using your hands.
• Cover the Bowl and leave the batter aside.
• Allow it to ferment for about 8-10 hours/overnight.

For a detailed recipe on HOW TO MAKE IDLI-DOSA BATTER IN MIXER GRINDER, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE DOSA

For Soft Dosai/Sada Dosai:

• Heat the Dosa Griddle on a high flame and then lower the flame.
• Smear the Griddle with oil.
• Thoroughly mix the Dosa Batter and pour one big ladle of batter over the Dosa Griddle.
• Slightly spread the batter so that the Dosa is slightly thicker.
• Keep the flame at low while cooking Dosai.
• Drizzle a few teaspoons of Oil/Ghee over the Dosai.
• Cover the Dosai with a lid and cook on a very low flame for a few minutes.
• Alternatively, you can simply flip it up and cook on the other side. 
• You can cook on a low flame to get soft, white coloured dosas.
• If you prefer a slight golden yellow dosas, cook for a few more minutes.
  
• Once cooked, remove the Sada Dosai or Plain Dosa from the griddle.
• Serve Sada Dosai - Plain Dosai along with Sambar or any Chutney of your choice.
  

HOW TO MAKE DOSA

 

For Crispy Dosa - Murugal Dosai:

• Heat the Dosa Griddle on a high flame and then lower the flame to medium-high.
• Smear the Griddle with oil and spread the oil using an Onion Slice or a cloth.
  
• Thoroughly mix the Dosa Batter and pour one big ladle of batter over the Dosa Griddle.
• Spread the batter evenly around the Dosa Griddle.
• Keep the flame at medium while cooking Dosas.
• Drizzle a few teaspoons of Oil/Ghee over the Dosas.
• Cook the Dosas on a medium flame until it turns crispy and slightly golden yellow in colour.
• Roll out the crispy Dosa and remove it from the Dosa Griddle (there is no need to flip and cook the Dosa).
• Serve Crispy Dosai - Murugal Dosai along with Sambar or any Chutney of your choice.

For Paper Dosai - Paper Roast:

• Heat the Dosa Griddle on a high flame and then lower the flame to medium-high.
• Smear the Griddle with oil and spread the oil using an Onion Slice or a cloth.
  
• Thoroughly mix the Dosa Batter and pour one big ladle of batter over the Dosa Griddle.
• Spread the batter evenly around the Dosa Griddle.
• Keep the flame at medium while cooking Dosas.
• Drizzle a few teaspoons of Oil/Ghee over the Dosas.
• Wait for a few minutes, or until the batter is half cooked. 
• Then scrape out any extra half cooked batter from the Dosa using a spatula, preferably with the Dosa Karandi (Chattagam/Chattuvam/). 
• The idea is to make the Dosa thinner and crispier, which yields you with a so-called thin and Crispy Paper Roasts.
  
• Cook the Dosas on a medium flame until it turns crispy and slightly golden brown.
• Roll out the crispy Dosa and remove it from the Dosa Griddle (there is no need to flip and cook the Dosa).
• Serve Paper Dosai - Paper Roast along with Sambar or any Chutney of your choice.

 

NOTES:

• Use Par-boiled Rice/Idli Rice along with good quality Raw Rice for Dosai recipe.
• The ingredients should be finely ground batter.
• The consistency of the batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
  
• Fermentation plays a major role, imparting the Dosa with the preferred texture - Soft or Crispy.
• Allow the batter to ferment for about 8-10 hours/overnight.
• If you live in a cold climate, leave it in a warm place until the batter ferments.
• We use a Griddle especially for making Dosas.  You can get a variety of non-stick or cast iron dosa pans in the market.
  
• Cook the Dosa on a very low flame, for Soft Dosai.
• If you need Crispy Murugal Dosai, cook it on a medium-low flame until it reached the required texture and colour.

 

STORING THE DOSA BATTER:

• Once the batter is fermented, can store it in the refrigerator upto 3-4 days.
• Bring the batter to room temperature before making Dosas.
• Adjust the consistency of the batter, if required.
  

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