Dosa is a crispy crepe made from fermented rice and urad daal (a type of split legume) that has been soaked and ground. It is a popular dish in Southern India and is served with a potato filling, sambar (a vegetable and daal soup), and an assortment of chutneys. You can find dosa and idli batter in most South Indian households every day of the week. They are gluten-free, have a decent amount of protein, and can be eaten at any time of the day.
I grew up in North India, and we only ate dosa in a restaurant. I still remember the yummy fermented fragrance wafting from the food truck in my college quad as we lined up to buy a made-to-order dosa lunch. Some places make huge dosas twice the size of the plate they are served in! I first attempted to make a dosa after arriving in America. After experimenting for a while, I was able to create the perfect batter, and after several tries, I got a decent-sized dosa from the skillet!
Some planning is required since the batter needs about two days to soak and ferment. My recipe makes a big batch, which I use for making idli and uttapam. The leftover batter freezes well and is ready to cook after thawing.
2 cups medium or long-grain rice
1 cup skinless urad daal
1/4 cup chana daal
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
vegetable oil for cooking
preparation:
- Combine the rice, urad chana daals, and fenugreek seeds in a large bowl. Wash and drain. Soak for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Once the rice mixture is soaked, drain it and place it in a blender. Blend on low, adding enough water to help the blender. I use 1 1/2 cups to make the mixture resemble a thick pancake batter. Do not over-blend—you want the mixture to feel like wet cornmeal. It will give the dosa a crispier texture.
- Pour the batter into a large bowl and set aside in a warm place. The ideal temperature for fermentation is between 75 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure there is room in the bowl for the batter to rise. Check the batter after 24 hours. It should have a sourdough-like smell and a fluffy texture (see my video above). If not, let it continue to ferment, checking every 6 hours. Once the batter is appropriately fermented, add the salt and sugar, making sure to mix gently.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and brush lightly with oil. Pour about a 1/3 cup of batter in the middle and spread it with a spoon into a 6-8 inch circle. If the batter is too thick, it will be hard to spread. You can thin it by adding a little water. Before flipping, drizzle with ~1/4 teaspoon of oil. When the dosa turns golden and the edges loosen, gently flip it over and cook for a few seconds until crisp. Serve with Aloo Matar and Tomato Chutney. Enjoy!