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Dosa, Dosai, Masala (Filling)

Dosai can easily be made on iron frying pan or non-stick pan. A thin, spicy, crispy crêpe-like food made from fermented rice.

First Variation

Ingredients for Dosa:
  • 3 cups white rice
  • 1 cup urad dal (black gram)
  • handful of cooked rice (if required)
  • pinch of sugar (if desired)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Method:

Batter:
  1. Put the rice and dal in a large pot and wash twice.
  2. Fill with water until submerged by 2 inches.
  3. Soak for 6 hours.
  4. Grind in a blender, water and all, for 30 minutes. If the weather is cold, grind in a handful of rice and a pinch of sugar to help in fermentation.
  5. Let ferment overnight in a warm place. Make sure the pot is twice as large as the amount of batter, as it will rise a great deal.
  6. Add salt; at this point the batter can be kept in the refrigerator for more than a week until you wish to fry the dosas.
Dosas:
  1. Heat a tava (large flat pan) or griddle over a high flame.
  2. Sprinkle water on the pan to cool it a little.
  3. Pour ½–¾ cup batter in the middle of the pan, depending on preferred thickness and crispiness.
  4. Spread the batter with the back of a spoon, starting from the centre and spiralling outwards until the dosa is about 10 inches across and very thin.
  5. Sprinkle a little oil around the edges of the dosa.
  6. Cover until the dosa shows brown through the thinnest parts.
  7. Turn the dosa around on its back and allow it to cook for a few seconds.
  8. Fold in half and remove with a metal spatula.
Makes 10–15.

Second Variation

Preparation:
Makes about 20
  • 2 cups (360 g) rice, preferably parboiled
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) split and husked urad dal ('dhuli urad')
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Oil for cooking doshas
Method:
  1. Soak rice, dal, and fenugreek seeds together overnight.
  2. Grind these ingredients together to a very smooth consistency.
  3. Add the salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency, and leave to rise for 5-6 hours, or overnight.
  4. Check consistency of the batter, and if needed, add enough water to make into a smooth pouring consistency.
  5. Heat tava (dosa pan) very hot, splash a little water over it, and with a ladle, immediately pour some batter onto it, spreading it thin, with a circular motion, without pressing too hard. (You will need some practice to get it right).
  6. Lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges. When edges start browning a bit, it is almost done.
  7. Turn the dosa around on its back and allow it to cook for a few seconds.
  8. Add desired filling and fold over.

Masala Dosa

Ingredients for preparation:

Batter:
  • Ponni or Sona Masuri rice: 1 Cup
  • Boiled Rice: 1 Cup
  • Urad dal (whole skinless black gram): ¾ Cup
  • Non iodized salt: To Taste
Filling:
  • Potatoes: 6 Medium Sized, Boiled and coarsely mashed
  • Onions: 2 Medium Sized, Finely chopped
  • Green Chili Pepper: 3 to 6, Finely Chopped
  • Ginger: 1 Tsp, finely grated
  • Garlic: 1 Tsp, finely grated
  • Oil: 2 Tbsp
  • Mustard Seeds: ½ Tsp
  • Cilantro: 1 TBS, finely chopped
  • Chana Dal: 1 Tsp
  • Turmeric: 1 Tsp
  • Curry Leaves: 1 Tsp, coarsely chopped
  • Onion Chutney
  • Coconut Chutney
For Assembly:
  • Mixture of Ghee and vegetable shortening: ½ cup
Preparation Method:
Batter:
  1. On the day before, grind all the ingredients in a blender or specialized dosa grinder with water. The final consistency of the batter must be similar to pancake batter. Leave it overnight in a warm spot and allow it to ferment. This is a very important process and must not be skipped. During fermentation the batter may rise to almost twice its volume and therefore the container for the batter must allow for this.
Chutneys:
  1. Prepare the two chutneys as described in Onion Chutney and Coconut Chutney
Filling:
  1. In a wok or other deep vessel heat the oil. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. When spluttering starts to recede add the chopped green chilies, curry leaves and the channa dal. Stir until the channa dal turns brown. (Be careful as channa dal can go from browned to burnt within seconds). Add the onions and fry until browned and add turmeric and stir for 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir it in for a few seconds. Add the boiled and coarsely mashed potatoes into the mix and fold well. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and the coriander leaves. Fold well.
Making a Dosa:
  1. Dosai can easily be made on a tava, iron frying pan or non-stick pan. Heat the pan on a medium heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Spread about 1/2 cup of batter on the pan (like pancakes) slowing spreading it outwards forming a thin, flat circular dosa. Allow it cook for a minute and using a flat, sharp spatula flip it over. As the other side cooks spread a layer of ghee-shortening mixture on the topside. Flip it over again. As the bottom crisps add a Tsp of the onion chutney on the top and spread it evenly. Add some of the filling onto one half of the dosa and fold the other side over. Serve with coconut chutney.
Source: Cookbook