Dosa (Fermented Rice-Lentil Crepes)

July 14, 2013 / Mareena Jerrish / / Print /

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Over these years, I have realised that different people follow different proportions to make Idli and Dosa. As for me, I have been preparing my Idlis/ Dosas for some years now. I use the same batter to prepare Idlis as well as Dosas. The only difference would be that the Dosa batter is a bit more runny. I usually end up making Dosas as hot crisp dosa is much favoured than Idlis. Team it up with potato masala, sambar and chutney, and our day is made . 🙂

Some of my readers have asked the secret to making Crisp dosas. The secret not only lies in the batter, but also in the way you prepare. I hope the pictorial representation given below helps you understand the process. 🙂

Idli Rice

Here are a few tips I would like to share:

Do not discard the water used to soak the dal and rice. Use it while grinding. Discard the excess water only after you are done with the grinding
Fenugreek seeds not only speeds up the process of fermentation, but also gives colour to the dosas
During cold climate, the process of fermentation way too long that the usual time. In order to fasten the process you can place the container of batter in a preheated oven. Another way is to wrap a hot turkish towel around the container. There were times when I have placed the container on top of a stabiliser as well 😛 .(It sure works well)

Dosa(Fermented Rice-Lentil Crepes)

Dosa (Fermented Rice-Lentil Crepes)

Servings

Ingredients

3 cups rice Idli
1 cup Raw rice - (I used biryani rice)
1 cup Urad Dal
1 cup rice Cooked - (You can use beaten also)
2 teaspoons Fenugreek seeds - (I used 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder)
as required Salt

Servings

Ingredients

3 cups rice Idli
1 cup Raw rice - (I used biryani rice)
1 cup Urad Dal
1 cup rice Cooked - (You can use beaten also)
2 teaspoons Fenugreek seeds - (I used 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder)
as required Salt

Instructions

Wash and soak the rice (except cooked rice), dal and fenugreek separately for at least 3 hours. In a wet grinder or mixer-grinder, grind the soaked urad dal to a fine paste. Transfer to a big container, which will be used for fermentation of the batter. Grind the rice, fenugreek seeds and cooked rice to a slightly grainy paste. Transfer this to the container with urad dal paste. Add salt and using your clean hands, mix well. Ideally the way to mix is by bringing the bottom portion to the top with your hands. Once well mixed, cover the container and keep in a warm place for fermentation. The fermentation will take 8-12 hours, depending upon the climatic conditions .
Once the batter has fermented, take the required batter and add a little water to make it runny. Heat the tawa/griddle.
When the tawa/griddle is hot, reduce the heat and pour a ladleful of batter into the centre and spread quickly towards the edges in a circular motion, till the batter is evenly spread.
Increase the heat and when you see a change of colour in the batter, it becomes off white, drizzle a teaspoon of clarified butter along its sides and centre.
Using a spatula, scrape the excess batter off the surface.
When the dosa turns golden brown, carefully loosen the edges and remove from the griddle and serve hot with sambar or any chutney of your choice.