How to prepare dosa?

Question

How to prepare dosa?

Answer 1

Dosa

A dosa is a thin, spicy, crispy crêpe-like food made from fermented rice, very popular in restaurants in South India. It may be served plain with sambar and chutneys such as coconut chutney (as pictured), or other curry or gravy. When served with alu masala folded inside, it is known as masala dosa. To make omelette dosa, simply pour beaten egg on the dosa before it is turned over.

The procedure for making dosa starts out almost identical to that for making idli. The idli recipe in this cookbook has some very good tips and variations that apply equally to dosai.

First Variation

Ingredients

3 cups white rice

1 cup urad dal (black gram)

handful of cooked rice (if required)

pinch of sugar (if desired)

¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure

Batter

Put the rice and dal in a large pot and wash twice.

Fill with water until submerged by 2 inches.

Soak for 6 hours.

Grind in an 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.

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.

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

Heat a tava (large flat pan) or griddle over a high flame.

Sprinkle water on the pan to cool it a little.

Pour ½–¾ cup batter in the middle of the pan, depending on preferred thickness and crispiness.

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.

Sprinkle a little oil around the edges of the dosa.

Cover until the dosa shows brown through the thinnest parts.

Turn the dosa around on its back and allow it to cook for a few seconds.

Fold in half and remove with a metal spatula.

Makes 10–15.

Second Variation

[edit] 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

Soak rice, dal, and fenugreek seeds together overnight.

Grind these ingredients together to a very smooth consistency.

Add the salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency, and leave to rise for 5-6 hours, or overnight.

Check consistency of the batter, and if needed, add enough water to make into a smooth pouring consistency.

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).

Lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges. When edges start browning a bit, it is almost done.

Turn the dosa around on its back and allow it to cook for a few seconds.

Add desired filling and fold over.

Masala Dosa (Mysore style)

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

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

Prepare the two chutneys as described in Onion Chutney and Coconut Chutney

Filling

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

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.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Do...

http://www.answers.com/topic/dosa-1

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Answer 2

While those recipes are all very helpful, unless you have grinder to mill the dal and rice into a paste, got to an Indian shop/store and buy Rice flour and Ural dal flour, they have several dal/ pulse flours, mix it and mix a dosa base mix, I make it the night before and let it sit on top of my frig like making yeast dough to keep warm and for the flours and other ingredients to ferment slightly.

The fillings like potatos, caulifower, carrots, chickpeas (Channa dal), Fenugreek or Spinach Saags, Paneers are all up to you but are best made ahead and as your making the dosa, warm on the stove top or popped into the microwave to zap them.

I use a 10" non stick T-Fal pan to make mine, but a flatop griddle is a nice idea to, I make them and roll them as the finish and serve as soon as possible or they go soggy.

Answer 3

By PT

Masala Dosa with Coconut Chutney (South Indian Savory Crepes with filling)

Dosa

2 cups parboiled rice

1 cup uncooked rice

1 cup split Urad Dal(split black gram)

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

salt

oil(for frying)

ghee or clarified butter(while setting up the final product — the masala dosa)

Potato curry

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon gram dal

1 teaspoon black gram dal

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4  green chilies, finely chopped

1 inch ginger, finely chopped

2 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/8 lbs potatoes, boiled,peeled,chopped

salt

coriander leaves, finely chopped(use about one handful)

1  lemon, juice of (optional)

Chutney

2 teaspoons oil

1 pinch asafetida powder

3  dried red chilies

1 1/2 tablespoons split Urad Dal(split black gram)

1/2  coconut, grated

salt

tamarind pulp(use a lemon-sized ball)

Directions

1For the dosa: Soak the parboiled and uncooked rice together in water.

2Separately, soak the dal and fenugreek seeds together in water.

3After 3-4 hours, drain and reserve the water and grind both separately in a blender to a fine paste, adding some the reserved water as needed (if the grinder/blender seizes up) until the mixture is of batter consistency.

4Add the salt, some water if necessary, and mix both together thoroughly; keep overnight to ferment.

5The next day, check the batter; if too thick, add some water and mix so that it is of a pouring consistency.

6Heat a skillet and grease with some oil.

7Pour a ladleful of batter and spread as quickly as possible into a thin circle.

8Pour a little oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) all around the crepe and on the centre as well.

9Cook until the dosa is done, then turn over and cook the other side until crisp.

10Set the dosas aside.

11Note: If parboiled rice is not available, soak 2 1/4 cups of uncooked rice.

12For the potato curry: Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil.

13Season with the mustard and gram dals.

14When done, add the chopped onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, chili powder, and turmeric powder.

15When the onions are browned, add the potatoes and salt, and mix thoroughly.

16Add the coriander leaves and lemon juice, if desired, and mix well.

17For the chutney: Heat the oil, add the asafoetida, red chilies, and then the dal.

18Fry until the dal turns brownish.

19Remove from flame.

20Grind this mixture with the grated coconut, salt and tamarind to a slightly rough paste.

21Add a little water to make the chutney of a spreadable consistency.

22To make the masala dosas (the final product!): When required, reverse the prepared dosa and place on a skillet.

23Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of chutney evenly all over the dosa.

24Carefully place 2 tablespoons of potato curry in the centre, fold the the left a third over the centre, and then the right side over the left (or, just fold it any way you like!).

25Sprinkle a little ghee or butter.

26Roast for a minute or two.

27Remove from flame and serve immediately.

28Alternatively, stuff the dosa with the potato curry only, and serve the chutney as a dip.

Methi DOSA

1 cup rice

1 teaspoon methi seeds

1/2 cup chopped methi leaves

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

1 teaspoon jaggery

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

4-5  garlic cloves (optional)

1/2 cup grated fresh coconut

salt

1 tablespoon Urad Dal

4-5  dried red chilies

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

1Soak the rice and methi seeds for 1 hour.

2In the meantime, heat the coconut oil and fry the urad dal and dry red chillies for a few minutes Keep aside and cool.

3Now grind the rice & methi seeds along with the dhania, jeera, tamarind, salt, jaggery, garlic, haldi and cononut with water to a fine and uniform batter consistancy. Pour it into a bowl.

4Add the chopped methi leaves and mix well.

5Now grease a tawa with a little oil, keep on medium heat and spoon out the mixture by spreading it evenly. Let it not be too thick. Turn over when one side is done. It might take a few minutes so don't be impatient! Cook till done.

6Serve HOT with butter.

POTATO & CARROT DOSA

1 cup rice flour

2 large potatoes, boiled,peeled and mashed

1 cup carrots, grated

1/2 cup sour yoghurt

3  green chilies

1 inch fresh ginger, finely sliced

3/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

salt

oil, as required

Directions

1Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

2Mix well.

3Add just enough batter to form a batter of pouring consistency.

4Prepare dosas (crepes).

5Follow recipe for"Plain dosa" posted separately.

6Serve hot with chutney.

HEALTHY PESARATTU DOSA

1 cup green gram

1/2 cup kabuli channa

1/2 cup bengal gram dal

1/4 cup raw rice

2  green chilies

1 inch gingerroot

10  curry leaves

1 large onion

1 cup carrots

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon hing

Directions

1Soak the dhals, channa for 6-7 hours.

2Drain and grind them along with ginger, green chillies to smooth paste.

3Transfer to a bowl, mix in curry leaves, onions which are chopped, carrot which are grated, salt and turmeric and hing.

4The batter is to be of thick pouring consistency.

5Heat a flat griddle and grease it with little oil.

6Pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it flat, and make 3-4 small holes in the dosas. Fill the holes with little oil.

7Once the underside is cooked and light brown.

8flip the peasarattu and cook for a minute or two.