March 05, 2024
TO ME, MAKING DOSA IS LIKE FLYING TO INDIA. Both require planning and take a ridiculous amount of time - about 20 hours. Until you realize that most of that time is hands off. For India, you're flying through the night and hopefully sleeping.
In the case of dosa it's waiting for the ingredients to soak at least 8 hours and then once blended, waiting for the mixture to ferment on the counter for again about 8 hours. Oddly, once you get through them, you realize both are easy and you're ready to do it again! If you have my third cookbook, Indian For Everyone, turn to page 253 for this recipe and photos. In this recipe, I used a long-grained rice which worked fine. I've even subbed the rice for quinoa. But again, dosa is traditionally made with a parboiled rice variety.
I'm not the best planner, but when I do make this batter, I have one of my best cooking and eating weeks. You see, dosa is a naturally gluten-free 'bread'. It's a crepe made and eaten extensively in South India and it's made from rice and dal. That alone is amazing nutritious news. But, once you take that batter and ferment it - wow! That's where the nutrition magic truly happens. You've likely heard of the benefits of other fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi? Think of dosa batter in the same light. And, kids absolutely love dosa!
Now, why would you take South Indian cooking lessons from someone who is North Indian? I was fortunate to grow up with a very close South Indian auntie network in Pennsylvania. We all attended the same temple and I not only tasted their authentic dishes, but learned many of their household tips and tricks. Like taking the flat side of half of an onion and rubbing it back and forth on a hot dosa pan before adding the oil to ensure that the batter does not stick. I'm by no means an expert, but I will say I'm pretty good. Whatever I can share with you, I will. Please do make a large batch of this recipe and keep it in the fridge once it's fermented for weeks to dole out for your family and friends. And, if you are North Indian, consider swapping out roti for a dosa now and then. It pairs fabulously with our sabzis.
Want to make this with minimal fuss? Consider ordering our newest product launch - Spice Kits. This one for dosa will give you the hard-to-find ingredients below.
3 cups uncooked idli rice *
1 cup whole or split urad dal without the skin **
2 tablespoons chana dal
1 teaspoon methi seeds, fenugreek
Room temperature water, to cover
3 cups ice-cold water, for blending
1/2 cup cooked white or brown rice, any kind
2 teaspoons Himalayan sea salt
Vegetable oil, for frying, set aside in a small bowl
End of a raw onion, for prepping pan
* The best rice for dosa is a shorter grain parboiled variety like idli rice. You can find it online and at any Indian grocer. You can substitute long-grained basmati rice as well and I do that, but the shorter grained variety is better.
** Urad dal without the skin is traditionally used for dosa largely because it maintains a light and neutral color. I've made dosa with different legumes including urad dal with the black skin. The color will be varied. My mom once made dosa with dark grains and it turned out purple and delicious!
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