Thursday, July 7, 2011

#130 Lazy Top Hat Dosa -the South Indian Crepe


This recipe is being posted on the request of one of my readers -Barton, who wanted to know how to make dosas. I served Dosa with my Tomato Apple Chutney, so Barton I hope you will try it out in your kitchen.
Note: When using a pancake griddle make sure it is well oiled or if it is a non stick pan, rub a slice of onion over the surface before pouring the batter. This ensures that the crepe will easily lift off of the griddle without sticking. That is the most tricky part of making dosas!!

So here's how to make dosas.......................

Ingredients:
Long Grain Rice-1 1/2 cup
Parboiled Rice- 1/2 cup
Urad Dal/Uzhunnu Parippu-1/2 cup
Methi Seeds/Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tspn
Water as required to grind the batter.
Salt to taste
Oil or Ghee to make dosas



Method:
1. Soak the rice and dal in the proportion 4:1 for about 8 hrs in separate bowls.
2. Along with the Urad dal soak the Methi seeds until soft.
3. When the Parboiled rice is soft enough to break,  grind the urad dal for about 30 mins adding
a little water at a time until soft and fluffy. Scoop the fluffy mixture into a very tall container.keep aside.
4. Now, grind the soaked rice in the same way until the batter is smooth and not grainy at all adding just enough water for a batter that is like pancake batter.
For best results use the ULTRA or any other brand Dosa Grinder that is available only in Indian Stores in the US. If you do not have a Grinder, you can use a high-powered blender.

5. Mix the rice batter with the urad dal fluffy batter adding enough salt eg 1 Tblslpn and mix well.
6. Keep this batter for fermentation in a warm place for about 8 hrs until it rises twice in size.  I suggest you use a "tall" container or one that is twice the size of the batter.  This is a very important step in the making of authentic dosas and idlis.
7. After the batter has doubled in size, take a ladle and mix the batter once again to mix together the urad batter that usually rises all the way to the top and make sure to mix the rice batter very well into the batter until smooth and add 1/2 cup water to smoothen if necessary. Now the batter should look like this.....
8. Place a non-stick skillet on a medium flame on the stove and make sure that it is warmed up in the center.
lower the flame and rub with some oil or a sliced onion . Now pour a full ladle of batter in the center of the skillet. Spread the batter in circles starting in the center and going towards the edge spreading evenly and to make thin crepes.
9. Sprinkle 1/2 tspn of ghee or sesame oil around the surface of the dosa allowing the first side to cook as shown.
10. When the edges are changing color, use a spatula to flip over once to cook the other side for 2 mins.
11. Flip over when golden in color, fold the dosa twice and twist gently into a cone-shaped hat. Serve with  chutney or sambhar(you can refer to my old posts for both recipes).

28 comments:

  1. Aaaah, thank you! I wondered what it was behind the chutney in your earlier post! These looks great - can't believe I've never heard of them before!

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  2. Lovely looking dosas...nice detailed explanation..

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  3. What an awesome grinder, I'm so jealous...I want one! Your dosas look perfect, thank you for this wonderful post =)

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  4. Woww.. I love this dosa.. CRISPY and crunchy.. Yumm :)

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  5. delicious crispy dosa looks wonderful

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  6. Thanks for dropping by and your lovely comment. Dosa is my fav South India dish and very recently I started making it at home. And it taste so good :) Making that cone shape will be tough!

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  7. This recipe looks really delicious! I've been on an Indian food kick, and I think I'll be using your blog as a reference point! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I've added yours to my Google Reader and look forward to reading your future posts!

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  8. Thanks for dropping by and your lovely comment.Woww.. my husband favs dosa...crispy and crunchy.. Yumm :)

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  9. This is so cool! It looks totally yummy too :)

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  10. Perfect dosas - mine would never be so deliciously crispy. Or as pretty. Or as perfectly cone-shaped. Grand list of pointers!

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  11. I've never eaten dosas before, so I enjoyed your informative post. Your photos are beautiful...and I'm longing to try these beauties :)

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  12. Nice n yummy dosa..love it very much..:)

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  13. My Indian neighbor friend has this pan and I want to get one! You made the cone shape perfectly!!! It looks delicious and beautiful too!

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  14. Delicious and crispy dosa looks so tempting,excellent presentation.

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  15. Looks delicious, I have tried dosa few times. I presume it will take a few (many?) practice sessions to get it looking as good as yours

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  16. I love how swirling the batter created swirls in the finished dosa! Beautiful!

    P.S. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  17. so crispy !! perfectly done !!

    Ongoing Event - CC-Roti Pachadi/Chutney

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  18. Hi Malli, Thanks for paying a visit to my space and am a die hard fan of this hotel style dosa..looks so crispy n yummy

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  19. Hi! Thanks for your comment on my blog, it's really nice to know someone appreciates it! Just had a quick look at yours and I'm very excited by some of the recipes!

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  20. This looks delicious. And what a great tip - to use an onion to grease the pan!

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  21. These are so awesome. How do you get the cone shaped so perfect!

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  22. Thanks for visiting my blog,dear!Your place is full of yummy recipes!Keep up the good work!Greetings from Greece!

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  23. I am delighted at the encouraging words from all of you!! u guys keep me going:)
    Nami,
    I havn't used an authentic dosa pan for years.... the one in my photos is a Calphalon 12" diameter griddle and it works well for dosas:)

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  24. What an interesting post. First off a great tip on using raw onion to prevent sticking - I'll have to try that. I have very fond memories of eating dosa's when I was a student in London and really enjoying them. I make sourdough bread, so it would be fun to try making a different sort of fermentation.

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  25. Thanks for linking it with Iftar Nights..

    Jabeen's Corner is hosting an event with a surprise giveaway.. U are Invited !! Do send your entries..

    Jabeen's Corner

    Ongoing Event-Iftar nights

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