Dosa is a South Indian staple. It is a savoury, crispy crepe made predominantly out of rice flour. In the past, I would never attempt to make it at home myself and would happily enjoy it at a speciality restaurant. However, ever since starting the elimination diet, I am extra careful about eating outside, plus, once I tried it once, I realised it is not really that difficult or cumbersome.
I make the dosa batter by combing 3 parts of rice flour with 1 part of urad dal flour. Traditionally, whole rice and the dal would be soaked overnight and then ground into a fine paste. However, since the flours are easily available in the Indian grocery stores, I opt to take the easy way and save myself the trouble of soaking and grinding the mixture.
The dosa batter needs to ferment, so it is best to prepare it the night before or even 24-28 hours before if the weather is cold (which is often the case in Melbourne). Mix the 3 parts of rice flour and 1 part of urad dal flour with 4 - 4.5 parts of water. Use the same cup/ bowl to measure. Mix with a whisk until you have a lump free mixture. Cover with cling wrap and set aside in a dark place for a minimum of 10 hours.
Just before using the batter, season it with salt (Do not add the salt earlier as it may hinder the fermentation process).
To make the dosa, use a dosa pan, or a non stick fry pan or crepe pan. Once the pan is slightly hot, place about two ice cream scoops worth of mixture and spread it as thinly as you can across the fry pan. I use the back of a small stainless steel bowl (it needs to have a flat bottom) to spread the batter. You can also use the back of the ladle. This is the only tricky part. Once you master this, dosa making will be a breeze and believe me practise makes perfect. I prefer to have no oil on the frying pan when I start, and I also clean it with a wet paper towel between making each dosa to maintain the ideal temperature - if the pan is too hot, the mixture will cook and set before you have had a chance to spread it. Once the first side is crispy, place some oil, turn the dosa and cook the other side. Cook for about 1 minute and fold over and serve. Dosa can be served plain, with cheese, tomato or onions or with a spicy potato mix, which is the most popular combination and is referred to as a masala dosa. The traditional accompaniments are coconut chutney and sambar.
If you have any batter, left over, you can also use it to make idlis (steamed rice cakes) or uttapams (savoury pancakes).
To make the masala/ potato mixture for the dosa you will need:
4-5 boiled potatoes which have been peeled and chopped or roughly smashed
1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
2 whole chillers either dry or frozen
7-8 curry leaves either fresh or dry
Salt and chilli powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons of oil
Handful of peanuts (optional)
Sometimes, I also add either chopped onion, coconut and beetroot or all three if available.
In a large fry pan/ skillet heat the oil and add the chillies and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to pop add the curry leaves (be careful as they have a tendency to splatter) and peanuts (if using). Sometimes, I also add chopped onion, coconut and/ or beetroot at this point.
Add the the spices followed by the potatoes and mix well until all the potatoes are coated with the spices (they should all be stained yellow with the turmeric). Cook for 4-5 minutes and set aside until required. The masala can be used as a filling for the dosa (by placing a serving spoons worth in the middle of the dosa or served on the side if you prefer to keep the dosa crispy for longer.
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