How to Make Dosa at Home | Foolproof Fermentation Tips

How to Make Dosa at Home | Foolproof Fermentation Tips

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Make restaurant-quality dosas at home with this foolproof recipe. Perfect fermentation techniques and exact measurements for crispy, lacy dosas even in cooler climates.

Servings

Ingredients

½ cup urad gota or split urad dal
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
1½ cups idli rice [See Note 2]
5 cups water preferably filtered
3 tablespoon rice cooked, day-old
1¼ teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt [See Note 3]
1½ tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

SOAK

Wash the ½ cup urad gota and 1½ cups idli rice separately multiple times, until the water runs clear.
Soak the urad and 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds in 2 cups of filtered water in a medium bowl. Soak the rice in 3 cups of filtered water in a separate medium bowl.
After 4 to 6 hours (or overnight), drain both, but reserve the urad soaking water.

BLEND [See Note 4]

Blend the urad with enough of the reserved soaking water to get a smooth pancake batter consistency (pourable but not runny). You might use about ⅔ to ¾ cup of water. Pour into a large metal bowl or your Instant Pot stainless steel liner.
Blend the 3 tablespoons cooked rice with the soaked rice using the reserved soaking water. If you run out, use plain filtered water. You may end up using a total of about ½ to ¾ cup of water. The batter should be a bit grainy. Rub a little batter between your fingers. The grains should be like granulated sugar. The consistency should be pourable (like pancake batter), but not too thin. Transfer to the same container as the urad.
Add 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt and mix the two batters with a clean hand for about two minutes. This helps with the fermentation process. The consistency should be pourable, but not too thick or thin. Add more soaking water or filtered water to thin out, if needed.

FERMENT in Instant Pot

Ferment the dosa batter in the Instant Pot using the Yogurt function for 12 hours in normal mode (not low or boil). If it has doubled and smells slightly sour, it's ready. If not, ferment for another couple of hours.

FERMENT in oven

Heat the oven to 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) for two minutes. Turn it off and turn on the oven light. Place the metal bowl on a large plate to catch any overflow. Ferment for 12 to 15 hours.

FERMENT on countertop

This method works best in warmer climates or in the summer. Cover the bowl loosely with a lid or plastic wrap. Ferment for 12 to 15 hours.

COOK on a griddle [See Note 5]

If you're not going to make the dosas right away, refrigerate immediately. About half an hour before making the dosas, remove the batter from the fridge.
Heat a griddle or tawa over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a few drops of water on the pan. The water should sizzle and slide around the pan. Lower the temperature to medium-low.
Add ¼ teaspoon of oil to the pan and spread it around with a folded-up paper towel. Pour about ¼ cup of batter in the middle of the pan using a ladle. Immediately, using the back of the ladle, spread the batter in a circular motion, starting at the center and working your way out. If the batter doesn’t spread easily, thin it with a little water or reduce the temperature. [See Note 6]
You will have a thin crepe and you should see small holes forming. Drizzle a few drops of oil all over the surface to help crisp up the dosa.
After about a minute, the bottom will turn golden. Use a spatula to flip the dosa to the other side. After 30 seconds or when it’s lightly browned, fold the dosa in half and place on a serving plate. Repeat with remaining batter and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Note 1: A lower-power blender can overheat easily. It can also result in a gritty batter.

Note 2: If you can't find idli rice, use sona masuri rice or regular raw rice (not basmati).

Note 3: If using table salt, add it after fermentation is done and before making the dosas.

Note 4: If the blender becomes too hot, blend in 1-minute increments and let it rest for a few minutes till it cools down. Overheating can affect the fermentation process.

Note 5: The griddle should be flat with little to no lip.

Note 6: The first dosa may be a throwaway. The second one usually turns out better because the griddle is the right temperature.

Note 7: Whichever method you use to ferment, check on the batter before the stated times, in case your batter is fermenting faster.

Note 8: If you've never had success making dosa batter, please read the whole blog post as it has several tips and tricks!

Nutrition