Video Recipes – Dosa

Dosa is a dish that originates from South India.  Its roots go back to the Temple Streets of Udupi. It is a crispy savory pancake which is usually enjoyed for breakfast or dinner, and is rich in carbohydrates and protein.

Dosa is primarily made from batter that consists of  split,  skinned Urad bean (lentils) and rice blended with water soaked over night.

There are variations of Dosa. A popular variation is called Masala Dosa, which originates from Udupi.  This type of Dosa is made by stuffing  it with a lightly cooked bhaji filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices.  However, a lot of different fillings are used with Dosa today including meat masala based ones too.  Other variations include  the following.

• Mysore Masala Dosa – Masala Dosa with chutney spread inside along with bhaji filling .
• Vegetable Masala Dosa – Instead of potatoes, peas and other vegetables are mashed to make the bhaji filling.
• Rava Masala Dosa – Rava (semolina) is used to instead of the rice for the batter.
• Chinese Masala Dosa – Noodles and other Chinese ingredients are added to the dosa.

Recipe Video:

In this video recipe, courtesy of Sangeeth Raghunathan, she  shows you how to make the Dosa dough. Then, you will see an example of Dosas being made by a chef  (from Lasan’s Restuarant) at the BBC Good Food Guide show.  The chef fills the Dosas with a meat fillings.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of Idli rice (available at desi shops) but you can use any other rice (boiled/raw).
• 1 cup of Urad daal (lentils)
• 1 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
• 1/3 tsp. salt (can vary depending on taste)

Method for Dosa dough:

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for about 5 hours.
2. Wash and soak the Urad daal mixed with the Fenugreek seeds in a separate container in water for 45 minutes.
3. Grind the Urad daal mixture in a grinder or blender for about 25 minutes to make a dough. Check the mixture while it is grinding every 10 minutes to ensure there is enough water in the mixture, if it is dry add a little more.
4. The texture of the Urad daal dough will be of a silky soft texture. It may be a little loose but that is okay as it will be mixed with the rice dough.
5. Grind the rice (soaked in water) in the grinder or blender for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix the two ground doughs together in a container and add the salt. Make sure there is enough room in the container for the mixed dough to rise.
7. Leave the dough to ferment overnight.
8. The dough will raise overnight and it is ready to be used to make Dosas.

Method for making Dosas:

1. Heat a flat griddle e.g. a non-stick tawa or flat large non-stick frying pan.
2. Check the griddle is hot by sprinkling some water on it . It should sizzle.
3. Put a tablespoon full of Dosa dough in the centre of the griddle  and then spread out thinly with the spoon.
4. Dosas are filled with a filling. Fillings used for Dosa are usually pre-cooked  spicy vegetarian  or  meat dishes like lamb and chicken masala. However, any filling of your choice can be used.
5. Once the one side underneath is cooked a light brow noclour, the filling is then added to the less cooked side. Then, using a spatula, lift up the Dosa and roll into shape of a wrap.
6. Lightly cook the wrap  for a minute or so thereafter on the griddle before serving.
7. The Dosa is now cooked and ready to be served.

Dosa can be served with chutnies, daal, curries or eaten on its own. Once prepared, this dish is not so difficult to make and can be enjoyed as a snack or part of a main meal.