Masala dosa is one of the most popular South Indian breakfast recipe served in restaurants along with sambar and and various kinds of chutney (coconut, tomato, tamarind, mint). Dosa is the most versatile dish in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is a thin crispy crepe prepared by using fermented rice and lentil batter, filled with potato masala or spiced stuffing in it. These crispy crepe are quite delicious. This traditional, mouth-watering and savory South Indian dish is a brilliant blend of colors, flavors, nutritional balance and taste.
I have also shared the recipe of coconut chutney, tomato chutney and pudina (mint) chutney that can go very well with this popular south indian food. Sambar and chutney provide great accompaniments to Dosas.
Follow useful tips given below to make this dosa easily.
Masala Dosa
Print RecipeIngredients
- For Dosa batter - 1 cup sela rice or regular rice
- ½ cup parmal rice
- ½ cup urad dal
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi daana)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for cooking
- For filling - 2 or 3 medium sized potatoes boiled chopped or crumbled
- ¼ peas boiled (optional)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (bengal gram) soaked in ¼ cup hot water for 10 minutes
- 1 dried red chilli broken
- 2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon cashews (Kaju) optional)
- 1 to 2 green chillies, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For Dosa batter
- First, wash rice and urad dal along with methi seeds separately in 2 bowls until the water runs clear.
- Soak rice and dal in ample amount of water for at least 6 hours before grinding the batter.
- Drain the water from rice and dal and add it to the grinder jar along with water just enough to make a frothy batter. The batter must be blended to thick, smooth and froth consistency.
- Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Add salt and mix well the rice and dal batter well. Allow to ferment in a warm place for about 12 hours depending on your weather. The batter has to rise and turn slightly fluffy.
For filling
- Boil, peel and crumble the potatoes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Reduce the heat; add ½ teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon chana dal and 1 whole dry red chili until the dal turns golden.
- Now add curry leaves, ginger, green chillies and hing. Fry until the aroma of ginger comes out.
- Then add onions, fry until the onions turn lightly golden. Add cashew salt, turmeric and red chili powder. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of water. Boil and keep it low flame for 5-8 minutes until the dal become soft.
- Add mashed potatoes and peas to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Mix well. Remove from heat. Set this aside.
How to make masala dosa
- To prepare the dosa, mix the batter well. The batter must be of thick pouring and spreading consistency.
- Heat the nonstick pan on medium flame. Drizzle few drops of oil and grease your tawa with a piece of half-chopped onion on the whole pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Pour a laddle full of batter on the hot tawa and spread it to an even round dosa. You can make it thick or thin to suit your taste.
- Keep the pan to the heat. Cook until the dosa cooks slightly, spread 2 teaspoons of oil around the edges.
- Within few minutes, you can see the edges leave the pan. Flip and cook just for 2 minutes. Flip it back and cook until the base turns golden.
- Keep the filling in one half of the dosa. Fold it and roll it.
- Transfer it to a serving plate. Serve hot along with sambar and coconut chutney.
- To make the next dosa repeat the same process.