Crisp and crunchy dosas

Plain, sweet, spicy, there are many dosa variations. Here are a few easy-to-make recipes

Dosa with a variety of chutneys

Dosas are an integral part of south Indian cuisine. They are popular in the rest of the country too. Masala dosa, a tried and tested recipe, is a popular tiffin item that tops the menu of most hotels. But dosa’s many variations — plain, stuffed, ghee, sweet, spicy — leave foodies asking for more. Making dosa is a simple process. For the perfect dosa, always soak rice and dal separately. The dosa batter should not be thick, but light. To prepare the tava or griddle, heat till it becomes very hot, sprinkle some water. It should evaporate quickly. Wipe with a soft cloth and reduce the flame. The tava should not be too hot when you spread the batter. After spreading the batter on the tava, pour a teaspoon of oil or ghee and brown the dosa evenly, to make sure that it does not stick to the tava. There are instant recipes where you don’t need to soak or grind rice and dal and yet make delicious, crunchy dosas. Dosas taste good with hot sambar and a colourful array of chutneys. You can roll them with ghee and sugar or jam to serve kids at breakfast.

Here are a few easy-to-prepare dosa recipes.

Coconut Dosa

Ingredients:

Raw rice: 3 cups

Coconut, finely grated: 1

Oil: For cooking

Salt: To taste

Method:

Wash and soak rice in water for six hours. Drain the water and grind the soaked rice. Now add coconut to this and grind again to a fine paste. Mix in salt and set aside for two hours. While making the dosa, warm the griddle, smear a few drops of oil, and put a ladleful of batter on the griddle. Tilt the griddle in a circular motion, to enable the batter to flow all around evenly. The thinner it is spread the better. Cook on a medium flame till the side in contact with the griddle turns a light golden brown. Smear the top with a little oil to facilitate browning. When done, fold to one side and then the next. Serve hot with chutney.

Rava DosaIngredients:

Rava: 5 tbsp

Rice: 5 tbsp

Ginger: 1-inch piece

Maida: 3 tbsp

Green chillies: 2

Mustard: half tbsp

Red chilli: 1

Asafoetida: A pinch

Chopped coriander leaves: 1 tbsp

Curry leaves: A few

Oil: For cooking

Salt: To taste

Method:

Mix maida and six tablespoons of water and keep it aside for six hours. Prepare batter blending rava and rice flour with sufficient water, taking care to avoid formation of lumps. Now, mince green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Add to prepared batter. Stir in maida batter and salt. Season with mustard, broken red chillies and asafoetida. Smear a half teaspoon of oil on a flat griddle; spread a ladleful of mixture on it, making sure the griddle is hot. Smear another spoonful of oil on the lacy dosa, let it brown, on a fairly hot flame. When crisp, fold and serve with chutney. For the second and subsequent dosas, it is better not to smear any oil on the griddle before pouring the batter.

Jaggery DosaIngredients:

Maida: 1 cup

Rice flour: half cup

Finely-grated coconut: half cup

Ground cardamom: 1 tspn

Finely-grated jaggery: half cup

Method:

Soak jaggery in lukewarm water till it dissolves. Then strain. Mix together the rest of the ingredients, then add the jaggery water to make a thick batter. If the batter is not of required consistency then add a little flour to it. Mix well and prepare the dosa as described previously.

Moong Dal DosaIngredients:

Moong dal: 2 cups

Small onions: 2

Green chillies: 4

Coriander leaves: 1 bunch

Oil: For cooking

Salt: To taste

Method:

Wash the dal thoroughly and soak it in water for five hours. Drain and grind it to a fine paste. Mince together the rest of the ingredients and mix it into the dal, along with salt to taste. Keep the mixture aside for at least 2 hours and then prepare the dosa. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.