Masala Dosa

Template:Recipe | Indian Cuisine

A dosa is a thin, crispy crepe made from fermented rice, very popular both at home and in restaurants in South India. It may be served plain with chutneys such as coconut chutney, sambar, curry or gravy or with alu masala folded inside; this latter dish is known as masala dosa. To make omlette dosa, simply pour beaten egg on the dosa before it is turned over.

Ingredients

• 3 cups white rice
• 1 cup black gram dhal
• handful of cooked rice (if required)
• pinch of sugar (if desired)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure

Batter

1. Put the rice and dhal in a large pot and wash twice.
2. Fill with water until submerged by 2 inches.
3. Soak for 6 hours.
4. Grind in an electric grinder, water and all, for 30 minutes. If the weather is cold, grind in a handful of rice and a pinch of sugar to help in fermentation.
5. Let ferment overnight in a warm place. Make sure the pot is twice as large as the amount of batter, as it will rise a great deal.
6. Add salt; at this point the batter can be kept in the refridgerator for more than a week until you wish to fry the dosas.

Dosas

1. Heat a large flat nonstick pan over a high flame.
2. Sprinkle water on the pan to cool it a little.
3. Pour ½–¾ cup batter in the middle of the pan, depending on preferred thickness and crispiness.
4. Spread the batter with the back of a spoon, starting from the centre and spiraling outwards until the dosa is about 10 inches across and very thin.
5. Sprinkle a little oil around the edges of the dosa.
6. Cover until the dosa shows brown through the thinnest parts. Fold in half and remove with a metal spatula.

Makes 10–15.