Masala Dosa
A fermented rice and lentil batter spread thin on a hot griddle, wrapped around spiced potato. The fermentation takes a day and does all the work.
- Prep
- 40m
- Cook
- 30m
- Waiting
- 20h
- Total
- 21h 10m
- Serves
- 10 dosas
- Effort
- Involved
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 1 cup | Soak 6 hours, then drain 6h | Grind to a smooth, aerated batter 10m | Combine both batters with the salt and mix by hand 5m By hand — the warmth and the microbes on your skin genuinely help it along. | Ferment at warm room temperature 8–12 hours 10h Ready when it has risen and smells pleasantly sour. In a cold kitchen, use the oven with the light on. | Spread thin on a hot griddle, fill and fold 30m Pour a ladleful in the centre and spiral outwards. The first one always fails. | |
| 1 tsp | ||||||
| 3 cups | Soak 6 hours, then drain 6h | Grind to a slightly grainy batter 10m | ||||
| 2 tsp | ||||||
| as needed | ||||||
| 2 tbsp | Temper the spices 4m | Cook until soft and combined 20m | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||||
| 1 tsp | ||||||
| a sprig | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 700 g | ||||||
| 1 tsp | ||||||
| 1 1/2 tsp | ||||||
| for the griddle | ||||||
-
Soak 6 hours, then drain
6h- urad dal 1 cup
- fenugreek seeds 1 tsp
-
Grind to a smooth, aerated batter
10m- from 1 Soak 6 hours, then drain
-
Soak 6 hours, then drain
6h- parboiled rice 3 cups
-
Grind to a slightly grainy batter
10m- from 3 Soak 6 hours, then drain
-
Combine both batters with the salt and mix by hand
5m- from 2 Grind to a smooth, aerated batter
- from 4 Grind to a slightly grainy batter
- salt 2 tsp
By hand — the warmth and the microbes on your skin genuinely help it along.
-
Ferment at warm room temperature 8–12 hours
10h- from 5 Combine both batters with the salt and mix by hand
- water as needed
Ready when it has risen and smells pleasantly sour. In a cold kitchen, use the oven with the light on.
-
Temper the spices
4m- oil 2 tbsp
- mustard seeds 1 tsp
- urad dal 1 tsp
- curry leaves a sprig
- onions 2
- green chillies 2
-
Cook until soft and combined
20m- from 7 Temper the spices
- boiled potatoes 700 g
- ground turmeric 1 tsp
- salt 1 1/2 tsp
-
Spread thin on a hot griddle, fill and fold
30m- from 6 Ferment at warm room temperature 8–12 hours
- from 8 Cook until soft and combined
- ghee or oil for the griddle
Pour a ladleful in the centre and spiral outwards. The first one always fails.
What fermentation is doing
Wild lactic acid bacteria and yeasts on the rice and dal go to work overnight, producing carbon dioxide that aerates the batter and acids that give a dosa its sour edge. Urad dal also contributes proteins that trap that gas. Skip the fermentation and you have a rice pancake — edible, but not a dosa.
Notes
- Rice and dal ground separately, to different textures. It matters: dal should be fluffy, rice slightly grainy.
- The pan is right when a flick of water skitters and evaporates. Too hot and the batter seizes before it spreads.
- Leftover batter keeps five days in the fridge and gets more sour each day.