Dosa is a pancake made with a batter that has been fermented. It originates from South India and is one of the most popular street foods in the country. There are food vendors specialising in dosa and people enjoy this delicious vegan pancake with various fillings from vegan to non-vegan. It is eaten for breakfast on the go or as a snack or with a healthy dose of accompaniments it will make a meal on it's own!
The fermentation process gives the batter a delicious sour and savoury taste and if you get the technique right you will produce a delicious crisp pancake ready to be enjoyed with various fillings or dips.
The fermentation process makes the base ingredients easy to digest and bioavailable to the body.
1 Cup starchy rice
1/2 cup Urad dal
1/8 Tsp Fenugreek seeds
Salt
Oil or Ghee to cook with
Non-stick pan
Wash the rice and lentils, put them in separate containers and let them soak in filtered water overnight of for 6 hours.
Next day grind the lentils and rice separately with just enough of the soaking water to produce a smooth and frothy pure. Mix both together, cover and let ferment for 12 hours or overnight in a warm place. If your house is cold (like mine in the winter) you can sit the mix on top of a yoghurt maker for warmth to help with the fermentation process.
After the mix has fermented, you will see it will contain baubles and may have risen or doubled in size. Season it with salt, correct consistency with more water if needed. Aim for single cream, rather than double cream as a guide for thickness. You may need to fry up a couple of dosa's to check if it works for you! I recommend a mix that spreads easily on your pan that holds it's shape and produces and nice thin pancake or crepe.
Once the mix is ready, heat the pan on medium heat add a sprinkle of oil and pour in about 1/4 cup (60ml) of batter or less. Once in the pan start swirling the batter with the back of a ladle to increase the circumference, and to keep the pancake thin. After this sprinkle the dosa with some oil ontop as well as around the edges. This step is important as it will help the dosa crips up.
Once the dosa is crisp and the heat has penetrated through the batter you can roll up your dosa and serve it.
Another great option is to serve as Masa Dosa. Simply fill the dosa with some Masala Potato and fold over. Cut in half and serve!
Accompany your dosa with chutneys, pickles or Currys of choice! lt is a delicious dish to be enjoyed. See below for some serving suggestions.
If you don't use up all of your dosa batter. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
