For the love of dosa

There are good reasons to up your dose of dosas. The Indian staples are easy to digest, great with chutneys and often gluten-free.

Made with fermented batter, dosas have a distinct lightness and tang. Source: Bhavna Kalra

I grew up in a North Indian home where wheat-based breads were a part of our daily diet. Soft rotis, deep-fried puris and stuffed to-the-gill parathas were something that we ate every day. And the tiffin that I carried with me to school always had some version of this bread with any curry. However, I secretly looked forward to the lunches that my friend Preethi would generously share with me sometimes. Her mother made the softest dosas and there was always an assortment of chutneys to mop them up with.  

Dosa or dosai is a thin bread made from lentil and rice. It's often gluten-free and it's popular in India's rice-eating southern belt. Served with a variety of chutneys, a dose of dosa makes for a quick meal or snack that can be indulged at any time of the day. Unlike Western breads that use yeast as a leavening agent or the unleavened wheat-based flatbreads of North India, the dosa batter is naturally fermented, making it light and very easy to digest. This process also creates a distinctive sour taste, which makes the dosa delightfully moreish.

The sizzle of dosa batter. Source: Bhavna Kalra

According to food historian K T Achaya, dosa was first noted in Tamil Sangam literature in the sixth century and the earlier varieties were predominantly made with rice. However, at some stage, the soaked and ground paste of urad dal and other lentils was added to the rice paste to not only help with the fermentation but also add more nutrition to the carb-heavy bread.

There are many kinds of dosas and their thickness varies in South India's different states. Rice can be replaced by other ingredients – you can use soybeans instead of urad dal and some dosas don’t require any fermentation. Here are some popular varieties.

Light and lacy dosas with condiments. Source: Bhavna Kalra

Plain dosa

The batter can be made with rice or millet and lentils. A popular version of this dosa uses mashed potatoes as a filling and is known as masala dosa.

Oothapam/Uthappam

This is a thicker version of dosa, with finely chopped veggies added as a topping.

Neer dosa

It literally means water dosa, because the rice-only batter is very runny and water-like – in contrast to other dosa varieties.

Rava dosa

The batter is made with semolina instead of the conventional blend of rice and lentils.

Adai

The batter is formed from a mix of different lentils and rice.

Pesarattu

Instead of urad dal, which is typically used to make other types of dosas, this lentil-based batter is produced with green gram (which is also known as moong/mung beans or dal).

Traditionally, dosa is made with a wet grinder: it grinds the rice and pulses into a coarse batter without raising the mixture's temperature – allowing the bacteria to thrive so the fermentation magic can happen. However, here in Sydney, I resort to using my Nutri Ninja blender instead and some days, when I am desperate, I buy ready-made batter that can be easily found in the fridge aisle of Indian supermarkets.

This process also creates a distinctive sour taste, which makes the dosa delightfully moreish.

The key to perfecting dosa is getting the texture of the batter right, which must be thick enough to spread evenly on the pan and cook quickly. Of all the dosa recipes out there, my favourite is pesarattu or green moong dal dosa. Unlike regular dosa, which needs to be fermented, pesarattu batter takes very little time and effort, which is always a win in my books. You can add some chopped onions to the dosa to give it crunch. Serve it with your favourite chutney and you will be glad you made it.

 

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Green moong dal dosa (pesarattu)

Makes 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole green moong dal
• 2 tbsp plain uncooked rice
• 1 piece ginger (2.5cm long)
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee or oil (try vegetable, peanut or gingelly for a vegan alternative), to drizzle on the dosa
• 1 large onion, finely chopped

Method

1. Add the dal and rice to a large bowl and fill with water so the ingredients are submerged completely. Soak for 4–6 hours.
2. Drain the ingredients, then add the rice and dal to a blender with the ginger, green chillies and cumin seeds. Add salt and 1 tbsp of water and grind for 2-5 minutes. The consistency of the batter must be thick and not watery. If required, add 1 tbsp of water at a time, during the grinding process, to achieve this consistency.
   
3. Place a cast-iron pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle water onto the pan and wipe it clean. Dip the ladle into the batter, fill the ladle and pour the batter in the middle of the pan. Using the back of the ladle, spread the batter onto the pan as thinly as possible.
4. Reduce the heat to low and sprinkle a handful of chopped onions on top and drizzle a little ghee or oil. Cook until golden brown spots start to appear on the surface (around two minutes) and then gently remove the dosa from the pan and serve.
5. Repeat this for the rest of the batter.

Note
• The batter can be refrigerated for up to three days.