Jini Dosa

Jini dosa recipe with step by step pics. This popular dosa variety tastes simply delicious and the one that you will find in many popular khau gullies (food alleys) and bustling streets of Mumbai in Maharashtra.

In jini dosa a stuffing of mix veggies like cabbage, carrots, capsicum is semi-cooked in schezwan sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and a few Indian spice blends. Grated cheese is also added.

The end result is a yummy, crispy, cheesy jini dosa with spicy, sour, sweet taste along with the crunchiness of the veggies. The taste of cheese is distinctly felt and goes very well with the vegetables.

I had first tried this particular dosa variety in the Ghatkopar area in Mumbai along with my usual favorite Masala Dosa. To my surprise, I found myself asking for another portion of the Jini Dosa right there over the masala dosa.

Since then, I had decided that I will try and have a recipe of my own, so that I can enjoy this dish at home, whenever I want.

Being South Indian, my love for Idli and Dosa will never fade. Being a Mumbaikar, my love for Mumbai street food will always be there. They say you can take a Mumbaikar outside Mumbai, but you cannot take away Mumbai out of him or her.

No wonder I try various varieties of idli and dosa recipes and no wonder I also make different types of Mumbai street food snacks for myself and family.

I make jini dosa two ways. In the first method I add potato masala or sometimes just mashed potatoes along with the other veggies.

In the second method, I just add chopped veggies. In this method I am sharing the easier version of just adding chopped veggies in the stuffing.

To make jini dosa, you can use leftover Dosa batter or Idli batter. I had made idlis previous day and then used the same batter to make dosa.

You can always add less or more of the sauces as per your requirements in the recipe. I have used cabbage, carrots and capsicum for the veggie filling. Cabbage can be skipped if you want. You can also use beetroot. Veggies can also be added less or more in the dosa. Even spring onions can be added.

Always serve jini dosa hot with coconut chutney. They taste best when served hot.

How to make Jini Dosa

1. Firstly grate, shred or finely chop veggies. You will need ⅓ cup chopped onions, ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum, ½ cup finely chopped cabbage, ½ cup grated or finely chopped carrots, ¾ cup finely chopped tomatoes and 1/3 cup finely chopped coriander leaves or spring onion greens or half-half of both.

You can skip cabbage if you want. Also you will need about 3 cups of dosa batter.

2. Now heat an iron tawa or a pan. Dip a paper napkin or half of an onion in oil and spread the oil all around on the tawa. Please use a heavy iron pan as this dosa takes more time to cook.

3. Keep the tawa on a low heat. Then take a ladle full of the batter.

4. Begin to spread the batter in a circle.

5. Spread to a neat round circle.

6. On a low heat cook the dosa.

7. Cook till the top looks cooked.

8. As soon as the top portion looks cooked, add 1 tablespoon each of chopped cabbage and carrots.

9. Then add 1 tablespoon each of chopped onions, capsicum, tomatoes and coriander leaves.

10. Next add ½ to 1 tablespoon of butter.

11. Next add ½ tablespoon schezwan sauce, ½ tablespoon tomato ketchup and ½ tablespoon red chilli sauce (optional).

Instead of schezwan sauce, you can also use sriracha sauce.

12. Next add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder. You can also use pav bhaji masala powder instead of garam masala powder.

13. With a spatula or a potato masher, mix everything.

14. Spread the mixture on the center of the dosa.

15. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Do keep the heat to a low or sim.

16. Remove the lid.

17. Now again with the spatula, spread the entire filling mixture on the entire dosa.

Serving jini dosa

18. Begin to cut the jini dosa with a knife, steel spatula (palta) or pizza cutter. Since the dosa is cut directly on tawa, an iron tawa works best.

If you do not have an iron tawa, then at step 22 below, you can just roll the whole dosa. Take it in a steel plate or a chopping tray and then cut the dosa with knife.

19. You can cut in three to four parts.

20. Now using a grater, directly grate cheese on top of the dosa.

21. Grate cheese all over and cook jini dosa for some seconds. You can add less or more cheese as required. You can use processed cheese, cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese or even pizza cheese.

22. Then roll each part that was cut into a neat roll.

23. Serve the jini dosa rolls with coconut chutney. You can sprinkle some grated cheese, chopped coriander leaves and chopped spring onions on top of the cheese jini dosa rolls while serving.

Make all jini dosa this way and serve them hot.

This Jini Dosa post from the archives first published in November 2017 has been republished and updated on December 2022.