Instant Dosa Recipe made with a homemade Instant Dosa Mix Flour (which can be stored and used later) made with idli rava, urad dal flour, gram flour (besan) and fenugreek seeds (methi).
Heat a pan on a low to medium heat. Then lower the heat, add the urad dal. I have used organic unpolished urad dal. If using regular urad dal from the market, then rinse it a couple of times. Then spread the lentils on a plate or tray and let them dry naturally or in the sun. If keeping in the sun for a few hours, then you don't need to roast urad dal.
Roast urad dal on a low flame for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Urad dal is roasted just to get rid of some moisture from them.
Switch off the heat and then add ¼ teaspoon methi seeds. Mix well.
Keep the pan on the kitchen countertop. Also let this mixture cool completely. You can also cool this mixture on a separate plate.
In a mixing bowl take 3 cups idli rava. Keep aside.
In a grinder jar add the urad dal and methi seeds.
Grind to a fine flour.
Using a sieve, sift the flour directly in the rice rava bowl. Some urad dal grits will be there on the sieve. You can add them to your lentil recipes or discard.
Add ¼ cup gram flour.
Next add 1 teaspoon salt. You can add more salt if required. I have added less salt.
Mix very well with a spoon or a wired whisk.
Then spoon the dosa mix flour in a jar. Seal tightly with its lid. Keep in a dry and cool place. You can also freeze or refrigerate the dosa mix.
Use the instant dosa mix to make crispy dosas when required.
Making instant dosa with 1 cup of this dosa mix
Take 1 cup of dosa mix flour in a mixing bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or ¼ cup sour curd (sour yogurt). Then add 1.25 to 1.3 cups water or add as required. Mix very well.
The batter consistency is medium thick and flowing like dosa batter consistency.
Next add ½ teaspoon fruit salt or eno evenly all over the batter. Again mix very well.
Then make instant dosa on tawa or a flat skillet. Keep the heat to a low, so that you can easily spread the dosa batter. On a medium to high heat, it becomes difficult to spread the batter.
Heat a tawa or a flat skillet on a low flame or sim. Take a ladle full of the batter. Gently spread it on the tawa to a neat and round dosa.
Cover with a lid and let the dosa cook.
Let the top side get cooked first. Then spread some oil or ghee or butter on the dosa.
Continue to cook till the base is nicely golden and crisp. Flip dosa with a spatula and cook the other side.
Flip and then fold dosa and serve. Prepare all the instant dosa this way. Remember to reduce the heat when spreading the dosa batter.
Serve Instant Dosa hot with coconut chutney, sambar and potato masala. Make sure to serve the instant dosa hot as on cooling the crispy texture goes away.
Notes
Use good quality urad dal and idli rava or rice rava. They should be finely granulated and not coarse.
The instant dosa mix can be scaled easily to make for less or more quantities.
You can opt to make instant dosa straightaway my making the batter or ferment the batter for some hours. If fermenting the batter, feel free to leave out the curd or yogurt and eno/fruit salt. Simply mix the instant dosa mix with water in a bowl. Cover with lid and ferment for 4 to 5 hours or overnight or as needed.