Tasty paper dosa served with coconut chutney and potato masala is a foodie's delight. This recipe gives you light, crisp papery dosa similar to the one we get in restaurants.
1 tablespoon chana dal(husked and split bengal gram)
¼ teaspoon methi seeds(fenugreek seeds)
1 cup water for soaking rice
1 cup water for soaking urad dal
¼ cup water for grinding urad dal
½ cup water for grinding rice
3 tablespoons fine rava (sooji or cream of wheat)
1 teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or sea salt or regular saltor add as required
oil as required for cooking dosa
Instructions
soaking lentils and rice
Firstly take 1.5 cups regular rice (325 grams).
Rinse a couple of times and then soak in 1 cup water.
Take ½ cup urad dal (125 grams), 1 tablespoon chana dal and ¼ teaspoon methi seeds in another bowl.
Rinse a couple of times and then soak in 1 cup water for 4 to 5 hours.
Take ¼ cup thick poha (20 grams) in a small bowl.
Rinse poha once or twice with water.
Then add the rinsed poha in the rice bowl. Mix. Then cover and soak for 4 to 5 hours.
making paper dosa batter
After 4 to 5 hours, add the lentils along with the soaked water in the grinder jar. Also add ¼ cup of fresh water.
Grind the urad dal, chana dal and methi seeds till you get a batter which is light and fluffy. The urad dal has to be ground really well, so that the batter ferments well.
Remove the batter in a large bowl or pan.
Strain the rice well and drain the water. Then in the same grinder, add the soaked rice and ½ cup fresh water. You can grind rice in one batch or in two batches. This will depend on the size of the grinder jar. I ground in one batch and added ½ cup water for grinding.
Grind rice to a fine grainy consistency like that of idli rava.
Now pour the rice+poha batter in the same pan or bowl containing the urad dal batter.
Add 3 tablespoons rava and 1 teaspoon rock salt or sea salt or regular salt.
Mix the salt very well with the batter. Also mix both the batters very well. Cover and keep aside to ferment for 8 to 9 hours. You can keep for less or more time and this will depend on the temperature conditions in your city.
making paper dosa
Now lightly stir the batter, before you begin to make dosa. You will also see tiny air pockets in the batter.
Now heat a thick bottomed cast iron griddle or non stick pan. The pan should be medium hot. You can keep the flame to a low or medium while making dosas. If using an iron pan, then spread ¼ to ½ tsp oil/ghee all over the pan. Use a silicon brush or spoon or kitchen towel or onion halve to spread the oil/ghee. Do not spread oil/ghee on a non stick pan.
Do keep the flame on low to low-medium flame, so that you are easily able to spread the batter. If the pan base is very thick, then keep the flame to medium. Pour a ladle of the batter in the center.
With the ladle gently begin to spread the batter in round circles. If the pan is very hot, you won't be able to spread the batter in a round circle.
Spread the batter to a neat, round shaped thin dosa.
On a low to medium flame, begin to cook.
Let the top side get cooked.
Then with a spoon drizzle and spread some oil on the dosa. You can add less or more oil as per your requirements.
Keep cooking till you see the base becoming golden. The more the base becomes golden, the paper dosa becomes more crisp.
Now with a spatula fold the crisp paper dosa.
Serve with coconut chutney and sambar. Same way make paper dosas with the remaining batter. Leftover batter can be refrigerated and stays good for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
I recommend using a well seasoned tawa that is only used for making dosas. You can use either a non-stick tawa or a cast-iron tawa.