Authentic Dosa Recipe

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1. 1Step 1: Rinse urad dal, chana dal, and methi seeds together three times, discarding water each time. Soak in 3 cups water for 5 to 6 hours.
2. 2Step 2: Rinse rice three times and soak in 3 cups water for 5 to 6 hours. (If you have a high speed blender, you may rinse and soak them together.)
3. 3Step 3: Rinse poha and soak in ¼ cup water for 30 minutes before blending the batter.
4. 4Step 4: Drain water from dal and transfer to a blender jar. Add soaked poha and ¾ to 1 cup water (start with less). Grind to a smooth and bubbly batter. Transfer to a large bowl or an instant pot steel insert.
5. 5Step 5: Drain water from rice and add to the jar. Pour ½ cup water and blend to a smooth or slightly coarse batter.
6. 6Step 6: Transfer rice batter to the dal batter bowl and mix well. During winters, you may add sea salt and mix at this stage to help with fermentation.
7. 7Step 7: Cover the bowl loosely and ferment the batter in a warm place overnight, up to 12 hours until it rises, turns light and bubbly.
8. 8Step 8: During colder season, ferment the batter in an oven at 100°F / 40°C for 3 hours and leave it overnight with the oven light on. Alternatively, place the bowl in the instant pot or steel insert, press yogurt setting with a timer set to 8 hours (12 to 14 hours on colder days). Use an external lid, not the IP lid.
9. 9Step 9: Optional fermentation test: well fermented batter rises and increases in volume; it looks airy with plenty of tiny bubbles. Drop half a spoon into a bowl of water – if it floats, it's ready; if not, ferment longer.
10. 10Step 10: Stir the batter once. Transfer required portion to a small bowl and add salt as needed. Refrigerate the rest for up to 2 weeks.
11. 11Step 11: The fermented batter usually becomes thick; add a little water to thin it to a spreadable consistency.
12. 12Step 12: Heat a dosa tawa on medium heat. When slightly hot, add a few drops of oil and spread with a kitchen paper or a half cut onion (pierced with a fork/butter knife on the rounded side). This prevents dosas from sticking.
13. 13Step 13: Check pan readiness: sprinkle a few drops of water; if it sizzles, the pan is hot enough.
14. 14Step 14: Reduce heat to medium, stir batter with a ladle, take a ladle (¼ cup) of batter and pour in the center of the hot tawa.
15. 15Step 15: Immediately spread evenly with the base of the ladle – starting from the center, in an outward circular motion clockwise.
16. 16Step 16: Increase heat to medium-high or high and drizzle oil, ghee, or butter across the edges.
17. 17Step 17: Cook until the base turns golden and crisp. Run a thin wooden turner or spatula across the base, from edges to center.
18. 18Step 18: Optional: cook the other side – turn it over and cook for a minute, then turn again and cook the base for 30 seconds to crisp.
19. 19Step 19: Fold the dosa and remove from pan. Before making the next dosa, reduce heat to low. You can rub the cut onion and then pour the batter.
20. 20Step 20: Serve dosa with coconut chutney, potato masala, and tiffin sambar.