Plain Dosas
- Prepare some idli/dosa batter at least 1 day in advance.
- Add some oil to your pan (we use coconut oil) and heat to medium.
- Use a ladle and scoop out some batter and spread it around the pan (I make mine thick more like a pancake, my husband makes his thin – like a traditional thin paper dosa)
- Cook until tan/brown on the bottom.
- Flip and cook until done.
- Serve hot and eat with some masala, curry, chutney, or just plain!
Dosas are another delicious food popular in south India and frequently requested by my toddler. You use the same batter that you make for idlis. For instructions on how to make the batter see my idli recipe. Once the dough is ready you make dosas by frying the batter instead of steaming. They are sort of like a cross between pancakes and tortillas.
In our house, we use a cast iron skillet for cooking dosas, but in India, they have special “dosa pans.” You can use any frying pan. The traditional dosa is made very thin – like paper. In fact, when you order at restaurants in India you’ll get a “paper dosa” – a thin long dosa (often filled with masala – a mixture of potatoes and spices). My husband loves the thin dosas and I like to make them a bit thicker – like a tortilla or pancake.
Here are a few simple ways to quickly and easily spice up your dosas without having to make a curry, sambar, or chutney.
- Shred some carrot and sprinkle on top during step 3 (while the first side is cooking). Yum!
- Add shredded coconut during step 3.
- Cut tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, ground pepper, salt, coriander leaves. Mix together and sprinkle on top during step 3 (we call this our “salsa dosa” – super yummy!)
- Crack an egg on top during step 3. Flip and cook to make an “egg dosa”.
- Add chopped onions on top during step 3 for an onion dosa.
- Add podi on top for a “podi dosa” (more details about podi dosa in an upcoming post).
Yum! Writing all this makes me want to go and eat a dosa!
