Dosa recipe, Learn how to make dosa batter at home. This is a detailed post that will guide you to make dosas of all kinds – soft, crispy, restaurant style, home style and healthy dosas. No matter you are a beginner or an experienced cook the tips & tricks mentioned in this post will help you to master the techniques of making the best South Indian dosa.
If you are new to South Indian cuisine, then read on to know more
What is dosa?
Dosa is a popular South Indian thin crepe made with fermented rice and lentil batter. History of dosa says that they were made using only rice but with the passage of time, people started to add urad dal / black lentils to give texture and taste.
Dosas became very popular with the rise of udupi restaurants which serve the best dosa varieties – plain, set and masala dosa.
How can I make dosa at home?
Dosa is made by soaking and blending black gram lentils (urad dal) and rice to a batter. Then the fermented batter is spread like a crepe on a hot griddle or tawa.
Is dosa healthy?
Yes Dosa is a healthy protein rich breakfast. Urad dal is high in protein & calcium. It makes a great food to start our day.
I consider it to be one of the best health foods that can nourish our body so I try to keep the ratio of urad dal more & rice to minimum or only as needed without compromising the taste and crispness.
Idli and dosas are made regularly at my home for breakfast and sometimes even for dinner. There are so many kinds of dosas one get to find on a tiffin or a fast food center menu.
Dosas can be made with so many different ratios of rice and urad dal. I am sharing 4 recipes here on this post which I follow. You may experiment with any of these dosa recipes to suit your taste or dietary need.
Blender or a wet grinder – which is better?
I do not use a wet grinder though I have one since I personally do not prefer the cleaning and lifting the stone works. Years ago we used to have frequent guests home from India, So we used to make batter once in a week.
It is a good deal to have and use a wet grinder if you have many people at home to eat idli dosa frequently. For the past 6 years I am happy with my mixer grinder (blender) though we are a family of 4 and make dosas at least 3 times a week.
The batter rises very well even when ground in the mixer if it is a good one and doesn’t make your batter warm while grinding.
However I have shared making batter in a wet grinder and also in a blender. All the ratios shared in this dosa recipe post will work even if making batter in a wet grinder.
Which kind of rice is suitable for dosa?
There are many kinds of rice available in the market. All the recipes posted here have been tried with raw rice, idli rice and parboiled rice. But you will get the best results with raw rice. Even a combination of the raw rice & parboiled rice gives good results.
The results with parboiled rice are not the same always. It depends mostly on the weather conditions.
Please note that all parboiled rice are not suitable. Only short grain like ponni or sona masuri have worked out well for me.
So overall you need to experiment to see which rice works well for you.
When to add salt?
When to add salt to dosa batter? while grinding, before fermenting or after fermenting is one of the most common question.
This you will have to experiment and check what works good for you. Since this depends on the climatic conditions and the water used to blend the batter.
In cool places or cold countries, batter takes long hours to ferment without the addition of non-iodized salt. When kept for long hours the batter may turn smelly.
So to avoid the smell it is good to add a non-iodized salt like rock salt or sea salt before fermentation. These salts assist in quick fermentation.
But in hot places and hot season, it is good to add salt just before making the dosas i.e after fermentation else the batter turns sour and smelly.
In India most people add salt after fermentation unless living in cool places like Bangalore. Taste wise yes there is a difference in adding before and after. So please experiment what works good for you.
Avoid iodized salt by all means if you are adding it before fermentation as it prevents the batter from fermenting.
For more dosa recipes, you can also check
Instant Wheat flour dosas
Set dose
Pesarattu
Cheese dosa
Oats dosa
Ragi dose
Jowar dosas
Recipe 1 – Crispy dosa recipe
This recipe yields one of the best tasting brown & crispy dosa. This batter can be used to make masala dosa, crispy plain dosas, uttapam, masala paniyaram and sweet paniyaram. I follow this recipe the most for my regular breakfast.
The masala dosa shown in the first pic is made using this recipe. It can be served with any Chutney, potato masala or Tiffin sambar.
Typically most proportions yield red to brown color dosa only when made on cast iron tawa, but this dosa recipe yields brown crispy dosas even when made on non-stick.
Preparation for making dosa batter
Recipe 1
1. Add ½ cup urad dal (skinned black whole lentils), 2 tablespoon chana dal (bengal gram) and ½ teaspoon methi seeds to a large pot.
2. Add 1½ cups rice to another pot.
3. Rinse dals thoroughly a few times and soak in lots of water for 4 hours. During cold weather they can be soaked up to 6 hours or even overnight.
4. Rinse rice too a few times until the water runs clear. Soak in enough water for 4 hours. Same here as well, during cold weather they can be soaked up to 6 hours or even overnight.
5. 30 mins before blending the batter, rinse and soak 2 tablespoons poha with ¼ cup water for 30 mins.
Make dosa batter for crispy dosa recipe
6. Add soaked poha to the grinder jar or container first. Drain the water completely from dals and add them along with ½ teaspoon non-iodized salt and ¾ cup water.
You can also try skipping salt during summer, add it the next morning when you are about to make dosas. It will still ferment well without salt. I use salt when I grind the dal otherwise my batter doesn’t ferment well.
7. Blend until smooth, frothy and bubbly. If needed add more water. I add another 2 to 4 tablespoons water. But do not make it thin or runny. It must be a thick batter yet of pouring consistency. (Check video for consistency)
8. Transfer the batter to a a large pot or bowl. Drain rice completely and add to the blender jar. Pour ½ cup water. I use another 2 tbsps more.
9. Blend to a smooth batter.
10. Add the rice batter to the urad dal batter. Mix both of them well with your hand. The warmth in the hand is said to help in fermentation. The prepared batter must be of pouring consistency yet thick and not runny.
If it is too thick you may pour some water at this stage and mix. Thick batter won’t ferment well. If it is slightly runny, it is still fine. (check video for consistency)
When I double the recipe, I use 2 glass or ceramic pot to ferment and refrigerate the dosa batter. I divide and distribute the batter to 2 pots. Undisturbed batter stays good in refrigerator for longer without going sour.
How to ferment dosa batter
11. Cover the pot and ferment it in a warm place until the batter rises and turns bubbly. If you live in a warm region, then you can just keep it on the counter overnight. It may take anywhere from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
To ferment in colder regions, preheat the oven at the lowest setting (140 F or 60 C) for 10 mins. Turn off the oven and keep the dosa batter inside with the oven light ON. You can also use your instant pot to ferment with the yogurt settings. Use an external lid and not the IP lid. I ferment for only 7 to 8 hours in the oven & IP.
12. When I made this, I had to ferment for 16 hours in a closed kitchen cabinet. When properly fermented, the batter raises and turns light, fluffy with lots of pores & bubbles. The batter was half of the bowl before fermentation. It rose a little over ¾ of the same bowl.
Fermentation test: To check, drop half a spoon of this batter into a bowl filled with water. Well fermented batter will float & not sink.
13.This is a closeup shot of how the batter looks after fermentation. For a good fermentation 4 things matter the most – quality of dal, non iodized salt, temperature and the consistency of the batter. You can find more tips & tricks for fermentation on the soft idli post which I shared earlier.
14. Do not over ferment the dosa batter as it turns sour and the batter is not so good to spread on the griddle. This is a picture of over fermented batter just for your reference.
15. Once your dosa batter is well fermented, keep it in the refrigerator.
How to make dosa
16. The batter will be thick after fermentation. Transfer the required portion to a mixing bowl. Pour little water as needed to make it of a pourable and spreading consistency. (please check video for consistency).
17. Add few drops of oil to a griddle or pan. Rub well with a kitchen tissue or cloth until the oil is absorbed. Make sure there is no excess oil on the pan. You can also use a slice of onion to rub the oil.
18. Heat the pan on a medium high heat. You can sprinkle few drops of water and check if it is hot and ready. It will sizzle immediately. Do not sprinkle water often on a hot non stick tawa that’s going to wear out even the best non stick coating.
19. When the pan is hot enough, regulate the heat to medium. Stir the batter in the bowl and pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the pan.
20. Immediately begin to spread it evenly starting from the center in a circular way in clockwise direction to make a thin crepe.
Troubleshooting tip: If you are unable to spread the batter because it got stuck on the pan, this means either the pan is too hot or the batter is too thick. Reduce the flame and cool down the pan slightly. If that doesn’t work then pour little more water to your batter to bring to right consistency.
21. Keep spreading it from the center making circles till you reach the edges.
22. Regulate the heat to slightly high and let it cook for a minute then add oil or butter towards the edges. The edges of the dosa will begin to leave/ come off the pan when done.
23. When it turns golden or brown on the base, flip it and cook if you like. Not all dosas require cooking on the other side, if needed you can cook. Since I made the masala dosa, I used this potato masala for filling. Plain dosa is most commonly served with coconut chutney.
Recipe 2 – Soft idli & crispy dosa batter recipe (2-in-1 batter)
These ratios yield good crispy as well as soft dosas and can be used to make soft idlis as well. Just mixing the batter matters. A runny batter yields soft dosas. Making with moderately thick batter, but of spreadable consistency yield crispy dosas.
This can also be used to make masala dosa, paniyaram, uttapam and also soft idli. The only difference from the first recipe is the color. These do not turn as red or brown like the other one but will be golden.
If you like to make your idli and dosa batter in one go in the same blender or wet grinder, then this may be for you.
Ingredients
½ cup whole skinned urad dal
1 ½ cups rice for blender – 2 cups for wet grinder
½ tsp methi seeds
2 tbsp poha (flattened rice) (substitute ¼ tsp methi seeds)
Non iodized Salt as needed
Recipe 3 – Restaurant style crispy masala dosa
If you have ever wondered how dosas made in restaurant or tiffin centers turn out so flavorful, crisp and delicious, then you will have to put in little more effort and try this karnataka restaurant style masala dosa. These are very aromatic and unique.
Recipe 4 – Sada dosa recipe
This batter can also be used for idli if the quality of urad dal is very good. Aged dal or dal from old harvest won’t work here.
These ratios yield good crispy as well as soft dosas. Just mixing the batter matters here as well. A runny batter yields soft dosas. Making with moderately thick batter, but of spreadable consistency yield crispy dosas.
This can also be used to make idli, paniyaram, uttapam. This dosa batter recipe needs just 3 ingredients
Ingredients
½ cup whole urad dhal
1 ½ cup rice
Non-iodized or crystal salt as needed
Recipe 5 – Healthy plain dosa recipe
Healthy, high protein and high calcium dosa. These are made in most telugu speaking homes. Great food for all, including folks recovering from illness, kids and babies above 9 months and even for under nourished.
I make this sometimes when the hubby asks for it since he loves the flavor.These have a unique flavor & taste of urad dal. If you like it, you may not look for any other recipe.
They must be served right out of the pan as they turn lightly crisp, not as crisp as the other recipes I have shared in this post.
I highly recommend this, if you have babies & kids at home (especially underweight kids). Also good for those looking for high calcium foods and even for breastfeeding mothers.
Ingredients
Half cup whole urad dal
1 cup rice
Related Recipes
Dosa recipe | How to make dosa batter
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
Recipe 1 – Ingredients for crispy dosa
- ½ cup urad dal (or whole skinned black gram)
- ¾ to 1 cup water (to blend dal)
- 1½ cups rice (Refer notes)
- ½ cup water (to blend rice, may need 2 tbsps more)
- 2 tablespoon chana dal (bengal gram)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) (optional)
- 2 tablespoon poha (flattened rice)
- ½ teaspoon rock salt (or non iodized salt or crystal salt)
Recipe 2 – Idli & dosa batter (2-in-1)
- ½ cup whole urad dal (skinned whole black gram)
- ¾ to 1 cup water (to blend dal)
- 1½ cup rice (refer notes)
- ½ cup water (to blend rice, may need 2 tbsps more)
- ½ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds) (makes dosas golden)
- 2 tablespoons poha (flattened rice, or substitute ¼ teaspoon methi seeds)
- ½ teaspoon rock salt (or non iodized salt or crystal salt)
Instructions
Preparation
- Firstly add urad dal, chana dal & methi seeds to a large bowl. Rinse them very well several times and discard the water. Soak them together in enough fresh water for 4 to 5 hours.
- Next add rice to another bowl and rinse a few times. Pour fresh water and soak in ample water for 4 to 5 hours.
How to make dosa batter
- Soak poha in ¼ cup water 30 mins before blending the batter.
- Drain the water from the dal & methi. Add them to a blender jar along with salt, soaked poha and ¾ cup water. You can also skip salt at this stage if you live in a hot region. Add it to the batter just before you make dosas.
- Grind to a smooth batter until smooth & bubbly or frothy. If needed add more water about 2 to 4 tbsps. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny. Transfer this to a large pot.
- Drain the water completely from rice & add it to the jar. Then pour ½ cup water.
- Blend to a smooth or slightly coarse batter. It will be of thick pouring consistency and not very runny.
- Pour this to the urad dal batter and mix well both of them well with your clean hand. Warmth in the hand will help in fermentation. The consistency should not be too thick & too runny otherwise the batter will not ferment. (Check video to understand the consistency)
Fermenting dosa batter
- Cover the pot and ferment it in a warm place until the batter rises and turns bubbly. If you live in a warm region, then you can just keep it on the counter overnight. It may take anywhere from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
- To ferment in colder regions, preheat the oven at the lowest setting (140 F or 60 C) for 10 mins. Turn off the oven and keep the dosa batter inside with the oven light ON. You can also use your instant pot to ferment with the yogurt settings. Use an external lid and not the IP lid. I ferment for only 7 to 8 hours in the oven & IP.
- Check if properly fermented: Well fermented dosa batter will rise & increase in volume. It will be frothy and bubbly. To check, drop half a spoon of this batter into a bowl filled with water. Well fermented batter will float & not sink.
- Stir the dosa batter once. Transfer a portion of this to another small bowl to make dosas. Refrigerate the rest for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
- The fermented batter usually becomes thick, so add little water good enough to thin it down. At this stage it has to be of a pouring consistency yet thick. (check video)
- If making masala dosa, you will have to make this potato masala or any chutney from here.
How to make dosa
- Grease a dosa pan or tawa with few drops of oil. You can also rub the oil with a slice of onion. This prevents the dosas from sticking to the pan.
- Heat it until hot enough. To check you can sprinkle little water over then pan. If it is ready it will sizzle.
- Stir the batter well in the bowl. Take a ladle full of dosa batter & pour on the center of the hot griddle/ tawa.
- Immediately begin to spread it evenly starting from the center in a circular motion in clockwise direction to make a thin crepe.
- Increase the heat to slightly high and let it cook for a minute then add oil or butter towards the edges.
- The edges of the dosa will begin to leave/ come off the pan when done. Continue to toast until the dosa turns golden and crisp.
- Not all dosas need to be cooked on the other side. Only thicker ones need. If you wish to cook on the other side, flip it when the edges begin to rise from the pan. Cook on the other side of the dosa. Then flip back and toast until the base becomes crisp & golden.
- Before making the next dosa, reduce the heat to low. You can also rub with the cut onion and then pour the batter.
- Serve dosa with coconut chutney, potato masala & tiffin sambar.
Notes
Notes for dosa recipe
- What kind of rice to use?
The taste & texture of the dosa depends on the kind of rice used. Here are my latest updates:
You can use 1½ cups regular rice like sona masuri or ponni.
You can also use 1 cup regular rice and ½ cup parboiled rice or idly rice.
You can also use ¾ cup raw rice and ¾ cup parboiled rice or idly rice.
Experiment with the above proportions and find what works for you the best in terms of taste and texture. - I have shared troubleshooting tips along with the step-by-step photo instructions. If you are a beginner, you may follow that.
- The actual amount of water needed to make the batter depends on the kind of urad dal and soaking time. If you soak them longer, you will need lesser water.
- To make the batter in wet grinder, Soak the methi seeds separately. First add the soaked methi seeds to the wet grinder container. Begin to grind sprinkling water little by little. After sometime it will become fluffy, thick and frothy. Then add the urad dal and poha blend until fluffy. Followed by rice. If your wet grinder does a very good job, then you can also add dal, rice and poha together.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Purvi says
Hello! Thank you for all the details and tips and tricks. Super helpful. I am planning on using a Vitamix to grind the batter. Another video said to grind urad dal on speed 10 for 60 secs and grind rice on speed 7 for 45 secs. Can anyone suggest if this will work?
swasthi says
Hello Purvi
It depends on the quantity of the rice and dal. If the video says so it should be right. Just go by the texture of the batter so you don’t go wrong.
Swathi says
How many dosas can be made from your recipe of 11/2 cups rice and 1/2 cup urad dal?
swasthi says
Hi Swathi,
You will get around 12 to 14 depending on the size. It’s mentioned in the recipe card
Akhila says
Hi,what is the Bengal gram added for? What is it s exact purpose in the dosa recipe
swasthi says
Hi Akhila
It gives a unique flavor and deep golden color
ASHWANI AGGARWAL says
hello
for dosa, urad dal and rice are soaked separetely , it’ o.k
but before grinding, can we mixed together for grinding, because dal is in low quantity {some grinded dal is waste in grinder}
pls. let me clearthanx
swasthi says
Hi,
Yes you can grind dal and little rice together just to help dal blend well. We do them separately because dal has to be smooth, frothy and well blended so it ferments well. But rice can be slightly coarse & don’t need to blend longer.
Gauri says
Hi Swasthi.. followed this recipe for new year eve dinner.. the dosas came out superb! Also made the sambar powder as I didn’t have the store brought one. The batter fermentation took a little longer due to cold region I live in. But finally it did in oven though I had to pre heat it a few times as it used to get cool soon. Love the way you detail the steps. You already have the answer in next line to the question reader may have in mind 🙂
Keep posting..
swasthi says
Hello Gauri,
So happy to know! Thank you so much for trying and sharing the outcome.
🙂
Lynn stevenson says
Hi Swashti,
Thank you for this dosa recipe! I did my best with it and the rice and dal mix did ferment. However, when I tried to make the dosa, the batter stuck to the spoon instead of spreading in the pan. I tried spreading the batter with a plastic and a metal spoon but in both cases the batter stuck to the spoon and would not spread. The batter was of a pouring consistency. I used a non-stick pan. Any idea why this is happening?
Kind regards
Lynn
swasthi says
Hi Lynn
Welcome! Please take a look at my video. I feel it is still the consistency. If you think your batter is of the same consistency as seen in the video then the other reasons could be overfermentation or the kind of rice.
To fix, just sprinkle some water and stir the batter continuously with a spoon until it deflates a bit. If the batter is too airy it will get stuck to the spoon. Hope this helps.
Tim says
Dear Swasthi,
I made this yesterday for the first time. I soaked overnight and then ground the dal and rice. All good, but then nothing much happened overnight and I left at our room temp (Bristol in Uk in Nov!) for the rest of the day and only then did I get the frothing. I put it into the fridge overnight which seemed to hold it at that stage.
It seemed to work and my expert friends said it was as good as any they’d had.
So my observation is that it can be significantly slower (at least to “get started”) than the basic recipe – quite temp dependent? Fair comment?
And, secondly, I wonder how long it takes to go over and become sour? And, can you smell that on the batter, so you then know when it is no good. It seems to “hold” well in the fridge.
Excellent recipe and site. Many thanks for what you’ve done here. Tim
swasthi says
Hello Tim,
Glad to know the recipe worked well. Yes it is temperature dependent. To speed up the fermentation if possible you may try using dechlorinated water for grinding.
The cultures in the fermented batter continue to grow even during refrigeration. If it over ferments it smells sour & sometimes an yellow layer forms on top. It is unlikely to go sour before 7 to 8 days considering the temperature in your place.
We usually make pancakes with over fermented batter. You may check the recipe here – Uttapam recipe. veggies are used to neutralize the sour taste. Hope this helps.
Tim says
Hello Swasthi,
MAny thanks for the reply. I make sourdough bread and this is not unrelated. One other question, and this certainly applies to sourdough, can it “overferment”. I gave half of the batter to some Indian friends (who used it immediately and approved it!) but I left ours for a day plus more in the fridge and the batter didn’t work as well…… it was more “bubbly” and didn’t “hold together” in the pan as well as it did initially. So my suspicion is it was over fermented. I will give the dechlorinated water a go. Maybe fresh rain water…..we have lots of that! I liked your point about iodinated salt!
swasthi says
Hello Tim,
Yes it can overferment.
Yes the batter may have overfermented. This happens with me as well when I use more parboiled rice or use only parboiled rice. So I think the kind of rice can be the cause. Dosa batter is best made with raw rice or a combination of raw rice & parboilied rice. (the proportion of parboiled rice has to be lesser). I think you should try with rice that is labeled as raw rice. Experiment in smaller quantities with different brands until you find something that works well for you. Hope this helps
Lipika says
Hi Swasthi
I will try this recipe for the first time. Never tried making dosa before. Will follow your recipe. Just wanted to know I stay in quite warm & humid place. Temperature is around 29 to 30° celcius and humidity quite high 79 to 84%. In such warm condition can i keep the batter overnight for fermentation? Will it not turn sour? Or can i blend it by night 11.30 pm and then keep it till morning 7 or 7.30am?
swasthi says
Hi Lipika,
You can blend it by 9 pm and it should be ready by 7 am without turning sour. Since this is your first try, you may adjust the fermentation time in your subsequent trials. For dosas even less fermented batter is just fine but some amount of fermentation & rising should happen otherwise they will come out hard. Hope this helps.
Kruthika says
Hi swathi, I have putted the soaked water for grinded does it makes the batter bad
swasthi says
Hi Kruthika
Soaked water sometimes makes the batter sour within a few days especially in warm/hot climates.
Kasturie says
Hi Swasthi can i use ready made flours.
swasthi says
Hi Kasturie
Yes you can use 1:4 urad flour:rice flour.
Use fine flour.
Kausar says
Can we soak dals and rice together in one container and grind together as well….. Will it make any difference?
swasthi says
Yes you can if you have a good blender with a large jar. I prefer to blend dal until frothy and rice to slightly coarse texture. So I do it separately.
Krishna says
Very good description in detail ????????
swasthi says
Thank you
Allison says
Can you make the dosa with whole, black urad dal (the kind that is not skinned and is black)?
swasthi says
Yes you can make with 1:3 and 1:4 ratios. I have only tried with raw rice and black dal.
Anamika Varma says
Hi Swathi, I always used to buy store made batter but during the lockdown I was forced to make it at home and after following your recipe I just don’t regret it. In fact, now I know that I am never going to buy a store made batter. Your step by step and detailed instructions are really helpful for all the different varieties of batter. They just turn out to be awesome. Now, just a small query. I believe you had a detailed description for Recipe 4 – Sada Dosa as well. But today I could find details for only Recipe 1 and Recipe 2. Kindly tell me how much Methi seeds should i use for batter of Sada Dosa.
swasthi says
Hi Anamika,
Glad to know! Yes all the recipes are still there. Just scroll up. They are moved up, above the recipe card. Sada dosa does not need any methi seeds. It is just 1:3 dal & rice. Whatever you read earlier is still there on the post. Only I have rearranged them and numbered properly. Hope this helps.
Sulochana says
Hey Swasthi,
I successfully fermented the methi seeds batter. It turned out good. I also used it twice to ferment large batches of dosa batter. However just after 2 weeks in the fridge it looks curdled. I still used it last nigh to ferment the batter. It worked out well. But how do I preserve this well. Has it gone bad? I don’t see any mold but smells slightly sour as always. Also can I use this to ferment appam batter. Any help is appreciated.
swasthi says
Hi Sulochana
Glad to know it worked. Not sure why that happened. May be it over fermented. I think you can still use it. I have no idea how to store it for longer. I used to make this many years ago as I was living in a colder place. I haven’t made it for many years now. I have never used it for appam. I use fermented coconut water. Sorry couldn’t help you.
🙂
Madhavi says
Hi swasthi, I have been trying many of your recipes, they always turn out so so awesome. Be it southIndian,Chinese or Andhra cuisine, So when ever I HV to make something I just love to check your blog first. Thankyou so much ?
swasthi says
Hi Madhavi
You are welcome and so glad to know! Thanks for leaving a comment.
🙂
Zaw says
what is poha water,please
and which blander brand is good in
india for stone and blender.
Thank you so much.
swasthi says
Hi Zaw,
Poha is flattened rice also known as rice flakes. You can skip them if you don’t get. You can look for Ultra blender (metal series). I use Kailash wet grinder(stone grinder).
Paul Soffitt says
Having never prepared a fermented batter before, I followed advice and also checked the instructions for the Idli batter. I still have two questions, however. 1) The dry ingredients are very clearly measured. Surely there must be a rough estimate of how much water to start with as well as a description of what “do not make it THIN, it must be a THICK batter” means. 2) Fermenting could take anywhere from 5 to 18 hours; how can one tell when it is “ready”? (What is the indication that 5 hours as not enough and that it needs to ferment longer such as to…8? as different from 10?…as different from 12?…as different from 15?…as different from 18 hours? What is the difference we are looking for? Thank you!
swasthi says
Hi,
1. You can start off with ¾ cup water for lentils and half cup for rice.
2. When the batter is ready, it rises, increases in volume and turns bubbly and airy. Drop half a tsp of batter to a bowl of water. Well fermented batter floats and not sink.
Too much fermentation will make the batter sour.
You can check the video and step by step photos where I have shown both the fermented batter and consistency.
Sulochana says
Dear Swasthi,
How are you doing? I have been an avid follower of your blog since 4 years. I have lost count of the number of recipes we have made and enjoyed from swasthis. Thank you so much. I read in your other post about using fermenting methi seeds paste for fermenting idli dosa batter. I tried it 2 years ago and it worked well. I haven’t made it in the last one year so forgot the procedure. I am unable to find that. Can you please share it.TIA
swasthi says
Hi Sulochana
I am doing good. Thanks much for following the blog!
Soak 1/4 cup methi seeds with 1 cup water for 5 to 6 hours. Next morning add only the seeds to the wet grinder and grind it until smooth. Don’t discard the water. Keep adding the same soaked water until the batter turns frothy and fluffy. Remove and store it in a glass jar for 6 to 12 hours until it ferments. It has to rise and ferment well without turning sour. Store this in the fridge. Stir a little of this to the ground idli dosa batter before fermentation. I think you already know how much to add. Hope this helps.
Anwesha says
I am not a confident cook and extremely new to South Indian recipes. I followed your recipe to the letter and got really good results. Thank you so much for sharing.
swasthi says
Hi Anwesha
Glad to know! Thank you