This Crispy Savoury South Indian Breakfast Crepes, Dosa, is the most popular breakfast in South Indian. Served with potato masala and Coconut Chutney.
Eating Dosa always remind me of my childhood. In Indonesia, we also have this kind of Crispy Crepes that my mom love to buy for me when I was a kid. Even now, whenever I visited Medan, my mom would still buy this crispy crepes from market. It’s like a snack, that is slightly sweet and really crispy. In Medan, we called this crispy crepes as Apung. If you go to market, you will see lots of bread stores will sell bags of Apung.
When I see Dosa for the first time, I really thought that it is the same crispy crepes that I used to have as a kid. It is really similar in shape, the only differences is that Indonesia crispy crepes is slightly sweet, while Indian Crispy Crepes, Dosa is savoury and served together with other savoury condiments like coconut chutney or potato masala.
When I think about it again, I find it pretty amusing how 2 different countries with different culture actually have quite similar type of Breakfast crispy crepes with similar shape and crispiness.
Eating this crispy crepes, Dosa, it is really easy to over eat it as it is so light. Dydy could easily eat 4 to 5 dosa at one time. However, making it as a first timer is quite painful. Seriously painful that I used to hope they sell quality dosa here in Sydney. I still remember when I first make it 2 years ago, 9 out of 10 of my dosa attempt turn out in the trash. It is really challenging to make it thin enough that it will turn crispy.
When I start making it, I bought the pre-pack Dosa mix that I just have to add yoghurt to make the batter. They sell it in Indian grocery store. Without the batter, the fermentation is quite tricky. I never see the real Dosa batter before, and I don’t even know how the consistency or batter thickness suppose to be. I did give a try to make the batter from scratch once, and the next day, after fermentation, it turns out to be so smelly. Well, I didn’t know that it supposed to have that kind of Dosa smell, and I threw everything as I thought it is spoiled.
Then, I started to learn how to make the batter from scratch again when my sis-in-law actually teaching me when I visited NZ last year. I get to see directly how to ferment the batter, and how the consistency suppose to be, or how it is suppose to smell. Then, my first attempt after coming back from NZ, is a big success. Since then, I make Dosa once or twice per month as a treat for Dydy as he loves is so much.
Well, surprisingly, it is not as hard as I expected it. It is really simple to make the batter from scratch, and it tastes so much better than the Dosa mix. Since then, I never buy the Dosa mix anymore and always make at home from scratch. I only make batter enough for 2 people, and it last me about 2 days, for Saturday and Sunday breakfast.
Making Dosa is tricky, but after so much attempt and testing, I finally know the trick in making crispy Dosa. Well, what you need is basically patient and willingness to learn. If you keep making dosa for at least 100 times, I’m sure that after 100 times failure, your dosa will always turn crispy and delicious.
Here’s what you need for making Dosa with potato masala:
Dosa batter
- 1 cup Dosa/Idli rice (parboiled rice)
- 1/3 cup urad dal
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- olive oil for brushing dosa
Potato Masala
- 3 cups diced potato
- 1 onion
- 5 green chillies
- 1 spring curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 1/2 teaspoon mince ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup water
Let’s start with Dosa batter. I usually start making it early morning because the rice and dal need some soaking time. In a medium bowl, add dosa rice and urad dal. Wash thoroughly, and soak for at least 7 to 8 hours.
Then, grind dosa rice and urad dal with a little bit of water until it reaches smooth consistency. Add water slowly in the end to get desired consistency. It’s suppose to light but thick enough to just coat the spoon when you dipped it.
Pour it in a bowl and mix the salt in. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and store it in a warm place (I usually store it inside my oven) to ferment overnight. The fermentation is depending on the weather. In Sydney, with the average weather of 20C, it usually takes me at least 12 hours to ferment it. I would prepare it at 6 in the evening, and the batter will be ready to be tomorrow morning at 6am.
To make the dosa, heat pan in a medium high heat. Once pan is hot enough, use ladle to take 1/2 to 1 full ladle of dosa batter, depending on how big is ur pan and how big is ur ladle. Pour batter in the middle of the pan. Then, with the ladle, gently move your ladle in a circular motion to spread the batter into a thin crepes.
Gently brush crepes with olive oil and let it cook. Once dosa turn golden brown and crispy, the sides will start to come out by itself.
If you are making plain dosa, you could fold the dosa directly. If you are making masala dosa, put 1 tablespoon of masala in the middle, and fold the dosa.
Serve dosa with potato masala and coconut chutney.
You could store the batter in the fridge after the fermentation for up to 3 or 4 days.
For the potato masala, start with heating up oil in a pan, then, add mustard seed, chana dal, and urad dal. Fry for few mins until mustard start to splutter and chana dal and urad dal turn few shades darker.
Then, add onion, green chillies, and curry leaves. Fry until onion turns transparent. Then, add mince ginger. Mix until combined.
Add cubed potato and turmeric powder. Mix until all combined and add water. Bring to boil and let it simmer with lid close for 20 to 25 mins or until potato turn mushy.
- 1 cup Dosa/Idli rice (parboiled rice)
- ⅓ cup urad dal
- ½ tablespoon salt
- olive oil for brushing dosa
- 3 cups diced potato
- 1 onion
- 5 green chillies
- 1 spring curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- ½ teaspoon mince ginger
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup water
- Let's start with Dosa batter. I usually start making it early morning because the rice and dal need some soaking time. In a medium bowl, add dosa rice and urad dal. Wash thoroughly, and soak for at least 7 to 8 hours.
- Then, grind dosa rice and urad dal with a little bit of water until it reaches smooth consistency. Add water slowly in the end to get desired consistency. It's suppose to light but thick enough to just coat the spoon when you dipped it.
- Pour it in a bowl and mix the salt in. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and store it in a warm place (I usually store it inside my oven) to ferment overnight. The fermentation is depending on the weather. In Sydney, with the average weather of 20C, it usually takes me at least 12 hours to ferment it. I would prepare it at 6 in the evening, and the batter will be ready to be tomorrow morning at 6am.
- To make the dosa, heat pan in a medium high heat. Once pan is hot enough, use ladle to take ½ to 1 full ladle of dosa batter, depending on how big is ur pan and how big is ur ladle. Pour batter in the middle of the pan.
- With the ladle, gently move your ladle in a circular motion to spread the batter into a thin crepes.
- Gently brush crepes with olive oil and let it cook.
- Once dosa turn golden brown and crispy, the sides will start to come out by itself.
- If you are making plain dosa, you could fold the dosa directly. If you are making masala dosa, put 1 tablespoon of masala in the middle, and fold the dosa.
- Serve dosa with potato masala and coconut chutney.
- You could store the batter in the fridge after the fermentation for up to 3 or 4 days.
- For the potato masala, start with heating up oil in a pan, then, add mustard seed, chana dal, and urad dal. Fry for few mins until mustard start to splutter and chana dal and urad dal turn few shades darker.
- Then, add onion, green chillies, and curry leaves. Fry until onion turns transparent. Then, add mince ginger. Mix until combined.
- Add cubed potato and turmeric powder. Mix until all combined and add water. Bring to boil and let it simmer with lid close for 20 to 25 mins or until potato turn mushy.