Dosa is a popular South Indian dish. It is thin, crispy, and very tasty. People usually eat dosa for breakfast or dinner. It is made from rice and urad dal (black gram), which are healthy and easy to digest. usually dosa is served with coconut chutney and sambar, which makes the meal more delicious. There are many types of dosa, such as plain dosa, masala dosa, and rava dosa. It is not only popular in South India but also enjoyed all over the country and even in other parts of the world.
Ingredients Required for Perfect Dosa Batter
It is made with simple ingredients that are easy to find in every kitchen. The major ingredients for making a dosa are rice and urad dal (black gram). They are soaked for some hours in water. Urad dal helps in making the dosa soft from inside.
Water is another important ingredient, which is used to soak and then grind the rice and dal into a smooth batter. A pinch of salt is added to improve the flavour. While soaking you can also add a little fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) as it helps in fermentation and gives a nice flavour.
Oil or ghee is used while cooking the dosa on a hot pan. It helps the dosa become crispy and prevents it from sticking.
Importance of Fermentation in Dosa Batter
Fermentation is the important step in preparation of soft and tasty dosa. The rice and the urad dal is ground into a smooth batter and should be left to rest for several hours. This resting time allows the batter to become perfect and soft.
Transfer the batter into a large bowl to begin the fermentation process. Put a lid on the bowl and place in a warm place. In warm weather batter will ferment in 8 to 10 hours. In cooler weather, it could take 12 hours or more.
The tiny bubbles formed during fermentation makes the batter light and slightly sour in taste. A well fermented batter will increase in volume and become soft and fluffy. The fermentation process makes dosa crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Don’t over ferment the batter or it will become too sour. If the batter is not properly fermented dosa will be hard or flat. For best results, always keep the batter in a warm place and use clean utensils.
