Dosa/Uttapam Batter

top shot of 4 uttapam made from dosa batter

This is a recipe for Beginners. A Step by step instructions on how to make the perfect uttapam or dosa batter. Dosa/Uttapam is a traditional South Indian crepe/pancake made from fermented rice and lentils batter. It is nutritious and delicious. A quick breakfast on busy days.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Soaking & Fermenting time 1

Servings dosas

Calories 66.31kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups rice
½ cup urad dal
½ teaspoon methi seeds
cups water
Salt
vegan ghee

Instructions

Rinse raw rice multiple times in water till the water runs clear. Add fresh water in a bowl. Then add the rinsed rice. Soak it for 2-3 hours.
Similarly, rinse urad dal and methi seeds. Soak them together in another bowl for 2-3 hours.
Drain the water from the rice. Do not discard that water, use it to water plants.
Drain the water from urad dal and methi seeds.
Transfer urad dal and methi seeds first to a blender jar. Add water as required. I added approximately half cup of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Scrape the sides as you grind to ensure its evenly ground.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Then add the soaked rice to the same blender jar (without rinsing it) and grind it to a smooth paste. Add water as required. I added approximately half cup of water. Scrape the sides as you grind to ensure its evenly ground. Chef tip - Feel the ground paste with your fingers. It should be smooth not grainy. Blend till you get that texture.
Transfer it to the same mixing bowl.
Mix using your clean hand. The consistency of the batter should be thick yet flowing, like pancake batter. Chef tip - The warmth in our hand helps with the fermentation. Add salt and mix. The dosa batter is ready to use. If you don't want to make dosa immediately, you can ferment the dosa batter.
Otherwise, leave the dosa batter for fermentation for atleast 8 hours. I leave it in a turned off oven with the light on, overnight. After 8 hours, the batter will be fermented.
Now heat a tawa/griddle and pour a ladle of the batter on it and spread it in a circular motion forming a thin circle. Smear a little vegan ghee around it.
Carefully flip to the other side when the edges loosen. Cook this side till brown spots begin to appear. Take it off the tawa. Make as many as you need. Stir the batter every time before pouring it on the tawa. Serve immediately with chutney and sambar.

Nutrition