Urad ~ Rice ~ Rava Dosa.

“Urad ~ Rice ~ Rava Dosa” …. Dosas are a delight to eat for breakfast. This dosa is very filling when served with some bhaji, sambar or chutney or any semi dry curry for that matter… We relished this dosa with "Raw Jackfruit Sukka / Kadgi Sukke" …. A delicious dry masala curry with the splendid aroma of garlic very similar to our very own chakko …. Yummy Yumz ...

Dosas are a delight to eat for breakfast. It’s a very filling breakfast when served with some bhaji, sambar or chutney, it’s the most sought after breakfast in southern parts of India. We Konkani Saraswats have a huge collection of mix and match of traditional dosas. Unfortunately these are slowly getting lost over generation due to modernization. People have changed over to oats, kellogs, muesli, cornflakes that can be instantly prepared or bread that is available in the stores. It was never so till a decade back when even time constraint made people prepare these and relish as they were considered healthy. Due to the fast paced lifestyle people are loosing out of healthy and traditional dishes. I have seen how these very kids relish the dosas and idly if prepared and given to them brushing aside the ready made bf. Dishes. I try including as many combinations of dosas into the blog for the benefit of younger generations. I have no clue whether they really follow it or not. But it is our duty to pass on these dishes which may otherwise get lost permanently. I hope whoever reads it makes in the effort to prepare these delicacies even once in a week which will be a sort of bonus to the family. Once you adapt to preparing these healthy delicious dishes at home, you will not only get used to them, so will your family and so will generations to come. Go ahead and give it a try, you will be giving the best gift to following generations and instilling good habits in them for life. Trust me they will be thankful in the long run. 

Ingredients :

Urad Dal : 1 Cup

Rice (Raw) : 1 Cup

Rava / Sooji : 1 Cup

Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp 

Ginger : 1 large tblsp

Green Chillies : 4-5 

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

For Dosa : Wash and soak 1 cup of urad dal in a vessel with plenty of water for 2 hrs. Wash and also soak 1 cup of rice separately in plenty of water for 2 hrs. Soak 1 tsp of methi in ¼ cup of water in a small cup. This will be used while grinding the dosa better. I do not add the methi along with the dals coz. When we drain off the water the methi properties are also lost through it. Just before you start to grind the dal and rice soak ½ to 1 cup of rava for 15 mins. Strain off the excess water. The rava quantity depends upon what process is used for grinding the urad dal. If using mixer then add only ½ cup but if using wet grinder like me you can add in about a cup as urad ground in wet grinder yields to more batter. Be careful with extra addition as the dosa will not turn out soft if added in excess. So judge properly before you add, you can always add later on if need be also. 

Wash and drain off excess water and grind the Urad dal In a wet grinder or mixer grinder along with ½ to 1 cup of water to a smooth batter. Do not add in much water as the batter will then run thinner. Lastly add a large tablespoon of of finely chopped ginger and finely chopped 4-5 green chillies and grind for just a minute of two. Remove in a vessel. Wash and drain off excess water and grind the rice with the soaked methi along with the water its soaked in in a mixer grinder to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water only. Again to not add more water. Once done remove and add this to the urad dal batter in the vessel. Add in the soaked and drained rava, salt to taste and mix all the together well. Leave aside covered for about 6-8 hrs or overnight for fermentation. Next morning mix the batter well in clockwise direction, the batter should be thick enough but should be able to be spread on tava. The batter is now ready to remove dosas.

Heat a Dosa pan to smoking point, lower the heat, add a teaspoon of oil and spread well with spatula. Spread it evenly with tissue paper with a light press. Do not press too hard, as the tava is hot, your hands may get burnt and also you may remove all the applied oil in the pan. I use this method of spreading with tissue to ensure there is no excess oil, as well as there is a thin layer / film of oil on the Iron Tava which is what I use regularly for removing dosas. Now add a cupful of batter with a rounded spatula in the centre of the tava and spread evenly into a round circle of about 8 inch diameter. Use light motion, do not press the spatula too much lest the dosa will tear. Also see to it that the dosa is kept a little bit thick and not spread thinly. Increase the heat to medium, add a tsp of oil all round the edges of the dosa and let cook uncovered till evenly browned on the bottom side. Now with the help of the flat dosa spatula, gently loosen the dosa all round the rim of the dosa and then gently flip it over to cook the top portion too. Press down the dosa gently a little bit to get the roasted look on top of the dosa. It will hardly take a minute to cook the top side. Now remove the dosa with spatula and serve it hot immediately with chutney or any curry of your choice. Repeat the process and remove the required amount of dosas. Once done immediately store the remaining batter in airtight box in the fridge for later use. Remains good for a day or two.