Dosa ( Rice Pancake)

Dosa is a fermented pancake made from rice and black lentils.This dish is popular in South India as well as other countries like Sri Lanka,Malaysia and Singapore (source Wikipedia)

This is a common breakfast dish and our absolute favorite.It it usually eaten with coconut chutney,sambar and potatoes,although can be combined with any combination of your choice.My kids like their dosa with honey and ghee.My husband likes his with chutney powder and ghee,so this humble pancake can be dunked in many different side dishes!

My two year old was being unusually picky about dinner(this can be eaten for dinner too!),although when she heard that I was making dosas she was at the dinning table faster than the speed of light.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Dosa Rice (uncooked,raw rice)-24 oz
• 1 cup Urad Dhal (spilt black gram)-8oz
• 1/2 teaspoon Methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice 
• 2 tablespoons of beaten rice or poha (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :

1. Wash and soak the dosa rice, urad dhal and fengreek seeds in plenty of water for 5-8 hours (or overnight)
2. Drain all the water that the rice and dhal was soaking in overnight.
3. Grind the mixture to a fine paste using little water.
4. While grinding the mixture add 2-3 tablespoons of cooked white rice and salt to taste.
5. The consistency of the batter should be such that it thickly coats a spoon.
6. Keep the Dosa batter aside in a warm, dark spot, covered with a muslin cloth, for 6-8 hours (if its the thick of winter,then it will take longer to ferment.In winter you can set your oven to 250 degrees F,once it has heated turn the heat off and leave the batter in the heated oven)
7. After this fermentation (your batter would have doubled,thats how you know that your batter has fermented).
8. Give the batter a quick stir (add a little water if the batter is too thick)
9. Add a little oil on the dosa pan. Take a paper towel rub the paper towel all over the surface of the pan to grease.(or you can cut an onion in half and you can use the onion to grease the pan)The correct amount of oil is such that it is barely visible on the pan. 
10. Now turn on the heat/ flame at medium heat.
11. Gently pour one ladle of  this batter onto the center of the pan and move the ladle in concentric circles.
12. Cook the dosa on a medium heat until it is a light golden brown.
13. Remove carefully with a flat spatula and fold the dosa in half.
14. Serve the dosa with your favorite side dish.

Tips :

• You can add active dry yeast if you want your dosa batter to ferment quickly.If you are adding yeast,the batter will ferment in 2 to 3 hours.
• I follow the instructions on the bottle,which is stir 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degree F).To proof (foam) yeast,stir in 1 teaspoon sugar,let stand for 10 minutes.If mixture doubles in volume,yeast is active.
• Once the yeast added batter ferments,make sure you do not let this batter sit out too long,otherwise it will sour.
• You can also add 2 tablespoons of Beaten rice while grinding this batter.