Traditional South Indian Dosa Street Recipe

Traditional South Indian Dosa Street Recipe

This authentic dosa recipe replicates the traditional Dosa you find on South Indian streets — a crispy and thin rice and urad dal crepe fermented overnight for tangy depth. Served hot with coconut chutney and sambar, it’s a wholesome breakfast or snack.

Ingredients

• 1 cup urad dal (whole skinned black gram)
• 3 cups raw rice (regular or idli rice, not basmati)
• 2 tbsp poha (flattened rice), rinsed and soaked separately
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional, aids fermentation)
• Salt to taste
• Water for soaking and grinding
• Oil or ghee for cooking

Directions

1. Rinse urad dal and rice separately 2-3 times. Soak urad dal with fenugreek seeds for 6-8 hours and rice with poha for 6-8 hours.
2. Drain water from urad dal and grind with little water into a smooth batter. Grind rice and poha coarsely with some water.
3. Mix both batters in a large bowl, adding water to achieve pouring consistency. Cover and ferment overnight 8–12 hours at room temperature; the batter should rise and become bubbly.
4. Stir in salt gently after fermentation.
5. Heat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet (tava) on medium-high. Pour a ladleful of batter in the center, spreading outward in a circular motion to form a thin crepe. Drizzle oil/ghee around edges.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes until bottom is crispy golden. Optionally cook other side briefly or fold dosa with fillings like potato masala (masala dosa).
7. Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar, or chutneys of choice.