Dosa-Semolina And Plain Flour Insant Dosa 1, A Savoury Pancake
Rava Aur Maida Ka Dosa
Abha Gupta
Delicious and easy to make savoury pancakes that are quick to make, no fermentation required. They have to be served straight off the pan, nice and crisp, and should not be made in advance.
Make approximately 8, depending upon the size you make
Ingredients
1/2 cup medium fine semolina (you can use 50% rice flour mixed with semolina)
1/2 cup plain flour (all purpose flour or maida)
2 tbsp. Besan or Bengal gram flour, sometimes called chickpea flour.
1 cup natural yoghurt (dahi)
Salt to taste
Water to make a thin batter
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped*
1 small onion, finely chopped*
8-10 curry leaves (not bay leaves), finely chopped*
Oil for pan frying
*You can chop all these ingredients together in a food processor.
A dosa pan/tava or a flat griddle.
Instructions
Place semolina, flours and salt in a bowl and enough water to make a thin batter and make a batter.
Leave aside for a 10-20 minutes. It may thicken as semolina thickens as it absorbs water. You may need to add some more water before cooking. it should be quite thin, so it is easy to spread.
Add chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Mix them in.
Season the tava: Heat a tava or a griddle. Put a tsp. of oil on it. Sprinkle a few drops of water and gently spread with a wet piece of kitchen paper or cloth. This will coat/season the whole griddle with a thin layer of oil.
Making the dosa: Pour a ladle of the batter in the centre of the griddle. Using the back of a small ladle, spread it outwards, using circular motions. The dosa should be as thin as you can manage. Please note that the first dosa may be a bit difficult to spread and may be thick and/or out of shape. So make only a small one first. After this, the pan becomes 'seasoned', meaning that it gets a non-stick or stick-resistant coating.
Pour a little oil all around the edges, which will seep in under it. If you are using a non-stick pan, you need very little oil.
Turn it over with a flat spatula and cook the other side, until it looks crisp.
If using a filling, turn it over again, so the crisper side is underneath.
Place some filling on one half and fold the other half over.
Press gently, turn it over once or twice, to make sure both sides are crisp.
Serve immediately with a Coconut Chutney1 or Coconut Chutney2.
Serve immediately with coconut chutney or any chutney of your choice.
Notes
You should make the first dosa or pancake as a test pancake only, with a smaller amount of batter. It usually sticks to the pan a little and curls. After this, the pan is uniformly covered by a film of oil, often referred to as 'seasoned' or non-stick.
Most Indian grocers in UK sell ready made semolina dosa mix, which give very good results. All you need to do is add a few coriander leaves and yoghurt. Follow instructions on the packet.
