PLAIN DOSA

Dosa is a typical south Indian breakfast/Tiffin dish made with fermented rice and urad dal batter. It is rich in carbohydrates and protein. It is a simple tiffin which every one likes. We can see hotels and tiffin centers which serve only dosas.There are more than 100 varieties of dosas. With the same dosa batter recipe given below  we can make almost all 20 to 25 varieties of dosas . When the ingredients put inside  the dosa changes the name also changes. Plain dosa, onion dosa, masala dosa, paneer dosa , ghee dosa, paper dosa, chilli dosa etc. Dosa is usually served with chutney and sambar.
INGREDIENTS

• Urad dal            1 cup
• Rice                  2 cups
• fenugreek seeds   1 tsp
• toor dal                1 Tsp
• salt              to taste
• oil/ghee      to fry

PROCEDURE
There should a one day advance preparation for the dosas. Soak the rice and dal separately for about 5-6 hours. Soak the fenugreek seeds and toor dal along with urad dal. Grind all the ingredients to a fine paste. The consistency should be thick and not the pouring consistency. Ferment the batter for about 10 hours and refrigerate the batter. Do not add the salt. A simple trick for a perfect batter is- soak the dal and rice in the morning , grind in the evening and ferment overnight.
When ur ready to prepare dosas take out the batter from fridge and add the salt. Let the batter come to room temperature. Add the water as required. The dosa batter used at hotels will be of thick consistency and that used at home will be of pouring consistency. If ur a beginner make the batter to a pouring consistency.
Keep the dosa tava on the stove and heat it. Pour a ladle full of batter in the middle and spread it into a thin circle. Add oil/ghee along the sides of the dosa and cook for a few seconds. When the bottom turns brown flip the dosa and similarly cook on the second side also. When done serve with chutney and sambar.
TIPS

• Toor dal helps in getting a perfect color for dosa.
• Channa dal can also be added as a substitute for toordal.
• Fenugreek seeds helps to remove the dosa without sticking onto the tava.
• If the dosa starts sticking to the tava try rubbing half cut onion on the tava.
• In hotels a hand full of maida and a hand full of rice flour are added to the batter just before making dosa.
• Don’t mix maida directly to the batter. Make a paste with water and add the paste to batter to avoid lumps.
• Adding salt just before making dosas keeps the batter fresh without any smell.
• Take out the batter out from the refrigerator in small batches and not all at once and use it the same day.