Making a beautiful round and crispy dosa made with a lentil and rice paste is immensely satisfying. Although it’s fairly easy to make it can be finicky till you get the hang of it, go get started and make your Dosa and all the trimmings today!

These days, Dosa & Idli batter is available in most stores. I’m not sure how one batter than make both as Dosa is a runnier batter than an Idli batter that is thicker and cloud like. While I do have to agree that making this is a bit of work, it’s super easy and with simple basic ingredients, you can get a large quantity of batter for many many many Dosas.

There are many varieties of Dosa available today, this is the most basic recipe. If the Dosa is served plain and as is, it’s called Sada (plain) Dosa, if it’s stuffed with a Potato Bhaji, it’s called Masala Dosa.

When I go to India, my most favorite Dosa to order is the Paper Dosa, it’s basically a plain Dosa, and it comes rolled up and is the size of a small table. I can never finish it, but always attempt to!

Dosas are served usually with a Sambhar, a Tomato Chutney and a Peanut Chutney.

Why do we sprinkle Water on the hot pan?

Sprinkling water on a tava (griddle) before cooking dosa serves multiple purposes:

  1. Temperature Control – The tava is often too hot after making previous dosas. Sprinkling water cools it down slightly, preventing the batter from sticking or burning.
  2. Non-Stick Effect – The quick evaporation of water creates a thin steam layer, making the surface slightly non-stick, ensuring the dosa spreads evenly.
  3. Better Spreading – A tava that’s too hot causes the batter to cook too quickly before you can spread it properly. Cooling it slightly helps achieve a thin, even dosa.
  4. Test Readiness – The sizzling sound when water is sprinkled helps gauge if the tava is at the right temperature (it should evaporate quickly but not instantly).

Pro Tips

🔥 Tava Prep & Temperature

  1. Choose the right tava – A cast iron or heavy non-stick tava works best. Avoid a very smooth non-stick pan, as it may not allow even spreading.
  2. Heat it properly – Before pouring batter, the tava should be hot but not smoking. Sprinkle water to check:
    • If water evaporates instantly, it’s too hot—cool it down.
    • If water sits for too long, it’s too cold—heat it a bit more.
  3. Lightly grease – Rub a cut onion or half potato dipped in oil to create a non-stick effect. Avoid excess oil before spreading the batter, or dosa won’t spread properly.
    🥞 Perfect Batter Consistency
  4. Thin, flowing batter – The batter should be slightly thinner than pancake batter but not watery. Too thick = soft dosas, too thin = breaks apart.
  5. Fermentation matters – Well-fermented batter (bubbly & slightly sour) gives the best crispy texture. Keep it in a warm place for 8-12 hours.
    🍽️ Cooking & Spreading
  6. Spread in a spiral motion – Pour a ladleful of batter at the center and quickly spread outward in circular motions using the back of the ladle.
  7. Cook on medium heat – High heat can burn the dosa before it crisps up.
  8. Use the right oil – Ghee or butter gives a rich, crispy dosa. Regular oil works too, but don’t overuse it.
    🔄 Flip or Not?
  9. No need to flip for thin, crispy dosas – Just cook uncovered until golden brown.
  10. For thicker dosas, flip once and cook briefly on the other side.
    Bonus Tip: Add a few drops of ghee on the edges for an extra crispy bite! 🧈🔥
    Want specific dosa variations (like masala dosa or neer dosa)? 😃

To ensure your Dosa’s don’t stick to your pan, make sure it’s well seasoned. Usually this gets naturally seasoned over time. If using a new pan, wash thoroughly, grease, heat, allow to smoke, cool, heat and cool about 3 times.

Dosa

5 from 2 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Sona Masoorior Idli Rice
  • 1 cup whole Urad Dhal
  • 1/4 cup Chana Dhal
  • 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 cup flattened Rice or Poha
  • Water as needed
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak the Rice for 5 hours
  • Soak the Urad, Chana Dhal & Fenugreek seeds for 3 – 5 hours
  • Rinse & drain both the rice and the dhals separately
  • Also soak the flattened Rice or Poha
  • Grind the Urad, Chana Dhal & Fenugreek seeds in additions
  • Add water as needed
  • Because I don’t have a wet grinder, I am adding these in so that it grinds smooth without overheating my machine.
  • Also stop and start your machine, giving the motor a chance to cool in between
  • If you were to use a wet grinder, you could add all the lentils in at one time
  • Transfer this to a pot for fermenting
  • Once all the lentils are ground, add the rice in additions
  • Also add a little water in between
  • Pour this over the lentil batter
  • In the last batch, add in the soaked Poha & Salt to taste
  • Mix everything well together
  • This needs to ferment for 6 – 12 hours depending on how warm it is where you are
  • Cover this with a lid and stick it in a warm place like an oven with the light on.
  • You can also use an Instant pot, with a lid on on Yogurt mode for 8 hours (not longer)
  • You will know your batter s ready when it had increased in size, it had bubbles when you stir it and it has a sour smell
  • You will need to add a little water to thin it down a little bit
  • Before you start to make the dosa, you will need a flat non stick Tava or frying pan with a good non stick coating
  • Grease the tava but wipe off the excess oil
  • Sprinkle some Water on the hot tava and using a katori or a small bowl, or a ladle,pour the batter in the centre of the pan and then using the bowl, spread the batter thinly and evenly, starting from the center and moving outwards in a circular motion.
  • You don’t nee to flip the dosas over, just sprinkle some oil, or you can also add butter, and some idli podi which is a special combination of chillies and other spices
  • You can add chilli powder or leave it out
  • Serve this with a Potato bhaji, Peanut & Tomato chutney