Masala Dosa Recipe | Crispy Masale Dose | How to make Masala Dosa with detail photo and video recipe. an easy and popular, tasty south indian staple breakfast recipe made with rice and urad dal. basically an extension to the traditional dosa recipe, where dosa is made crisp and stuffed with potato masala. it is perhaps one of the famous dishes from south india, which is can be served for morning breakfast or also as an evening snack with coconut chutney and sambar.
Well, there is a great story about the origin of the famous masale dosa. There are many stories around india, but according to the wiki, it originated from my hometown udupi. it was here in udupi, the dosa’s were made crisp and served. one of the local restaurants in udupi started to serve potato masala stuffed dosa as a variation and also to lower the coconut chutney consumption. in those days, coconut-based dishes were considered pricey and dosa’s cannot be consumed without any side dish. gradually stuffed dosa became one of the norms and the migrant community took this variety to mumbai and exposed it to a broader audience. it was very well received in the cosmopolitan city and that’s how it became one of the popular dose varieties.
Having said that, there are som many tips, suggestions, and variations i would like to include in the masala dosa recipe. firstly, fermentation is the key and significant factor for a crisp and porus dosa texture. also, the fermentation has to happen within 8-12 hours after the batter is prepared. moreover, if you stay in a cold and dry place, store the batter in preheated oven or near the gas stove to help the fermentation process. secondly, if you have noticed, i have dipped my hand in the dosa batter to mix it properly. well, hands help to mix it properly, but also the bacteria in the hands are transferred and help for fermentation. lastly, the crisp of dosa batter gradually decreases for the third and fourth days. Hence it is recommended to use it the next day for masale dose and reuse it for other variations.
Finally, i request you to check my Dosa recipes collections with this post of masala dosa recipe. it mainly includes my other detailed dosa recipes like tuppa dosa, rava dosa, rava uttapam, vegetable uttapam, methi dosa, ghee roast dosa, poha uttapam, set dosa, oats dosa, uttapam. further to these i would also like to highlight my other related recipe categories like,
Masala Dosa video recipe:
Recipe Card for crispy Masale Dose:
Masala Dosa Recipe | Crispy Masale Dose | How to make Masala Dosa
Ingredients
for batter:
- 3 cup sona masuri rice
- ½ tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
- water, for soaking
- 1 cup urad dal
- 2 tbsp toor dal
- 2 tbsp chana dal
- 1 cup poha / avalakki, rinsed
for aloo bhaji:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp urad dal
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 1 dried red chilli
- few curry leaves
- pinch hing / asafoetida
- 2 chilli, finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 potato, boiled & mashed
- 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
masala dosa batter preparation:
- firstly, in a large bowl take 3 cup sona masuri rice and ½ tsp methi.
- rinse well and soak in enough water for 4 hours.
- in another bowl take 1 cup urad dal, 2 tbsp toor dal and 2 tbsp chana dal.
- rinse well and soak in enough water for 2 hours.
- after soaking dal for 2 hours, drain off the water and transfer to the grinder. you can also grind in mixi if you do not have access to a grinder.
- add water as required and blend to smooth paste.
- scrape sides. the smooth and fluffy batter will be ready after 40 minutes.
- transfer the batter to a large vessel and keep aside.
- in the same grinder add soaked rice and 1 cup rinsed poha.
- add water slowly and scrape the sides. blend to a coarse paste.
- transfer the rice batter to the same urad dal batter.
- mix well making sure everything is well combined.
- ferment in a warm place for at least 8 hours or until the batter doubles in volume. if you are living in a cold climate, then you can place the batter in the warm oven (just heat the oven until it turns slightly warm and then turn off) to ferment.
- once the batter is well fermented, mix gently, without disturbing the air pockets.
- transfer 4 cups of fermented batter to a small bowl and add 1 tsp salt.
- mix well until the salt is well combined. masala dosa batter is ready. keep aside.
aloo bhaji preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil and splutter 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 dried red chilli, few curry leaves, pinch hing.
- now add 2 chilli and 1 inch ginger. saute well.
- also, add 1 onion and saute until onions shrink slightly.
- further, add ¼ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt. saute well.
- now add 3 potato and mix well, mash slightly making sure everything is well combined.
- turn off the flame and add 2 tbsp coriander and 2 tbsp lemon juice.
- mix well and aloo bhaji for masala dosa is ready. keep aside.
masala dosa preparation:
- firstly, add a ladleful of batter on hot tawa.
- spread as thin as possible making a crispy dosa.
- take 1 tsp of butter and spread uniformly.
- also, place 2 tbsp of prepared aloo masala in the centre.
- roast until the dosa turns golden brown and crisp.
- scrape the sides of dosa and roll the dosa.
- finally, masala dosa recipe is ready to serve with coconut chutney and sambar.
Nutrition
How to make Masala Dosa with step by step photo:
Masala Dosa batter preparation:
- firstly, in a large bowl take 3 cup sona masuri rice and ½ tsp methi.
- rinse well and soak in enough water for 4 hours.
- in another bowl take 1 cup urad dal, 2 tbsp toor dal and 2 tbsp chana dal.
- rinse well and soak in enough water for 2 hours.
- after soaking dal for 2 hours, drain off the water and transfer to the grinder. you can also grind in mixi if you do not have access to a grinder.
- add water as required and blend to smooth paste.
- scrape sides. the smooth and fluffy batter will be ready after 40 minutes.
- transfer the batter to a large vessel and keep aside.
- in the same grinder add soaked rice and 1 cup rinsed poha.
- add water slowly and scrape the sides. blend to a coarse paste.
- transfer the rice batter to the same urad dal batter.
- mix well making sure everything is well combined.
- ferment in a warm place for at least 8 hours or until the batter doubles in volume. if you are living in a cold climate, then you can place the batter in the warm oven (just heat the oven until it turns slightly warm and then turn off) to ferment.
- once the batter is well fermented, mix gently, without disturbing the air pockets.
- transfer 4 cups of fermented batter to a small bowl and add 1 tsp salt.
- mix well until the salt is well combined. masala dosa batter is ready. keep aside.
Aloo Bhaji preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp oil and splutter 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 dried red chilli, few curry leaves, pinch hing.
- now add 2 chilli and 1 inch ginger. saute well.
- also, add 1 onion and saute until onions shrink slightly.
- further, add ¼ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt. saute well.
- now add 3 potato and mix well, mash slightly making sure everything is well combined.
- turn off the flame and add 2 tbsp coriander and 2 tbsp lemon juice.
- mix well and aloo bhaji for masala dosa is ready. keep aside.
Masala Dosa preparation:
- firstly, add a ladleful of batter on hot tawa.
- spread as thin as possible making a crispy dosa.
- take 1 tsp of butter and spread uniformly.
- also, place 2 tbsp of prepared aloo masala in the centre.
- roast until the dosa turns golden brown and crisp.
- scrape the sides of dosa and roll the dosa.
- finally, masala dosa recipe is ready to serve with coconut chutney and sambar.
Notes:
- firstly, make sure the dosa batter is well fermented else dosa will not turn up good.
- additionally, adjust the amount of spiciness of aloo masala to your taste.
- also, recommend using cast iron tawa for crispy dosa.
- finally, masala dosa recipe tastes great when prepared crispy.
Faq’s:
how to ferment the dosa batter?
fermentation is the key and significant factor for a crisp and porous dosa texture. the fermentation has to take place within 8-12 hours after the batter is prepared. if you stay in a cold region, store the batter in a preheated oven or near the gas stove to fasten the fermentation process. also, use your hand to mix the dosa batter as the bacteria in the hand helps in the fermentation process.
how do we get to know that batter is fermented?
store the batter in a large vessel. the fermented batter usually increases in the quantity indicating the batter is well fermented. take a tsp of batter and drop to the bowl containing water. if the batter flows, it indicates the batter is fermented. if the batter sinks, it indicates the batter is not yet fermented well.
how to prepare crispy masala dosa?
if the batter is fermented well, then the dosa would be crispy. maintain the correct proportion of rice to urad dal. rice is grounded to a semolina texture in order to get crispy dosa. adding poha while grinding the batter, also makes the dosa crispy. also, the batter should be in thick pouring consistency. always use cast iron tawa or heavy-bottomed non-stick tawa for crispy dosa. use the largest burner of the stove so that the heat should reach all the edges of the tawa to get crispy dosa. also, spread the dosa as thin as possible to get crispy dosa. adding a teaspoon of sugar gives a good brown color to the dosa.
how to spread masala dosa batter on to the tawa?
the batter should be thick but pouring consistency. adjust the consistency by adding water to the batter. do not make it too runny, heat the tawa, grease it with oil and rub it through a half-cut onion. lower the flame and mix the batter well and take a ladleful of batter and pour to the tawa. spread the batter from the center as thin as possible in a circular way, till the edges to make crispy dosa. keep the flame to medium and cook the dosa. take a tsp of butter and spread uniformly, place the aloo masala in the center. you can also spread the red or coconut chutney around the dosa. roast until the dosa turns brown and crisp. scrape the sides of the dosa and roll it.
should i soak and grind urad dal, methi, and rice separately, and for how long?
yes. it’s good to soak and blend them separately. soak rice and methi seeds in a bowl of water. in another bowl, soak urad dal, toor dal, and chana dal together. while grinding, grind the urad dal, toor dal, and chana dal together adding water. after transferring them, grind the rice with methi seeds and poha adding water. transfer it to the same urad dal batter bowl and mix well. they are soaked for about 2 to 4 hours in enough water.
for how long the dosa batter should be fermented?
the fermentation has to take place within 8-12 hours once the batter is prepared. do not over ferment the batter as the batter may turn airy and light which makes it difficult to spread the batter onto the tawa.
can we use the same dosa batter to prepare idli?
for idli, the batter has to be thick and more fermented than the dosa batter as idli needs to be fluffy and soft. from the dosa batter, we can prepare mysore masala dosa, plain dosa, masala dosa, schezwan dosa, onion uttappam, veg uttappam, paniyaram, onion dosa, and many other recipes.
what rice is used to make dosa batter and why toor dal and chana dal is added?
dosa rice or sona masuri rice which you get in a store is used to make a dosa batter. always use old rice to make a dosa batter. chana dal and toor dal is grounded with urad dal to get a good smell and color to the dosa.
should i soak and grind urad dal, methi, and rice separately, and for how long?
yes. it’s good to soak and blend them separately. soak rice in a bowl of water. in another bowl, soak urad dal and methi seeds. while grinding, grind the urad dal and methi together adding water. after transferring them, grind the rice with poha adding water. transfer it to the same urad dal batter bowl and mix well. they are soaked for about 2 to 4 hours in enough water.
how to store the dosa batter?
dosa batter is stored in a refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. store in a container with a closed lid. however, the crisp of the dosa batter gradually decreases on the third or the fourth day. so you can consume it the next day for masala dosa and reuse the batter for other variations.
why is masala dosa soft and not crispy?
if the batter is over fermented, then it’s difficult to spread the batter and in this case, the dosa turns soft. if the batter is not thick and in the right consistency or if it’s runny, then the dosa will turn soft. add rice flour and mix well in such cases and adjust the consistency of the batter.