Crispy Plain Dosas are savory pancakes originating from South India and is a staple breakfast or dinner item. It is somewhat similar to a crepe in appearance.

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What is Dosa made from?
Dosa, the popular South Indian pancake/crepe is made from a fermented batter.Its main ingredients are rice and black gram/black lentils,/urad dal, fenugreek seeds ground together in a fine, smooth thin batter with a dash of salt.
What kind of rice do we use for making Dosa?
There are many kinds of rice out there in the market. I personally use Idli rice for making the batter, be it for Dosa or Idli. One can also use raw rice or parboiled rice or a combination of the above.
What is the rice and Urad Dal/Black Lentil ratio?
Personally, I use the batter for a week for making various breakfast items.The batter stays good when refrigerated.
The ratio I use is 4:1 4 cups rice to 1 cup Urad Dal/Black Lentils. I soak a few fenugreek seeds along with the rice.This is for the softness of the Idli’s when cooked.
I soak them separately overnight (8 hours) and grind them separately next morning and mix both the batters together with salt to taste and set it aside in a warm place for fermenting overnight. The next day it is ready to go!
I use the same batter for making Idli’s, Dosa, Paniyaram, Uthappam etc.
Should we soak the ingredients separately or together?
Rice along with some fenugreek seeds and urad dal/black lentils is soaked separately. The reason for soaking them separately is because Rice and Urad dal/Black Lentils have different textures.
The reason for soaking the rice and Urad dal/Black lentil separately is because the fluffiness of the Urad dal/Black lentil is made more evident( if you are going to use the same batter for making Idli’s).
Idli’s need to be fluffy and soft, while Dosa are basically flat and crispy.
Be it for making Idli’s /Indian steamed rice cakes, Dosas, Paniyaram’s, Uthappam, I use the same batter.The fact that one can do so many breakfast items with one single batter is a blessing in itself. The most versatile batter, if there was one, ought to be this one!

If you plan to use the batter for only making Dosas then it would be okay for you to soak both the rice and Urad Dal/Black lentil together.
How to grind the soaked ingredients?
The soaked rice and black lentils along with fenugreek seeds are ground separately in a wet grinder for larger quantity. For smaller quantities they can be blended in a food processor or a mixer grinder/blender into a fine paste.

Water is then added to the batter for the required consistency along with salt to taste and this batter is allowed to ferment overnight ( or 6-8 hours).The fermentation adds a light sour flavor to the dosa similar to sourdough.
The batter needs to be medium thick for making Idli’s/Steamed rice cakes, Paniyarams and Uthappams, more thin and watery for making Dosas.
The fermented batter is then spread like a crepe/pancake on a hot griddle or tawa to make Dosas.
How to make Dosas?
Keep the flame on medium and warm the skillet. Next grease the skillet with a little oil or ghee before you pour the batter (this prevents the batter from sticking to the skillet).
After being spooned into a cast iron or a non stick skillet/tawa, the batter is gently spread in a circular motion until it fills the pan.Drizzle with oil or ghee along the edges of the dosa while cooking it on one side, and then flip and cook for a minute or two on the other side.
The crispy plain dosa is then folded in half and served with hot sambar or chutney.
Are Dosas popular only in South India?
In popular tradition the origin of Dosa is linked to Udupi, the coastal city in Karnataka, India, perhaps because of its association with the Udupi restaurants. According to some food historians, they believe that it was popular in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, as early as the 1st century A.D as per references to the Sangam literature.
The original Tamil dosa was softer and thicker. The thinner and crispier version of dosa was first made in present-day Karnataka.
After India’s Independence, South Indian cuisine became popular in North India. Now it is popular globally all over where Indian food is served.
What is Dosa usually eaten with?
In South India, crispy plain dosas are traditionally served hot along with chutney and sambar.
Dosas are typically eaten with your hands and can be dipped in curries like sambar and chutneys. Dosas can also be made with a filling/Bhaji of mashed potato and peas with spices, this then is called Masala Dosa.
How to make Crispy Plain Dosa?
Nutrition Facts
- Amount Per ServingCalories608
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 2g 4%
- Sodium 12mg 1%
- Total Carbohydrate 100g 34%
- Dietary Fiber 40g 160%
- Protein 48g 96%
- Vitamin C 10%
- Calcium 12%
- Iron 83%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
What does Dosa taste like?
Crispy Plain Dosa is a thin, crisp crepe or pancake. It has a slight tangy taste due to the fermentation, and is savory rather than sweet.
Without the filling, on its own it’s called ‘plain dosa‘ that can be eaten with chutney, sambar or a variety of vegetable curries. With filling it is called Masala Dosa and can be eaten just with the filling, or it Dosa can be layered like a pizza with toppings called Uthappam & can be eaten as such or with curries.
Why is my Dosa not crispy?
Add half a cup of poha/flattened rice if you’d like your dosa slightly crispy. Even adding brown sugar to the batter just before it is ready to be poured make sit crispy and brown.
List of my Dosa Recipes
The Bottom Line
Now that you know all about making a crispy plain Dosa, I hope you try making some in your own kitchen. Once you master the art of making a plain dosa well, then the sky is the limit. You can make any number of combinations and varieties of dosas you like. Enjoy!
If you try any of my recipes, would love for you to snap a quick photo of your recipe and tag us #stirringmyspicysoul on your social media feeds to get the word around and encourage readers like you
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These look so good! I love Indian food. I haven’t tried cooking it…yet!
Thank you. So glad to hear that you enjoy Indian food. I have so many recipes on my blog for you to try at home. Please consider subscribing to my blog if you enjoy what you see to get our weekly updates right into your inbox.So appreciate your kind words!
I’ve never heard of this before, but I also know nothing about Indian cuisine. 😅
Glad to share.They are savory Indian crepes and make for delicious breakfast in most South Indian homes.Enjoy!
Sounds delish and interesting!
Thank you!
Every time I read your posts, I want to run out and order Indian food. Although I know it won’t be as yummy as your recipies. One of these days, I need to overcome my fear and give one a go.
How kind of you to say that.Thank you. That makes me so happy to know I have motivated you to try cooking Indian food, even if it is your first time.Indian food is easy to cook once you learn about the spices and the techniques involved in adding them to your cooking. You can get my E-book :A Complete Beginner’s Guide to 25 Essential Indian Spices on my blog, which might be very helpful to you (or as a gift to a friend who might share your interest in Indian food). Do give my recipes a try & we would love to hear your feed back on how it turned out for you 🙂 Enjoy!
This looks great and has been on my list to try soon!
Thank you. That is so encouraging to hear 🙂 Good Luck! Please share your feedback when you do would love to hear how it turned out for you.
This looks delicious! Indian food is one of my favorites!
Thank you. So happy to hear that. If you enjoy Indian food please consider subscribing to my blog, there are loads of delicious recipes & when you subscribe you will get weekly updates of all my recipes.
I love having another fermented bread recipe! This sounds amazing!
Thank you.Dosa is more of a savory crepe than bread, yes it is made with fermented batter & tastes yummy. Give it a try sometime!
Yum! I will have to try this. I have never heard of dosa before.
Thank you. Please do give it a try, I am sure you will enjoy it 🙂
Sounds wonderful!
Thank you!
These sounds so good! I personally would probably screw them up (GrubHub and I are on a first-name basis), but I would love to try them!
They really are good. Give it a try, but if it makes you comfortable to know how it exactly tastes like go ahead call Grub, Hub order your first Dosa from outside.Once you taste it, you will be hooked to try making them at home. Enjoy. If you follow my recipe, I guarantee you will win 😉 🙂 Good Luck!
I have never tried this recipe. It looks yummy, I am excited to try!
So happy to hear that. I am sure you will like it. Do give us your feedback when you try. So appreciate your kind words!
Those look amazing. I bet they are delicious.
Thank you, so appreciate your kind words. They are!
I have never tried Dosa, but think it would be a great addition to meal times! I am going to give it a try!
That makes me happy to know I have motivated you to try a new recipe. I am sure you will enjoy it. Good luck! Thank you, for your kind & encouraging words 🙂
Wow! A dosa really looks like a crepe! That’s cool it tastes savory instead though. I love anything salty and crispy and this looks so cool!
Thank you. Yes if you enjoy savory, then definitely the Dosa will deliver! Do give it a try sometime and share your feedback, would love to hear it 🙂
I’ve actually attempted to make these before and I did horribly. I’m going to give your recipe a whirl because I want to attempt the other recipes using the dough as well. I’ll cross my fingers and say a prayer.
How wonderful! Don’t give up, not yet, just follow my recipe, step by step & you will be a winner, coz it is tried and tested in my kitchen.Feel free to try any recipes on my blog you enjoy and if you had any questions do not hesitate to ask, I will help you get the results you desire. Good luck & cheering for your success! Enjoy!
I used to make dosas! I made them with mung beans. Does that sound right? I remember letting the batter rest over a heating vent overnight. My whole family loved them. I don’t know why I ever stopped making them. You have inspired me to make them again!
So love hearing stories like this! Am so happy to know my blog post inspired you to start making dosas once again. Yes, it is perfectly doable with mung dal too and unlike the traditional dosa , you don’t have to wait to ferment the batter overnight.Instead you can use mung dal or mung bean to make instant dosas.Yay! to dosas. Enjoy! I have so many dosa recipes on my site for you to check out.If you enjoy them please consider subscribing to my blog, so you get regular weekly updates on my recipes.Thank you, for the encouragement.
This looks amazing … I have never heard of this dish. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you, for your kind words. So happy to hear you are going to give my recipe a try.If you do, please do let us know how it turned out for you, in the comments section below. Would love it if you could tag us on your recipe with #stirringmyspicysoul.
This sounds delicious on its own or filled. And your information about how to make sure they are crispy is super helpful.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Watch out for tomorrow’s post, it’s the one with the filling in the dosa, also known as Masala Dosa. You might like it too & it sure is delicious with the traditional potato filling.Enjoy!
Hope to try these someday. They look delicious!
Thank you for your kind words. Do give it a try sometime, I am certain you will enjoy it 🙂
I’ve never heard of dosas before. They do look similar to crepes. I’ll have to give the recipe a try.
Thank you. Glad to share the recipe with you & its encouraging to know that it inspired you to want to try it out sometime. Good luck & Enjoy! Do give us your feedback when you try my recipe.