This delicious South Indian dish very popular and comes in different forms. Every one has their own version but the principle is the same. Here is our family Masala Dosa Recipe.

A masala dosa is rice & lentil pancake filled with an aromatic potato curry and served with a palatable dal made with pigeon peas (toovar), tempered coconut yoghurt, tamarind chutney and green (coriander/cilantro) chutney.

The recipe is simple – you just need to be patient.

How to make Masala Dosa (Indian pancakes)

These dosa’s have a lovely texture and go with so many different topping including cheese. The hardest part of making the dosas is getting the consistency right and then spreading it on your pancake pan in a circular motion. This comes with practice. Even I took a while to get it right and am still working on it. The recipe makes about 10-12.

Equipment needed for making Masala Dosas

Having a pan (tawa) that maintains the heat well and evenly is essential too. A cast iron one is great however I have a flat heavy duty pancake one and it does the job. The thin pans for pancakes will not work as well due to heat distribution and heat retention. To flip the pancake I use a Tavetha. This is a steel turner that is thin and works well to flip the dosa. A silicone one could work but needs to be thin. If you cannot find a Tavetha a metal spatula could work. Here are examples of what you can get. (affiliate link)

Print Recipe

Masala Dosa Recipe

A masala dosa is rice & lentil pancake. The most common filling is a dry potato curry. Dosas are a work of art and so delicious. They are gluten free too.

Prep Time5 hours hrs

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian

Keyword: dosa, indian pancakes, indian recipes, lentil pancakes, masala dosa making

Servings: 10 Dosas

Ingredients

• 3 cups of basmati rice
• 1 cup urud dal the white one without the shell
• Salt 1/2 tsp
• Water 1-2 cups depending on the consistency of the batter plus more for washing and soaking the rice and dal

Instructions

• Wash and soak the rice and dal for at least 5 hours. Then drain and wash again. Blitz the mixture with some water to create a pancake batter. At this stage it will be a bit grainy which is fine. Add in some salt to season, mix with your fingers then and leave this to one side until ready to use. This is the fermentation stage.
• When you are ready to make the dosas, add in room temperature water to create a batter similar to that of pancakes but grainy.
• To make the dosa, heat your pan on medium to high heat. Oil the pan lightly then wipe off the excess oil. This is to season it. Then splash some water onto the pan. It should bubble and disappear. This creates steam and cools the pan slightly.
• Now add a ladle full of batter in the middle of the hot pan and start circular motions from inside to out using the back of your ladle. This will spread the batter to create your dosa. You want it to be thin but not too thin it breaks.
• Place a few drops of oil (1/2 tsp) on the sides of the dosa and centre so it starts to cook and crisp. Let this cook on medium heat until it’s golden brown for around 3-4 minutes. You have to be patient. As the dosa starts to brown the edges will start to lift. Use a spatula to tabetha to lift it. If you are unsure on whether the dosa is done, you can flip it around and cook for a few seconds then flip it back.

Once you have made the dosas, the fillings are up to you. The classic is the potato one below. My new favourite is cheese and coriander chutney. The cheese one turns in a delicious lentil pancake with melted cheese and some heat and flavour from the coriander chutney.

How to make Potato Curry for masala dosas

The potato filling used in Masala Dosas is a simple curry. Some people make it mushy too. It is easy to make and consists of a lot of spices. It takes 30 minutes depending on the potatoes you use.

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATO FILLING

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
• 1/2 tsp rye (mustard seeds)
• 1/2 tsp jiru (cumin seeds)
• 1/4 hing (asafoetida)
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 small bunch of chopped spring onions
• 3/4 tsp crushed fresh garlic
• 3/4 tsp crushed fresh ginger
• 1 tsp crushed fresh green or red chillies
• 2 1/2 tsp dhana jiru (coriander cumin spice powder)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 500 gram potatoes (par boiled and cut into small pieces)
• coriander to garnish

METHOD FOR POTATO CURRY

• Heat some oil in a flat pan.
• When the oil is hot add in methi, rye, jiru, hing, curry leaves. Be careful it will splatter.
• Then add in the spring onions, ginger, garlic & chillies.
• Give it a mix and cook for a minute before adding in the rest of the ingredients (apart from the potatoes).
• Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Then add in the potatoes, mix carefully and continue to cook on low heat until cooked through. If the potatoes are sticking add a bit of hot water to the pan. Garnish with coriander.

Gujarati Dal Recipe (Red Dal)

There is comforting about gujarati dal. It is a classic dal and is an explosion of flavours. If you have not tried Indian Dal then you are missing out. This one is a runny one and enjoyed with plain rice, as a topping for masala dosa and one the side. We have the Gujarati Dal with peanuts. This is a surti style dal and slightly sweet and sour and spicy. This is very similar to Wedding Dal. Just a bit thicker.

INGREDIENTS FOR GUJARATI DAL

• 1/2 cup pigeon peas (toovar)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 to 4 cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 large dry red chilli
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
• 1/2 mustard seeds (rye)
• 1/2 cumin seeds (jiru)
• pinch of asafetida (hing)
• 1/2 tsp crushed fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp crushed fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp peanuts (optional)
• 20 curry leaves
• 1 cup tomato passata
• 1 tsp jaggery (gor)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 piece kokum (optional). Kokum has a sour taste
• salt to taste

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MAKE GUJARATI DAL

• Soak the toovar 15 minutes. Wash and then place in pressure cooker for about 10 minutes with salt. If you don’t have a pressure cooked just boil it until cooked.
• Once cooked, sieve to form a slightly runny base for the dal.
• In a pan heat some oil then add in all the other ingredients above the tomato passata. Stir on low heat for a minute.
• Then add in the tomato passata. Mix and let this cook on low heat until you notice oil on the edges of the paste.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients and let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding in the sieved dal. Mix and let it boil. If it is really thick add in some hot water. You want a medium consistency. At this stage you can add in 2 tsp of lemon juice. Garnish with coriander

How to make Chutneys for masala dosas

1. Green (coriander/cilantro) chutney: This is our family recipe and it works all the time.
2. Tamarind chutney: Boil 1/2 pack of a tamarind block with 2 big dates and some water in a pan. Boil it for about 10 minutes ensuring it does not stick. You need enough water to cover the tamarind and dates. Take it off the heat and mash the mixture with a fork just so all the ingredients blend together. Leave it for a few minutes so it all dissolves then sieve it to form a sauce. Add in some salt and red chilli powder to taste. If it is too sour then add some brown sugar.
3. Coconut chutney: Fresh grated coconut tastes amazing with this. If this is not available then desiccated coconut is fine. In a pan heat some oil then add 1/2 tsp rye (mustard seeds), 1/2 tsp jiru (cumin seeds), 10 curry leaves and 5 tsps of sesame seeds. Get ready to cover the pan because it will splatter everywhere. Let this cook for 1 minute. Then pour into some greek yoghurt, add the coconut, salt and some ground cumin.

Now it is time to tuck in. Some people like to have the dosa plain and dip in the chutneys. Others like to spread a bit of the potato curry in the pancake with bit of the chutneys, wrap it up and pour the dal on it.

Either way these you need to try these tasty homemade masala dosas. The dosas are not the best and i am working on them but the taste is there.

If you have any questions drop me an email.

Love classic gujrati dishes? How about maru na bhajia? They are a Kenyan favourite and here is our family secret recipe.

Neha