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restaurant style masala dosa served with
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5 from 2 votes

Masala Dosa Recipe- Crispy Restaurant Style

Masala dosa is a classic south Indian breakfast where a spicy potato curry or potato masala is stuffed inside a crispy dosa. It is super delicious, flavorful, hearty and one of the most sought after & popular south Indian breakfast dishes.
Dosa is a crepe made of fermented rice & lentil batter. Masala dosa is a tasty variation of it with a spiced dry potato curry or potato masala stuffed inside. These are basically lentil crepes stuffed with delicious potato curry.
This post will help you make very delicious, flavorful, crispy perfect masala dosas at home in no time. Recipe includes detailed step by step in instructions and a quick video.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: India
Keyword: masala dosa
Servings: 12 dosas
Calories: 155kcal
Author: Harini

Ingredients

For Potato Masala

  • 2 potatoes large, boiled & mashed
  • 1/2 cup green peas steamed, (optional)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2-3 green chilies slit
  • 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon channa dal
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil

For dosa batter

  • 1 cup rice raw, short grained
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1/4 cup urad dal + 2 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon chana dal
  • 1/8 cup poha
  • 1/2 tablespoon methi seeds
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup water more as needed

For making masala dosa

  • butter or oil as needed

Instructions

Making Dosa Batter Recipe

  • Pick and rinse 1 cup idli rice, 1 cup raw rice and 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon whole urad dal, 1 tablespoon chana dal, 1/4 tablespoon methi seeds and 1/8 cup poha.
  • Soak rice & ingredients in plenty of water for 3-4 hours.
  • Drain the soaked rice and soaked lentils to a mixer jar. Reserve soaked water for grinding.
  • Add about 1/4 cup of water, grind the rice and urad dal to a smooth paste. Add as little water as needed for this urad dal and rice batter. We will adjust consistency of the thick batter after fermentation.
  • Set aside in a warm place and ferment the batter. It will take anywhere between 6-14 hours depending on the weather for fermenting batter. Here I am batter fermented overnight. Well fermented batter will be fluffy and porous
    dosa batter recipe
  • Refrigerate the fermented batter and use as required.
    For making masala dosas take 3 cups batter and add 3/4 cup water to it. Mix well and make sure the batter is in pouring consistency.

Making Potato Stuffing

  • Pick, rinse and scrub two large potatoes thoroughly. Boil or steam the potatoes well. You can also cook them in instant pot.
    instant pot- 4 minutes in manual or pressure cooker mode with pressure valve sealed stovetop- 10 minutes or until fork tender in salted water.
    To boil potatoes in
    potatoes for boiling
  • Once done, peel and mash the potatoes coarsely. Do not make them into a paste.
    mashed potatoes and peas for samosa recipe
  • Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and fry for a minute or until mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves, crushed ginger, chopped green chilies and saute well. Next add thinly sliced onions and saute for a minutes. Do not let the onions turn brown.
  • Add steamed or boiled peas and saute well for 2 minutes in medium heat. Add mashed potatoes and mix. Season with salt and turmeric powder.
  • Mix well, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix. Remove from heat. Let the masala cool for 10 minutes.

Making Crispy Masala Dosa

  • Heat a dosa tawa for 3-4 minutes. Use a cast iron pan preferably. If you prefer a non stick pan you can use it too. Once the tava is hot, add few drops of oil and spread very well. Lower the flame & spread a ladle full of batter into a thin circle. Increase the heat to medium & cook for a minute. Spread some butter all over the dosa and cook for another minute.
  • Spread 3-4 tables of prepared aloo masala. Cook for a minute.
  • You can fold the dosa just into half or as shown in phot. You can even make triangle dosa. If you want crispy dosa, cook for a minute or 2 after folding.
  • Remove from flame, place some butter on top and serve restaurant style crispy masala dosa immediately with chutney and sambar
    overhead shot masala dosa served with sambar and chutney

Video

Notes

Tips For Making Crispy Masala Dosa

Consistency of batter– For making crispy dosa you should be able to spread the batter thin, so it needs be slightly in thinner consistency compared to idli batter. Before making dosas dilute the batter as follows. For 3 cups batter add 3/4 water and mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter.
Chana dal– For restaurant style crispy and golden brown restaurant style dosa, do add chana dal as mentioned in the recipe.
Spreading Batter – After pouring the batter, spread it quickly in one direction in one swift motion. Do not go back fourth. Start from the center and work your way out and spread till the edges of the pan.
Tawa- pan-griddle- Choosing the right dosa tawa or pan or griddle is the key for making crispy masala dosa. Ideally doasas are made in cast iron tawa in Indian homes. Dosa made in well seasoned cast iron skillet has a wonderful unique aroma and taste. If cast iron is unavailable you can use a heavy non stick pan too. Restaurants use a super heavy iron griddle and maintain perfect temperature throughout the day.
Preheat the tawa– This step is very important for making crispy, thin dosas. If you pour batter on a tawa that is not enough, the dosa will turn hard and chewy. Always heat the tawa for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. To check the doneness, sprinkle few drops of water and if it sizzles immedietly, tawa is ready.
Temperature– The temperature of the tawa is crucial for making crispy dosa. The tawa should be hot but not smoking while making dosas. Lower the temperature while spreading the dosa and increase the heat while cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 12dosas | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg