onion rava dosa

Very often, when I post a recipe on the blog, it is because I’ve tried something new or added a twist to a favorite and am so excited that I want to share it.  Sometimes though, it is to put an old time-tested recipe in a place where I can get to it easily.  Because they are usually housed as scribbles on pages and corners of my trusty recipe book which takes me quite a bit of time to flip through and hunt down.  And last week, when that book finally separated into two halves in my hands, I realized it was time to start moving those handwritten recipes to a more permanent home.

The recipe for these rava dosas share the page with my samosas (which I plan on adding to the blog too) and I have been making them for more years than I can remember.  Following the exact proportions reached after much trial and error and getting perfect results every single time.  And I know everyone has their own favorite way of making them, including my mom who follows a different recipe that she swears by (that’s Ok, Mom!) but this one works for me.

Making rava dosas is much easier and quicker than the traditional ones.  There’s no soaking and grinding and fermenting the batter.  This is pretty much instant and you also don’t need to have mastered the “spreading-on-skillet” technique.  You simply pour the batter in a circle from about 6 inches over the skillet so as to cover it and the best part is you can go back and fill in any holes and gaps.

This batter is very watery and the flour tends to sink to the bottom so you need to stir it once between each dosa.  I added some carrots to the batter and that’s entirely optional.  You can also skip the onion and make a plain rava dosa but I prefer the onion version.    The best way to do it is to spread some finely chopped onion onto the skillet and then pouring the batter on top.

The trick to getting crisp dosas is to cook it on a medium-low flame for a longer time.  And that’s why when you order it in restaurants, it takes some time to come to the table :).  I served these with two types of chutenys; a tomato-peanut one and a cilantro-roasted gram one and I have included the recipes for both.

Onion Rava Dosa

Print Recipe

Makes three 13-inch or five to six 9-inch dosas

1 cup Sooji/Rava (Indian cream of wheat)
1/2 cup rice flour (I used brown rice flour)
2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
3 cups water
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 thai or serrano green chili, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated (optional)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
salt to taste
canola, peanut or vegetable oil for the dosas

Add the rava, rice flour, whole-wheat flour, cumin seeds, green chili, cilantro, salt and carrot (if using) to a large mxing bowl.

Add 1 cup of water first and mix well so that it makes a thick, lump free batter.  Then add the rest of the water one cup at a time to make a watery batter.

Heat the skillet on a medium high flame. Sprinkle some of the chopped onion.

Then start pouring the batter in a circle, starting from the edge of the skillet and working your way in until the whole surface is covered (a measuring cup works very well) and the dosa looks lace-like.

Reduce the flame to medium low and slowly pour about a tsp oil around the periphery and a little on the inside of the dosa.

Cook until the top looks opaque and the edges start getting brown.  Gently lift it up using a spatula.  If it looks like its stuck at some places, very gently coax it away from the pan by sliding the spatula under the dosa and then using a scraping motion.

Flip it over and let it cook for a couple of minutes.  Then transfer to a plate.

The batter tends to absorb water and thicken upon resting for a while.  You can add some more water and adjust the salt while making the rest.

Tomato-Peanut Chutney

3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot , roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 dried red chilies (Kashmiri or Byadgi….if using a hot variety, use only one)
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 tsp canola, vegetable or peanut oil

Heat oil in a small skillet.  Add the red chillies and fry for a minute or two until they get a bit puffy.  Remove and keep aside.

In the same oil, heat the garlic clove and fry for a minute – don’t let it brown.

Add the chopped tomato and carrot.  Stir, add some salt and cook until the tomatoes and carrot soften.

Let this come to room temperature.  Put the tomato mixture, garlic, red chillies and peanuts in a blender jar and blend until smooth.  Add some more salt if needed.

Cilantro-Roasted Gram Chutney

1 1/2 cups cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup roasted gram (dalia)
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/4 cup fresh of frozen grated coconut
1 thai or serrano green chili
salt to taste

Put the roasted gram (dalia), green chili and ginger in the blender jar.  Pulse it a few times to give a coarse powder.

Add about a 1/4 cup water, cilantro, coconut and salt and blend to a smooth paste.