Crisp Onion Dosa with Same-Day Batter

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A lacy, golden rice-and-lentil crepe with sweet onion and green chili pressed right into the wet batter so they toast into the surface. Traditional dosa batter ferments for two days; this quick version uses a small dose of poha and a pinch of yeast to get tang and bubble in about six hours — close enough that you can decide at breakfast and eat by dinner. Serve with coconut chutney and sambar, or just plain yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups idli rice or short-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup skinned split urad dal
• 1/4 cup thick poha (flattened rice)
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 cups water, plus more for thinning

• 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced then roughly chopped
• 2 serrano or Indian green chilies, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 fresh curry leaves, torn (optional)

• 1/4 cup ghee, melted
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1/2 teaspoon podi or coarse chili powder, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice and urad dal separately in several changes of water until the water runs nearly clear. Combine the dal and fenugreek seeds in one bowl with 2 inches of water, and the rice in another with 2 inches of water. Soak both for 4 hours at room temperature (or 2 hours in very warm water if you're in a hurry). Soak the poha in 1/2 cup water for the last 20 minutes only.
2. Drain the dal, reserving the soaking water. Blend the dal in a high-speed blender with 1/3 cup fresh water for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down, until it is completely smooth, white and fluffy — it should feel like whipped cream between your fingers. Scrape into a large bowl (use one with at least 3 quarts of room).
3. Drain the rice and blend it with the soaked poha and about 3/4 cup water for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth with only the faintest grit. Add to the dal.
4. Whisk the yeast and sugar into 1/4 cup water warmed to 105°F, let it foam for 5 minutes, then stir it into the batter along with the salt. Mix by hand for a full minute, lifting and folding, to aerate. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter.
5. Cover loosely and set in a warm spot (an oven with just the light on, around 85°F, is ideal) for 4 to 6 hours, until the batter has risen by about half, smells faintly sour, and is covered in small bubbles. Stir it down gently. Refrigerate if not using within an hour.
6. Make the topping: toss the onion, chilies, cilantro, cumin seeds, salt and curry leaves in a small bowl. Do this no more than 20 minutes ahead so the onion stays crisp and dry.
7. Stir the batter and thin with water a tablespoon at a time until it coats a spoon and runs off in a thin ribbon — for lacy dosas you want it looser than you think. Combine the ghee and oil in a small bowl with a spoon.
8. Heat a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet over medium-high until a droplet of water skitters and evaporates in 2 seconds, about 5 minutes. Rub the pan with a halved onion dipped in oil, then wipe with a paper towel so it is barely slicked. Lower the heat to medium.
9. Pour 1/3 cup batter into the center. Working fast, use the flat bottom of the ladle to spread it outward in a tight continuous spiral to a 9-inch round — one smooth pass, don't go back over it. Small holes are good; they become lace.
10. Immediately, while the surface is still wet and glossy, scatter a generous handful of the onion mixture evenly over the dosa and press it down lightly with the back of the ladle so it beds into the batter. Dust with a pinch of podi if using. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the ghee-oil around the rim and over the onions.
11. Cook undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges lift and curl, the underside is a mottled deep golden brown, and the top looks dry. The onions should be sizzling and browning at the edges. Slide a thin metal spatula all the way under and either fold the dosa in half or roll it — no need to flip.
12. Serve immediately, straight from the pan. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel between dosas, let it come back up to heat for 30 seconds, and repeat with the remaining batter and onions, adjusting heat down slightly if the dosas start setting before you can finish spreading.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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