Whenever we are at a restaurant / cafe that has idli dosa on the menu, my husband’s first preference is usually onion rava dosa. Made well, this variety of dosa is a real treat.
Ingredients1 cup rava semolina
1/2 cup maida all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 cup buttermilk sour
2 cups water (to adjust the consistency) upto
2 medium onions very finely chopped
2 tbsps coriander finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2-3 tbsp oil to prepare dosas
For tempering:1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green chillies finely chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
Method* To make the mix for the onion rava dosa, mix all 3 flours in a large bowl.
* Add in the sour buttermilk and add the water carefully to make a thin batter. This will be much thinner than the regular dosai batter.
* Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan or a tempering ladle. Fry cumin and mustard seeds. Once they pop, add the curry leaves and green chillies. Stir for a few seconds and add it to the prepared batter.
* Season the batter with salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes. Just before preparing the dosas, mix in the finely chopped onions and coriander.
* Oil a non-stick tava / pan. Once hot enough, pour one ladle of batter at a time from a slight height, so that it bubbles and gets a netted appearance all around. Take a second ladle of batter and pour around this to increase the size of the dosa. If you are a beginner, then make smaller sized dosas with just one ladle of batter.
* Drizzle some oil along the edges of the dosai (traditionally sesame / gingelly oil is preferred). On a medium flame, the first side should take 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Carefully flip the dosai over to the other side, keep for a minute of so until it has turned golden brown and crisp and it is ready to eat. Serve hot with spicy tomato chutney.