Crispy Masala Dosa recipe with Potato filling and Chutneys

92 comments
Crispy Masala Dosa is one of the most popular among the South Indian recipes. It is a typical South Indian dish, eaten mostly for breakfast and is rich in carbohydrates and protein. It is considered as the staple food in the South indian region. In the rest of the country too, Dosas are hugely popular and Udipi restaurants serving them and other South Indian foods can be found in almost every suburb.

In this recipe I will share the secret to making the Dosa crispy just like it is made in restaurants. You will also learn how to make the onion potato filing and red chili chutney which is smeared on the dosa before putting in the potato filling. And finally you will also learn how to make spicy hot green coconut chutney to go with the dosa.


Making the Dosa Batter

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups - Idli rice or parboiled rice
  • 1/2 cup - Skinless split urad daal (skinless black gram)
  • 1/2 teaspoon - Methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds)
  • 1/4 cup - Poha (beaten rice)
  • 1/4 cup - Cooked rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon - Cooking Soda
  • 3 to 4 teaspoon - Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon - Salt
  • 1 handful - Chana dal (Yellow split peas)

Add parboiled rice, methi, poha, cooked rice, yellow spilt peas into one large vessel containing sufficient water for soaking. Then soak urad dal in water in a separate vessel. Soak for 6-7 hours or overnight.
Then grind the contents from both the containers separately to a smooth paste adding water as required. After grinding the urad dal, add it to the main batter container and mix well. Add water as required until you get a pouring consistency.

Now add sugar, salt, cooking soda and mix well. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for at least 7 hours. During this time the batter raises and reaches approximately two and a half times the original volume. So make sure you use a big enough container for the dosa batter.

Red chili chutney


Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup - Coconut
  • 4 to 5 nos - Red chili
  • 1 teaspoon - Roasted split chickpeas
  • 4 to 5 - curry leaves
  • Tamarind - Size of a small grape if it is raw tamarind or 1 tbsp tamarind extract
  • Coriander or cilantro - 1 tablespoon chopped
  • Salt to taste
Grind all the above ingredients and make a thick paste as shown in the picture.

Onion Potato Subji or Palya (Dosa Filling)

Ingredients:
  • 4 nos - Potato, medium sized
  • 1 to 2 - Onion, medium sized long thinly sliced
  • 12 nos - Small green chilies, not to be chopped. Just split them at the center
  • 1/4 tsp - Turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp - Mustard
  • 1 tsp - Urad dal (black gram)
  • 1 1/4 tsp - Chana dal (yellow split peas)
  • 10 nos - Curry leaves
  • 2 tbsp - Coriander leaves or Cilantro
  • 1 tbsp - Ghee
  • 2 tbsp - Oil
Cut the potatoes each into 2 pieces with the skin intact and cook them in a cooker until one whistle. Then peel the skin of the potato and smash or squeeze them coarsely by hand and set aside.

Heat oil in a khadhai or a pan amd add mustard. When the mustard starts popping or bursting add urad dal and chana dal. Keep stirring for a minute and then add onion, curry leaves, green chilies and turmeric. Saute for around 10 minutes. Add Salt and 1/2 cup water and stir well. Add the mashed potato, coriander leaves, ghee and mix well. Now take the pan of the heat and the potato subji is done.

Green Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup - Coconut grated
  • 3 tbsp - Roasted split chickpeas
  • 6 nos - Small Green chili
  • 2 pieces - Ginger (small)
  • 3 tbsp - Coriander or Cilantro chopped
  • Tamarind - size of a grape fruit
  • 1/4 tsp - sugar
  • Salt to taste
Grind all the above ingredients with a little water into a paste. For tadka add 1 tsp oil, little mustard and few curry leaves in a pan on medium heat. When the mustard starts crackling for a minute add the tadka into the chutney paste and you are done.

Making the Dosa

1. Take a dosa tava or a non-stick pan and put it on a medium to high heat.
2. Apply few drops of oil on the pan. Take a piece of cloth and rub it all over the surface of the pan to grease it. Do this step for each dosa.
3. Now sprinkle a little bit of water with your hand. Wait for the water to crackle and evaporate. This ensures that the Dosa will spread evenly and not break because the pan is too hot. Do this step for each dosa.
4. Take 1/4 cup of dosa batter and gently pour this batter onto the center of the pan.
5. Now begin to spread the batter in sweeping circular motions to form a circle. Do not be alarmed if the Dosa develops tiny holes as you spread the batter. This is normal.
6. Apply oil and ghee over the surface of the dosa and also around its edges. If you wan tyou can hold the pan by its handle, lift up and swirl it so as to make the drizzled oil spread all over the Dosa.
7. After a minute or two you will see the the thinner part of the dosa is turing dark brown. This indicates that the dosa is coming out crispy and is almost done.
8. Now smear a little bit of the red masala chutney on the dosa as shown in the picture. the quantity of this chutney depends on how spicy you want the dosa to be.
9. As the last step add the onion potato subji to the center of the dosa and flip the 2 sides of the dosa one over the other such that the subji is covered. The dosa is now ready to be served.

92 comments »

  • Unknown said:  

    Thank you for such wonderful
    information.........If you are a Food Lover just
    the way I am......Please check out the blog
    mentioned below, some really yummy
    recipes are out there !!!!.....Check it out m

    sure you'll love it.

    http://staysharpwithrecepies.blogspot.com

  • Unknown said:  

    Today I made your recepie .It was so tasty .my family like very much . No doubt all credit goes to you Bharti.Thanks a lot.

  • Unknown said:   This comment has been removed by the author.
  • Unknown said:  

    hi BHarathi,thanks a millenium for ur hotel style dosa recipe.its really dosa we eat in Banglore hotels.my hubby liked it very much. u know previously i was using set dosa recipe for plain dosa but i wasnt happy coz of softness should maintain in set dosa.now my that problem is solved coz of u.thanks

  • Bharathi said:  

    Thanks for your comments, Suvidha. I hope you like the other recipes as well and stay tuned for more.

  • Unknown said:  

    hello Bharathi,1st time when i made dosa with this recipes it was really awesome.but 2nd time when i made i took larger cup than 1st time so i think measurement is changed. coz texture is not like 1st time n its less crispier than 1st time n its coming out of pan immediately i dont what did i do wrong pls advise me.

  • Bharathi said:  

    Hi suvidha, There could be many reasons for this. As you said if you don't get the mesaurements right then it will affect the crispyness of the dosa. I am not sure if you missed any ingredients which could also be the reason.
    Finally the most important is the consistency of the dosa batter. When you grind the ingredients make sure the batter has a smooth pouring consistency by adding water as required.

  • Asmita said:  

    hi bharathi thanks for your delicious dosa & specially your gajar halwa .
    i loved it & will try it at home.

  • Munira said:  

    Bharti your dosa recipe is amazing..... my husband loves the dosa filling. The taste is much better than any south indian restaurants in the U.S

  • MS© said:  

    Hey this recipe is very nice and easy to make. Thank you.

  • Preethi said:  

    Hi Bharati,

    This is all good stuff. Thanks for putting up all these wonderful recipes. I am glad you decided to blog.

  • Asmita said:  

    hi bharathi i made ur matar paneer it was very delicious my guests were very happy to eat it.
    thank u.

  • Anonymous said:  

    "cook them in a cooker until one whistle"

    When writing recipes please explain what you mean, instructions like above have no meaning to non-Indian cooks.

  • Bharathi said:  

    Cooks in India use the whistle noise or the hissing noise of the steam released from the cooker as the timer and indicator that the contents of the cooker is cooked. If you are using Electric cooker then you need to refer to the PSI value on the Pressure indicator to determine the cooking time.

    If you don't have a cooker, cook the potatoes in a vessel with some water for around 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

  • shailly said:  

    Hi Bharathi,

    I had never tasted the Masala Dosa like this before, Its Delicious!!! My husband likes it too..You made this south Indian dish more tasty than any other south Indian Restaurant in Dallas.

    Thanks for sharing these recipes..

    Shailly

  • Archana said:  

    Hi bharthi maine tumhari recipe se dosa banaya bahot hi testy bana tha my husband also like it thanks for the such a easy & delicious recipe........

  • Anonymous said:  

    hi

    I dont have parboiled rice, can I substitute it with the usual sona masuri rice?

  • Bharathi said:  

    Parboiled rice is the main ingredient for the Dosa so that it comes out soft and crispy. You can use the Sona Masuri rice along with the parboiled rice. For 1 cup parboiled rice, use 1 cup of sona masuri.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Dear freind !!!!!!!!!

    Wish to try out you recipe,,,,, here at Germany we dont get parboiled rice and raw rice as in India or [Indian grocery here there is none at our place] in this case we get rice at super markets here as parboiled and one other that comes in small packets for easy cooking called uncle ben ,
    what do we do plz help with an alternative !
    we too would like to try the one on your post and relish some nice indian food your dosa as others awaiting your reply
    Your's sincerely,
    Beatrice

  • Anonymous said:  

    Peepin to get a reply from you!

    Beatrice

  • shuruti said:  

    bharathi, looks delicious. I will try this. Hope to see more of these. Shuruti

  • Star said:  

    Hey! I want to try out this recipe, looks delicious! But I am confused about the servings; I mean is the ingredient for 1 dosa or for more then one?

  • Bharathi said:  

    Star, Thanks for your comment. The ingredients mentioned in this Masala Dosa Recipe is good for making around 20 dosa.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Dear Bharathi,
    Would be nice of you if you could reply my query,still waiting since posting on jan 15th,and 16th,still waitin ................
    Thank you,
    Beatrice

  • Bharathi said:  

    Beatrice, I did some research and found that you can use Uncle Ben's converted rice which is the parboiled if it is available.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Thanks Bharathi my daughter loved the dosa filling. P

  • Anju said:  

    I have tried 2 times till now it has come out very good.Thank u for the recipe

  • Geetika Bist said:  

    All I can say is WOW, this recipe was too good....I made this for dinner and after eating it, i feel like i'm in heaven;-)
    Thanks for the wonderful recipe....this is the second recipe of yours that I tried and I'm loving your recipes...
    you should start your cookbook....i will be the first person to buy:-)

  • chitra n said:  

    hi!i tried this recipe n was very pleased with the outcome!since i m not a south indian,making a perfect dosa was simply out of reach....
    i tried my hand at various recipes but wht i was lookin for i got in your recipe..the right crispiness,flavor of dosa n yummy chutneys!
    thank u so much!

  • Anonymous said:  

    Hello Bharathi,

    Quick question...Do we use U.S cooking measurements in your recipes? (Cups and spoons?)Please advise.

    Thank you

  • Bharathi said:  

    Thanks for your comment. All the measurements are standard and are not specific to US or any other.

  • bed frame said:  

    I just tried your recipes here and I am so amazed! They are all so delicious! My family loves it!

  • Nayak said:  

    Hi
    When you say cooked rice 1/4cup.. is it ready to eat rice or cooking rice which is not cooked.

  • Bharathi said:  

    Nayak, Thanks for your comment.
    Please use ready to eat (cooked) rice and NOT raw rice.

  • Anonymous said:  

    wonderful recipe....thank u soooooooooo muchhh.........

  • susan said:  

    hi....i really liked the way you have explained how to make this recepie. very few people can describe with precision. after reading it...i actually felt the plate of masala dosa was in my hand ready to eat. well...now im going to try...to make it myself. i have a question....what is the reason for saoking the urad dal separately...? and what happens if we soak them together?

  • KennQ29 said:  

    great recipes. even if im not an indian, i appreciate and i love eating indian food.

  • Lavanya Shetty said:  

    Hi Bharati ....

    Tried this recepi twice with green chutney and patoto filling was really good ,,,my hubby also liked it ....1 question: the colour of my dosa from outside wasn't so brown as shown in the pic,,,can u pls suggest me anything to make it brown..thanx

  • Anonymous said:  

    Hi Bharati,
    I just tried your recipe(to the dot) yesterday evening and it came out awesome!! I have finally nailed down the recipe to making perfect crispy dosas and the chutneys were also delicious. Thanks to you and thanks for the little details!

  • Anonymous said:  

    hi bharti pls advise how ur dosa turn crispy and brown.....

  • Anonymous said:  

    Looks beautiful...will try today...very similar to what my Amma said...very very authentic...God bless!

    Lakshmi Raj, NJ

  • Anonymous said:  

    looks very nice.will try it today :P

  • Anonymous said:  

    THANK U .......I AM GOING TO COOK MASALA DOSA

  • Anonymous said:  

    I have tried this and it seriously works....Thanks a lot...

  • Anonymous said:  

    best masala dosa I've made so far-- here in Scotland-- Excellent
    -K E M

  • aNN said:  

    Hi Bharathi! Thanks for the great recipe.. it looks delicious! Can you please clear my doubt- you e mentihavoned the amount of tamarind as size of a grapefruit.. isn't that huge??????

  • aNN said:  

    i mean.. Isn't a grapefuit the size of an orange?? Are we really supposed to use that much?

  • Bharathi said:  

    @Ann,Thanks for your comment. What i meant was the smaller Grapes fruit and not the bigger Grapefruit.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Hi Bharathi, I have tried making masala dosa filling many times but it would miss the hotel taste. I tried your recipe and it worked so well. Thank you so much. Rehana

  • RC said:  

    Hi,
    Would it be OK to soak the rice and urad daal together and grind the mixture as that would simplify the preparation of the batter.

  • Poornima Raju said:  

    'wow' was the word from my husband. you explain the preparation so very nicely and precisely that there is no room for mistake. This is what i was looking for. Thank you bharthi. The dishes from your site comes out really well.

  • Anonymous said:  

    thank you bharthi, for this fabulous site and i request you to kindly have the sambar receipe for idlis and dosas...

  • amanda said:  

    I made this last night... It was yummy!!! Had a hard time getting the red chutney to work out. Might go back and double the green chillis in the green one, I used serranos and it just didn't pack the punch.

  • namita said:  

    Hi,
    plz tell me what is parboil rice. Is a variety of rice?

  • Bharathi said:  

    Hi Namita, Parboiled rice is a variety of rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. Parboiling make rice easier to process by hand, boost its nutritional profile and change its texture. Parboiled rice takes less time to cook and is firmer and less sticky. [Source:wiki]

  • Chetan Pandya (UK) said:  

    Excellent recipe for making dosa. One cnnot go wrong if one follows the recipe with patience and care. I am going to make some dosa tonight and let you know how everything goes.

    Many thanks, Bharati.

    Chetan Pandya(UK)

  • techgyaan said:  

    Hi bharti can you please tell me which oil to pour on tawa before.making dosa.thanks

  • Bharathi said:  

    Use vegetable oil or sunflower oil or peanut oil

  • SS said:  

    Hi Bharathi.:) Could you please tell me if "cooking soda" is the same as "baking soda"? And if "baking soda" can be used in place of "cooking soda"? And when you say to use 1/4 cup "cooked rice", what kind of rice do you mean? Can I use Basmathi Rice or Jasmine Rice or just use Parboiled Rice again? And lastly, what is "beaten rice"? I have never heard of "Poha". Is there any substitute if I don't have access to this "Poha/beaten rice"? Thank you very much for your help!:)

  • Bharathi said:  

    @SS, Thanks for your comment.
    -Use baking soda. It is same as Cooking soda.
    -Use any cooked rice.
    -Poha is rice that is flattened into flat light dry flakes. Go to the wiki website below and you will get more information on this.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattened_rice

  • SS said:  

    Thank you, Bharathi!!:) I truly appreciate your lightning fast reply!:) I now remember what Poga is!(lol) I haven't seen or eaten it since I was a kid in India!;P I can't WAIT to make your Masala Dosa!:) Thank you again!:)

  • Anonymous said:  

    Hi Bharathi, Your photo shows a " Burnt Masala Dosai" not a good masala dosai.
    Mangalam ,West Mambalam

  • Laurie said:  

    Hi Bharathi, I just returned from Mumbai where I ate Masala Dosa almost every morning. I miss it already. I really want to try this recipe. I have one question, can I store/keep the dosa batter and chutney. I am sure we cannot eat all of this in one day.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Hi!
    When you mean 'grape fruit' size tamarind are you referring to an actual Grapefruit (like an Orange?) or just a little grape. Could you please use more accurate forms of measurement?
    How many people will this recipe serve?
    Thanks!

  • Bharathi said:  

    You can use 1 tablespoon(tbsp) tamarind extract and I was referring to the little grape not orange. The measurements in this recipe yields around 20 dosas.

  • Noel Gilmore said:  

    I bought a dosa mix which required the addition of water.My results at making the dosas have being poor
    I followed the directions but the mix seems too watery and just ended up a big mess on the pan. I tried putting the the pan at different temperatures and using different amounts of the mix on the crepe pan which is what I am using.Any ideas as to how I could get this right.I made another batter mix last night and added some more cooked rice,I checked it today and at least it seems to be of the consistency that might wor .I will try it later but just said I would ask an expert when you are.I wish to compliment you on a great web site.Really great.

  • Bhanumathi BV said:  

    I tried your recipe, it came out superbly, crispy, tasty. thanks for it.
    I have tried many but with no results.
    My I know what makes dosa crispy?

  • Biji Arun said:  

    Bharathi,can i use row rice insted of parboiled rice?

  • vennala said:  

    fantastic. Thanks for the excellent recipe.

  • Anonymous said:  

    Thanks for the recipe. The masala dosa was delicious and so was the cocnut chutney. But for the green coconut chutney the tamirand is the size of a grape, not a grapefruit!

  • Bharathi said:  

    Yes you are right. The tamarind should be the size of small grape.

  • South Indian recipe lover said:  

    I love crispy masala dosa. I eat this atleast once in a week. I never use Chutney or sambar. I complete the dosa only with masal. You have created a beautiful guide on making of my favorite recipe.Thanks for Sharing.

  • Unknown said:  

    what is rosted split chickpeas ?? is it boiled chana daal .. ???

  • Anonymous said:  

    dosas are the best food ever I could eat them alllll day

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  • Anonymous said:  

    I prepared your recipe so many times and every time it came out so nicely. Everybody likes it. Can't wait to make it again. Thank you so much for your generosity.

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