How to Make Dosa Batter in Instant Pot

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Nav Dhan Masala Dosa [no-rice dosa], is a savory crepe made with a combination of quinoa, 9 beans mix and lentils. Dosa is stuffed with hot and spicy, lip-smacking Red Chutney Aloo Masala (potato stuffing). Serve this fiber and protein-rich, dosa with some Udupi Sambar and Walnut Coconut Chutney for a complete meal.

MASALA DOSA

Dosa (Indian savory crepe) is a popular dish from South Indian cuisine. The dosa batter consists of rice and lentils. Rice and lentils are soaked overnight and grind it into a smooth consistency batter. Dosa batter is fermented till it doubles in volume. Light, and crispy dosa, filled with Classic Aloo Masala (Potato Stuffing) and served with some Sambar and Coconut Chutney.  Dosa makes an excellent breakfast/brunch, lunch or even dinner for a complete well-balanced meal.

NAV DHAN MASALA DOSA

After I shared no-rice dosa recipes,  Mixed Lentils Dosa and Quinoa Mysore Masala Dosa. I got many request to share some more no-rice dosa recipes. Here I am sharing one more no-rice Nav Dhan Masala dosa recipe. This dosa is made with combination of 9 beans mix, quinoa and lentils. Making this dosa, fibre and protein-rich. Nav Dhan dosa can be enjoyed plain or with some potato stuffing. Either way this dosa tastes amazing!!

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASALA DOSA AND NAV DHAN MASALA DOSA

Traditional masala dosa batter consists of rice and lentils. The dosa is stuffed with some Classic Aloo Masala (Potato Stuffing), and served with some Sambar and Coconut Chutney.

Nav Dhan Masala dosa batter consists of 9 beans mix, quinoa and lentils, and no-rice. Inspired by my Quinoa Mysore Masala Dosa [no rice dosa], I made this Red Chutney Aloo Masala (potato stuffing) to go with the dosa. This stuffing is a bit spicy, you can adjust the spice level as per taste. My hubby loves spicy food, and this red chutney stuffing is his favorite way to enjoy this dosa. I like to serve this dosa with some Udupi Sambar [Temple Style Sambar] and some Walnut coconut chutney.

Pic Shown: Top to bottom – Udupi Sambar, Walnut Coconut Chutney, Nav Dhan Masala Dosa[no rice dosa]

INGREDIENTS FOR NAV DHAN MASALA DOSA

FOR DOSA BATTER

1/2 cup nav dhan mix

2 cups quinoa

1/2 cup urad dal (split black lentils)

1/2 teaspoon methi dana (fenugreek seeds)

ADD AT THE TIME OF MAKING DOSA

salt to taste

1/8 teaspoon asafoetida (hing), optional

FOR ALOO MASALA (POTATO STUFFING)

1 recipe Red Chutney Aloo Masala(Spicy Potato Stuffing)

NAV DHAN DOSA BATTER

Nav dhan dosa batter is made in a similar way as the traditional dosa batter. Basic steps for preparing the dosa batter remains the same. 9 Beans mix, lentils and quinoa are soaked for few hours. Grind it into dosa batter consistency. Ferment the dosa batter. Fermentation adds ton of flavor to the dosa.

Quinoa and rice can be used in this recipe. I have used quinoa for this recipe.

Here's a step by step guide, for a fool proof dosa batter, to help you make a perfect, paper-thin, dosa. Enjoy!

PREP FOR DOSA BATTER

Rinse the beans mix, lentils thoroughly, discard any stones, or debris. Soak in double the amount of water for minimum of 8 hours.

Re-hydrated beans and lentils double in size and become soft. Soak beans and lentils separately. I soak one cup of beans in 2 cups of water. Make sure there is enough water for the beans to re-hydrate. Soak 1 cup of lentils in 2 cups of water.

Rinse the quinoa under water for few minutes. Rinsing the quinoa, removes it's natural coating, known as saponin. This makes quinoa taste less bitter. After, the quinoa is rinsed thoroughly soak the quinoa in 2 cups of water for 4 hours.

GRIND DOSA BATTER

First grind beans into a slightly coarse texture, add water as needed. Transfer the batter into the bowl. Next, add lentils and grind it to a smooth consistency. Add water as needed. Transfer the batter into a bowl.

Now, add quinoa to the blender, water as needed to grind it into a fine consistency. Transfer the quinoa batter along with beans and lentils batter.

Mix beans, lentils and quinoa batter thoroughly.

The consistency of this batter is similar to a pancake batter.

FERMENT DOSA BATTER – INSTANT POT

I use Instant pot for fermenting the dosa batter. Please refer to the post for – Traditional And Oven Method For Fermenting Dosa Batter

Add the dosa batter directly into the inner pot.

Turn ON yogurt (low) setting, and set it to 8 hours. Cover the inner pot with a glass lid or any plate that fits on it and let it ferment.

Add salt, mix well and the dosa batter is ready to be used.

Traditional Method For Fermenting Dosa Batter

In most homes in India, this is the method used for fermenting the dosa batter. The batter is left on a counter top or in a nice warm place, away from any vent or direct sunlight.

If the weather is nice and warm, the batter ferments in no time. In summer, it only takes few hours for batter to ferment. In winters it may take up to a day.

Oven Method For Fermenting Dosa Batter

I live in a cold place and with temperatures in single digits, I find this method quite helpful. Fermenting the batter in an oven is efficient and fail proof.

I warm the oven to the lowest temperature setting, and turn OFF the oven. Place the batter inside the oven to ferment.

Alternatively, if you have an oven light, you can leave the light ON and batter ferments beautifully. No need to turn ON the oven.

HOW TO MAKE NAV DHAN MASALA DOSA

Fill a small bowl with ice cold water, and couple of paper towels.

Heat a cast iron dosa tawa or a non-stick griddle. Sprinkle some water, and wipe it with damp paper towel. Add few drops of oil, and wipe it with a damp towel. Reduce the heat to low, ladle spoonful of dosa batter in the center of the griddle.

Starting from the center of the griddle, using a circular motion, spread the dosa batter evenly as possible.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the dosa. Drizzle some ghee or oil, and spread it using a spatula. (For vegan use oil.)

Note: As the dosa gets cooked, the center and the edges of the dosa start to brown.

Spread couple of tablespoon of potato stuffing. You can add filling of your choice. Please refer to the post for – Types of Potato Stuffing For Masala Dosa

Run the spatula around the edges of the dosa, and carefully fold the dosa into thirds, as shown in pic.

Nav dhan masala dosa is ready to be devoured. Serve dosa hot with some Udupi Sambar, and Walnut Coconut Chutney.

IMPORTANT: Follow this simple routine for making dosa each time. Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle some cold water onto griddle, wipe it with a damp paper towel. Add a few drops of oil, and wipe it with a damp towel. Make sure to bring down the temperature of the griddle.

Note: If the griddle is too hot, the batter will stick to griddle, and will not be able to spread. To spread the batter evenly, it is important that every time you start with a warm griddle not hot. Continue with the remaining batter.

TYPES OF POTATO STUFFING FOR MASALA DOSA

For the stuffing for the dosa, there are endless possibilities, stuff it to your heart's desire. From the classic aloo masala (potato filling), to more trendy one pav-bhaji filling. Some of the dosa filling my family relishes are:

Classic Potato Stuffing

Red Chutney Aloo Masala (Spicy Potato Stuffing)

Pav Bhaji

Paneer Bhurji

Kheema Or Egg Bhurji

Cheese

Pic Shown: Top to bottom – Udupi Sambar, Walnut Coconut Chutney, Red Chutney Aloo Masala [Spicy Potato Stuffing]

PRO TIPS FOR PERFECT DOSA BATTER

Soak the beans and lentils for minimum of 8 hours or soft enough.

Use just enough water to grind the beans, lentils and quinoa. Grind them separately.

Grind beans to a slightly coarse consistency, lentils smooth and quinoa to a fine consistency. This combination of texture gives a nice crisp dosa.

You can use wet/dry stone grinder or a simple mixer grinder to grind the batter.

If using mixer grinder, work in small batches. I prefer to grind the batter in batches. This helps maintain the texture of the batter.

I use cold water to grind the batter. This helps prevent excessive heating of the mixer grinder.

The consistency of the dosa batter is similar to a pancake batter. Batter is not too thick or too thin.

Ferment the batter well. It improves the taste, and texture of the dosa. Fermented batter can be preserved for longer.

PRO TIPS FOR PAPER-THIN, CRISP DOSA

Use a flat bottom ladle, with a larger surface area. It helps spread the batter more evenly and thin.

After you pour the batter onto a griddle, work quickly. Using back of a ladle, evenly spread the batter outwards as thin as possible, using circular motion.

You can even out the edges with the spatula or remove the excess batter for a thinner, crispier edge.

Drizzle some ghee or oil, for an additional flavor and crispiness.

Follow this simple routine for making dosa each time. Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle some cold water onto griddle, wipe it with a damp paper towel. Add few drops of oil and wipe it with a damp towel. Make sure to bring down the temperature of the griddle.

If the griddle is too hot, the batter will stick to griddle, and will not be able to spread. To spread the batter evenly, it is important that every time you start with a warm griddle not hot. Continue with the remaining batter.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

TYPES OF BEANS AND LENTILS USED

Nav Dhan masala dosa is made with a combination of 9 beans mix, quinoa (white) and urad dal (split black lentils). I used store bought 9 beans mix for this recipe. You can make 9 beans mix at home. Take equal quantity of all the 9 different beans. Kidney beans, moong whole, kala chana, black eye beans, red chori, muth, urad whole, val whole, and toor whole.

WHAT TYPE OF QUINOA TO USE

Quinoa comes in different color – white, red, black, tricolor. I have white quinoa, as it is least bitter of all.

You can substitute quinoa completely with rice or use half rice and half quinoa, recipe works just fine.

CAN I USE RICE

Yes, you can use white or brown rice along with other ingredients. 1/3 – 1/2 cup of rice is good for this recipe.

WHY FERMENT DOSA BATTER

Fermented dosa batter can be preserved for longer. It has a great texture, is easy to spread and dosa tastes amazing.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THE DOSA BATTER IS FERMENTED WELL

The fermentation process takes good 8-12 hours. Keep checking the batter in-between to make sure that the fermentation is going well.

A well fermented batter will almost double in size. It will be thick, fluffy and will develop small bubbles or air pockets. It has a distinct tart flavor, starts to smell slightly sour.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THE BATTER HAS GONE BAD

Fermenting the batter longer, can result batter going bad. You will notice color change of the batter. Batter may turn pinkish in color, smells unpleasant, and may develop some black spots (mold).

Discard the batter, it is not safe to use.

MY DOSA DIDN'T TURN CRISPY

The texture of the dosa batter is a key to getting a crisp dosa. Grind the beans to slightly coarse, lentils smooth and quinoa to a fine consistency. This helps achieve a nice crisp dosa.

Since this batter does not consist any rice, the dosa will be slightly soft as compared to the traditional rice dosa. You can mix 1/2 cup of rice flour to the batter, and than use this batter to make dosa. This will also help achieve crispy dosa.

HOW LONG DOES THE DOSA BATTER STAY FRESH

A good fermented dosa batter lasts for up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

You can freeze the dosa batter for up to a month. Store it in a freezer safe container. Defrost the batter in the refrigerator or on a counter top. And your dosa batter is ready for some delicious homemade dosa.

WHAT TYPE OF GRIDDLE TO USE

Cast iron dosa pan or a thick hard anodized griddle, can be used to make dosa.

Griddle size 10-13 inch is a perfect size to make homemade dosa.

For nonstick or cast iron dosa tava. Here's the link to Amazon

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SOME MORE DOSA RECIPES FROM BLOG!

Quinoa Mysore Masala Dosa [no rice dosa]

Mixed Lentils Dosa [no rice dosa]

LOVE SOUTH INDIAN FOOD? HERE'RE SOME MORE RECIPES FROM BLOG!

Red Chutney Aloo Masala [Spicy Potato Stuffing]

Udupi Sambar [Temple Style Sambar]

Walnut Coconut Chutney

Mysore Masala Dosa Red Chutney

Tiffin Sambar

Classic Aloo Masala (Potato Stuffing)

Coconut Chutney

Quinoa Idli [no rice idli]

Instant Rava Idli

Cranberry Sambar

Cranberry Coconut Chutney

How to Make Dosa Batter in Instant Pot

Source: https://www.livingsmartandhealthy.com/nav-dhan-masala-dosa/

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