Rava Dosa
Thin, lacy crepes of semolina, rice flour and plain flour with cumin and black pepper, poured from a height onto a hot pan.
Photograph credit: Rava dosa by w:en:User:Chaitanya.lala · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
How to Cook Rava Dosa
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Whisk the semolina, rice flour, plain flour, yoghurt, water and salt to a very thin batter. Stir in the cumin, pepper, chilli and coriander. Rest for 30 minutes.
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Heat a flat non-stick or cast-iron pan over a medium-high heat until a splash of water sizzles and vanishes.
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Stir the batter well. Pour a ladleful from a height of 10 cm in a spiral, from the outside in, leaving gaps. Scatter with a little onion.
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Drizzle a teaspoon of oil around the edges and cook for 3 minutes until golden and crisp. Fold and serve at once.
Keep an Eye on These
- Keep stirring the batter between dosas.
- Lower the heat a little if the first dosa browns too fast.
- Do not flip; the top cooks from the steam.
Ingredient Swaps
- Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
The Short Version
Rava dosa began as a shortcut, and it was made for people who did not want to wait for a batter to ferment overnight. Semolina (rava), rice flour and plain flour are mixed with sour yoghurt and water, rested for 30 minutes, and poured straight onto a hot pan.
The batter is very thin, much thinner than any pancake batter, about like single cream. That is why it makes holes. Stir the batter before every dosa. The semolina settles to the bottom in seconds, and the last dosa from an unstirred batter comes out thick and pale.
The pan has to be hot. Test it with a splash of water: it should sizzle and vanish. Pour the batter from a height of 10 cm, starting at the outside and working in a spiral to the middle, with gaps left on purpose. Drizzle oil around the edges.
Cook for 3 minutes without flipping, until the underside is golden and the surface looks dry. Fold and serve straight away. Rava dosa goes soft within minutes if it is left.
To Go With It
Coconut chutney · Sambar · Tomato chutney · Masala chai
Keeping Rava Dosa
Best eaten at once. The batter keeps in the fridge for 1 day; stir well.
Quick Answers
How long does Rava Dosa take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 1 hour 30 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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