Crispy Onion Rava Dosa

Crispy Onion Rava Dosa is the gateway dosa, or savory South Indian crepe.

This lacy dosa is dubbed the "instant dosa" because it doesn't require the maavu, or batter, to be fermented like its counterparts. But don't be fooled; the fact that it comes together quickly doesn't mean that it lacks in complexity. This dosa is made from Rava, or Semolina, which gives the dosa its crunch when you break off a piece. The flavor is enhanced from the deeply caramelized bits of red onion, bright fresh ginger, and large crushed bits of black peppercorns for bite. My recipe also calls for a bit of baking soda and sugar which allows this batter to beautifully brown on the tava, or large circular griddle.

The only part of this recipe that comes with practice is achieving the beautifully lacy appearance of the dosa. This trick to this is moving your ladle of batter in a swift, confident motion slightly elevated from the pan so you get a Jackson Pollock kind of splatter of batter. 

Crispy Onion Rava Dosa

Shri Repp

Crispy Onion Rava (Semolina) Dosa is a quick and easy South Indian crepe to dunk into chutneys and sambars!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Servings 8 dosas

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Ingredients

 

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Batter Ingredients

• ½ cup (80 g) rice flour
• ½ cup (95 g) sooji (coarse) aka semolina (it's ok if you use fine sooji but it won't be as crisp)
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (finely grated)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon black pepper coarsely crushed
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups water

Dosa Additions

• 1 red onion medium, finely chopped
• 1-2 Thai or Fresno Chilies finely chopped (optional, for additional heat)

Other Ingredients

• Oil or ghee as needed

Instructions

 

Prep Ingredients

1. Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush ½ teaspoon black pepper.
2. Finely grate enough fresh ginger to yield ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (finely grated).
3. Finely dice 1 red onion and set aside.
4. Finely dice 1-2 Thai or Fresno Chilies.

Make Maavu (batter)

1. Mix ½ cup (80 g) rice flour, ½ cup (95 g) sooji (coarse) , ¼ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (finely grated), ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon black pepper. (lightly crushed), ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 3 cups water Let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes so the semolina can hydrate.
2. Mix the batter throughly and in between making dosas. The batter should be runny. You can add up to an additional cup of water to achieve a thin runny batter.

Make Dosas

1. Heat a large tava or nonstick skillet to medium heat.
2. Sprinkle a handful of chopped chilis and red onions evenly over your pan (amount is up to your preference).
3. Ladle ~½ cup of batter from an elevated height from your pan. Move ladle in swift and confident motion across the pan to achieve a lacy and hole-y dosa. 
4. Evenly drizzle a generous ½ tablespoon of oil or ghee over the dosa.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and let dosa crisp and brown for 3-4 minutes. No need to flip the dosa -- just fold and serve. Enjoy with chutney or sambar.

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