Sada Dosa (Plain Dosa)

 South Indian cuisine is an all-time favorite for me, from childhood I have been a fan of the taste and variety of classics that South Indian cuisine has to offer. The ubiquitous Dosa,Vada,Idli,Appam,Uthapam,Sambar, Rasam being the dishes that we can find all over the country and give us the refreshing flavor punch we crave from this cuisine. 
In Calcutta there are number of "South Indian" restaurants and I was always happy to visit those, but never tried my hands in preparing these dishes before. Being a Bong and preparing Dosa at home was an achievement for me :) 
Before you are tempted to prepare dosa at home  give yourself a prep break of a day. There are number of varieties of Dosa but to begin with I have tried the recipe for Sada (Plain) Dosa as mentioned below.

Prep Time : 12 hrs - 1 day
Cooking Time: 5 mins (1 dosa)
Yield: 12 large dosas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups parboiled rice (Idli rice)
• 1/2 cup split urad dal (white lentil)
• 12-15 fenugreek seeds (methi)
• Salt
• Oil

Method:
Get two containers,one to soak rice and the other for dal and methi. Keep them soaked for a minimum of 3 hrs.

First grind the rice. You can use mixer or wet grinder and grind into a fine smooth batter.Pour the batter into a large bowl.

Grind the urad dal and methi into a smooth velvety batter.

Once done mix the rice batter. Keep aside and allow it to ferment overnight (minimum 10 hrs).

Next day mix the batter well with some water ,pour gradually and keep stirring to reach a slightly liquid consistency(but not runny).At this stage add 1 tsp salt. 

Heat a nonstick skillet(pan) on high heat,add few drops of water.The water should sizzle and evaporate.Add 1 tsp of oil and spread it evenly.

          Now add one ladle of the batter and spread it evenly on the whole pan.

          Let it cook for about 3 minutes. You will be able to see the bottom cooked.

Turn it with a spatula and cook for about a minute.

   Fold and serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Notes:

• You can spread the oil on the pan with the help of onion or a cooking brush.
• Even after grinding the rice for a long time, you might see the batter is coarse.Grind it more into a fine batter.
• If you are facing problem to spread the batter on the hot skillet,then turn off the heat while spreading the mixture,then turn on the heat again.
• If the Dosa sticks to the bottom and is difficult to turn  then  add some more oil to the Dosa.