Dosa
One of the most famous South Indian breads. A perfect crisp crepe-like bread prepared with rice and dal (lentil). These days, you can buy packaged mixes from your local Indian grocer. They save the soaking and fermenting time. (you can also purchase these online at www.namaste.com.)

Ingredients
• 4 cups long grain rice
• 1 cup white urad dal ( also called Dhuli Urad)
• ¾ cups water (approximately)
• Salt to taste
• 2 -3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method
Soak the dal in water for at least 3 -4 hours. Drain and set aside.
Soak the rice in water for at least 4 – 6 hours. Drain and set aside.
Put the the dal and a few tablespoons of water into a blender. Blend to a smooth consistency. The trick here is to try to do with it as little water as possible.

Remove from blender and place in a bowl.
Now add the rice and salt to the blender, again with ½ cup of water. Blend to a paste – this will not be as smooth as the dal paste. Add more water if needed.
Add the rice batter to the dal batter and mix well. Your batter should have the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Leave the batter to ferment overnight. This needs a warm environment. I generally warm the oven. Turn it off and then place the batter in it to ferment. An oven with a pilot light works well as well.

Now we are ready to make the dosas.
Heat a non-stick skillet. Using a paper napkin, dipped in a bit of oil, wipe the skillet.
Using a small glass bowl or a metal bowl (anything with a flat base), pour a ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet.

Using the bowl, make concentric circles to spread out the dosa.

Sprinkle a few drops of oil to prevent the dosa from sticking.

You will begin to see small bubbles forming and the dosa will begin to crisp.
Using your spatula, carefully roll the dosa off the skillet.

Serve hot.

There are many ways to stuff the dosas. You can also eat them plain with your choice of chutneys. See the Indian Forum for some lively discussions on Dosa and some noteworthy chutney recipes.