Onion Rava Dosa is a popular breakfast recipe of South India. It also happens to be one of the most ordered recipe at any hotel for breakfast as they serve it thin and crisp like paper roast with 3 types of chutneys and sambar. The juicy and succulent onions that you bite in between lends a sweet tinge while its also mildly spicy and flavorsome from the green chilies and whole spices we add to the batter. There is no need to soak rice and dals, grinding and fermenting and you can make it instant in a jiffy.
My Grandma uses the buttermilk that is left out after churning butter from the curd (yogurt) to make the batter without wasting it instead of using water. We do not drink that buttermilk as it is without any flavor and is also not that tasty to drink. But I use just water as I do not get milk that is rich enough to get butter.
I avoid curry leaves as my kids complain of having to pick them out from Dosa. So first I make dosas for them and then add the freshly torn leaves while I make dosas for myself and hubby.
I also add finely chopped onions only on top of the dosa. I have seen people sprinkling onion first on the pan and then pouring the batter over them. While both comes out well and tastes the same, in the second method you have to clean the pan of onion pieces that might stick to the pan. I do not grease the pan also and this ensures crispy dosas. (Read the Notes).
Instant Onion Rava Dosa Recipe
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 4
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast
Ingredients:
- Rava (Suji / Cream of wheat) – 1 cup
- Rice flour – 1 cup
- All purpose flour (maida) – 1/4 cup
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Whole black pepper corns – 1/2 tsp
- Onion, finely chopped – 1
- Green chilies, finely chopped – 1
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig (optional)
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 2 tbsp
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, mix together rava, rice flour, maida, salt together. Add 4 to 4-1/2 cups water and make a thin batter without any lumps.
- Add finely chopped green chilies, cumin seeds, black pepper corns, curry leaves (if using)and mix well. If the batter is not thin enough, add more water. Adjust and check for salt.
- Heat a tawa pan or girdle and let it become hot. Scoop some water in your palm and splash it (throw with force) on the pan. The water droplets with sizzle and the pan will dry out. Immediately pour the thin batter in a circular motion. Do not level the top using ladle but fill out the gaps by pouring the batter.
- Sprinkle onions on top and drizzle a few drops of oil around the dosa. Cook over low flame till it turns crisp. No need to flip it. So fold and transfer to a plate.
- Serve piping hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
Notes:
- Whether you use non stick or whatever pan, do not grease before making dosa but follow step-3. After you take off one dosa from the pan, wait for the pan to get hot, splash water and then pour the batter. This will make crispy, lacy, paper thin dosas.
- Make dosas immediately after making the batter. The rava in the batter will keep absorbing water and the more you rest the batter, the more thick it will get.
- If the batter becomes thick, dilute with enough water and adjust salt accordingly.
- Since the batter is very thin, the water will stand on top and all the main ingredients gets settled at the bottom. So, mix the batter from the bottom every time before you make a dosa.
Here are some more recipes that are made using Rava (Sooji/Suji)