Click here to watch me prepare this recipe on my IGTV.

To be honest, I  grew up hating dosa. It was always a special occasion meal in my home and I never understood why. I didn’t care for sambhar, or the plain dosa batter, and the only way I’d eat it is if it were stuffed with cheese (obviously). Traditional dosa batter takes a couple of days to prepare and includes soaking rice, blending it to a silky smooth consistency, and then fermenting it for up to a day. It is definitely a labor of love! Aside from the actual dosa batter, it is served with potato stuffing, multiple chutneys (my mom does cilantro chutney and Dahi chutney), and is served with sambhar or rasam. Now you get why it was such a special occasion meal?

Rava dosa is very different in that it’s more “instant”. As much as I love a quick shortcut, I love rava dosa not just for how easy they are to make- but I think they taste phenomenal! They are crispy and have so many flavor elements you don’t get in traditional dosa like ginger, onions, cilantro, etc. The only problem is it takes like 20 rava dosa to feel full, LOL!

I’m sharing this recipe with you all today with so much excitement because it is something we’ve been making once a week in my house and I’m frankly obsessed! If you leave out the green chilis and tone down the spice- its also very kid-friendly (tastes so good with cheese in it).

The cilantro coconut chutney is my adaptation from my MIL’s coconut chutney recipe – her coconut chutney was good but I  wanted to elevate the flavors with cilantro and green chili and I cannot go back to eating plain coconut chutney after this! It is soooo good! If you follow me on @thechutneylife you’ve heard me rave about my masi’s garlic chutney too and since I  had some already prepared- I  just had to eat it with the dosa too- it’s a flavor explosion!!!

I   hope you all enjoy this recipe and if you attempt it, please be sure to tag me in @thechutneylife!

Rava Onion Dosa with Cilantro Coconut Chutney

Prep

Cook

Inactive

Total

Yield 8-10 Dosas

Ingredients

Rava Dosa Batter:

1/2 cup course sooji (rava)

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup all purpose

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp hing

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro

3/4 cup finely diced red onion

1.5 tbsp finely chopped green chilis

1 tsp ginger, finely grated

1/4 cup yogurt added to 1.5 cups water mixed well

2 cups water

Cilantro Coconut Chutney:

1/2 cup grated coconut (frozen or fresh)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

3-4 Thai Green Chilis

1 heaping tbsp chana dalia

1/4 cup water

1 inch piece ginger

salt

Tempering:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

8 curry leaves

pinch hing

1.5 tbsp oil

Garlic Chutney:

2 tbsp grated garlic cloves

2-3 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola, less or more oil based on preference)

1 tsp red chili powder (cayenne aka lal mirch)

1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare the batter by mixing together the sooji, rice flour, salt, all purpose flour, hing, onions, cumin seeds, ginger, and cilantro with a whisk or a fork until well combined. Slowly add the yogurt water mixture in batches while whisking in between so you don't have any lumps. Set the batter aside, covered for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the remaining 2 cups of water to the batter and mix well. The batter should have the consistency of thin buttermilk. It will look very watery!
  2. Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add about  1 tsp of oil and use a paper towel wipe it evenly around the pan.
  3. Use a ladle, or measuring cup with a spout to pour batter into the pan. To create a dosa that is lacy, pouring from 6-8 inches above the pan (so you get a splattering effect) is ideal! Start pouring batter from the outside towards the inside, and be sure to never go over one part of poured batter with more poured batter. Some people also find it easier to use their hands to throw palm fulls of batter on to the pan (be careful doing this as the pan is very hot ).
  4. Once you have a lacey dosa let it cook for about 1- 2 minutes until the batter goes from looking wet to dry and you can see the bottom is turning golden. At this point drizzle a tiny amount of oil around the perimeter of the dosa, and a few drops of oil around the rest of the surface of the dosa. You may need to adjust the heat at certain steps (keeping it hot while pouring the batter, and lowering it slightly while the batter cooks- depending on your stove). 
  5. After you pour the oil, the dosa will now start to sizzle, cook faster and after about one minute, use a spatula to start to pull the edges of the dosa away from the pan. Do this all around the perimeter, loosening about the outer 2 inches of dosa all around before going any further in. 
  6. Once you’ve loosened the dosa from the perimeter, slowly start to scrape it off completely and transfer to a dish. (I like to serve it folded) fold it over (you do not need to flip to cook it- this will make it less crispy)
  7. NOTE: In between each dosa, lightly oil the pan and wipe with a paper towel- this keeps things from sticking
  8. If you are making a cilantro cheese stuffed dosa, then add the cheese immediately after you’ve removed the dosa from the pan. If you add the cheese to the pan, it will melt through all of the holes in the dosa and make it difficult to scrape off.
  9. Serve dosas with coconut green chutney and garlic chutney!

Coconut Cilantro Chutney:

  1. In a small blender (ideally one with a small blender attachment since this yields a small amount - or double the recipe to make a larger amount) combine the shredded coconut, cilantro, ginger, salt, chana dalia, green chilis and water until everything is smooth and flowing freely in the blender. If you need to add additional water (add it one tbsp at a time, scraping down the blender each time you re mix). The chutney should be a thick consistency.
  2. Empty the chutney into a bowl and prepare the tempering.
  3. In a small saucepan or pot heat oil on high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the urad dal and hing. Wait about 30 seconds and add in the curry leaves and let them splutter for a few seconds, give everything a quick swirl and pour the tempering directly on the cilantro chutney. Mix it all together and serve with rava dosa. 
  4. Leftover chutney can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen in ice cube trays.

Garlic Chutney:

  1. Combine the grated garlic, cayenne pepper (lal mirch powder), salt and oil in a small bowl and mix well. Serve with rava dosa. Keep extra chutney refrigerated. 

Notes

It takes a bit of practice learning to pour the batter so you get a proper consistency, learn to adjust the right heat setting - etc. so do not be dismayed if it doesn't turn out right the first time! It takes a few tries to get it right- and then you will be hooked to making these constantly !!