5 Mistakes To Avoid While Making A Dosa: Here's What You're Doing Wrong

A perfectly crisp dosa is like a slice of heaven, don't you agree? There's just something incredible about how a simple batter can be transformed into that golden-brown delight that we call a dosa. You may ask how restaurants and street food vendors perform this 'miracle.' The truth is, you can try doing it at home too! Sure, you might not succeed on the first try. But you can gradually get better at it. With the right practices, your dosas will at least stop being sticky or dense. (Pro-tip: the next time your dosa becomes too thick, just declare that you've made a kind of uttapam!) But have you wondered what you are doing wrong? Have you tried and failed to make crispy dosas at home? Here are 5 possible reasons for your dosa problems:

5 Mistakes To Avoid While Making A Dosa:

1. Using cold batter

Whether you make your own dosa batter or buy it from outside, you probably store it in the refrigerator for later use. Especially when the climate is hot, there is no other option but to cool the batter to prevent it from going sour. However, never use cold batter immediately after removing it from the fridge. If you do, you'll have trouble spreading the dosa on the tawa. Cold batter yields sticky, lumpy dosas that are far from the target consistency. Hence, always remember to let your batter sit for around 15-20 minutes (or until it's near room temperature) before you start making dosas.

(Also Read: Ragi Dosa To Chicken Dosa: 5 Protein-Packed Dosa Recipes You Should Try Today)

2. Adding too much water to the batter

This mistake can happen either when you are making the batter or when you are using leftover batter. Some kinds of dosas, like the neer dosa, require the batter to be thinner than usual. However, regular dosas should be made using a slightly coarse batter. Another problem you may face is refrigerated batter that has become too thick. Remember to add water sparingly and mix it well. If the dosa batter has too much water, the dosa will not stay intact later on.
(Also Read: How To Make The Perfect Dosa Batter- 7 Easy Tips)

3. Greasing the tawa wrongly

You can use oil, butter or ghee to grease your tawa. Ensure that you add a sufficient amount and spread it across the entire surface of the tawa. The tawa should be heated before you grease it. You may have seen roadside vendors sprinkling a few drops of water on the tawa before making the dosa. If the water sizzles and quickly evaporates, it means that the tawa is hot enough to begin. You can try doing this carefully at home, too. Another trick is to wrap half an onion in a thin cloth and soak it in a little bit of oil. You can then use this onion to evenly grease your dosa tawa. Remember to add more oil/butter around the edges of your dosa once you have spread the batter. You have to repeat this for every dosa you make.

(Also Read: How To Make Instant Crispy Dosa In Just 15 Mins, Recipe Video Inside)

4. Using a moist tawa

Take care that your tawa is completely dry before you start heating and greasing it. Never reuse a tawa without wiping it dry and removing any old food particles. Any such 'foreign' elements will create a problem later. If your dosas tend to always stick to your tawa, you can try fixing it by using flour. This technique is simple: take a little bit of flour (or atta) and rub it gently along the entire surface of the tawa. Ensure that you cover the sides too. Turn the tawa upside down to dust off the flour and use a dry cloth to wipe off any excess flour. This removes the moisture from the tawa and will save your dosas from sticking to the tawa.

5. Adding the batter too late

Making the perfect dosa is also about getting temperatures right. As discussed earlier, using a batter that is too cold is never a good idea. Similarly, you also need to check the temperature of your tawa. If you let the tawa get too hot before adding the batter, it won't get spread in a circular shape. Rather, it will start getting cooked at the spot where you added the first spoon of batter. This will lead to a thick, uneven dosa. So take care to add the batter when the tawa is just heated and not scalding hot.

Most people agree that making perfect, restaurant-style dosas at home takes patience and practice. Over time, one gets better at it. But even if you are a beginner, avoid these rookie mistakes.