Masala dosa, a vegetarian recipe from India

Name: Masala dosa
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 300 g plain white rice; 100 g skinned urad dal; ½ tsp fenugreek seeds; 1½ tsp salt; 600 g floury potatoes; 1 large onion, sliced; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 15 curry leaves; 2 green chillies, split; 2 cm piece of ginger, grated; 5 tbsp neutral oil

Masala dosa

Local name: मसाला दोसा

A thin, crisp fermented rice crêpe rolled around a soft turmeric potato filling, straight from South India.

Published on 7 February 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#crepe#fermented#potato#rice#south indian

Method

The morning before, soak the rice and the urad dal with fenugreek separately in cold water for 6 hours.
Grind each with a little soaking water: the dal should turn frothy, the rice stay faintly gritty. Combine, salt, and ferment 10 to 14 hours somewhere warm, until the batter doubles and smells tangy.
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and crush them roughly with a fork.
Heat 2 tbsp oil, pop the mustard seeds, then add the curry leaves, chillies, ginger and onion and soften for 6 minutes.
Stir in the turmeric, potatoes, salt and 60 ml water and cook gently for 3 minutes into a soft filling.
Heat a flat pan over medium-high heat, wipe it with an oiled cloth, pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it outwards in a spiral.
Drizzle oil around the edge and cook for 2 to 3 minutes without flipping, until golden and lifting away on its own, then spoon in the potato and roll.

Fermentation is the one step you cannot rush: below 22 °C give it a full night, and stand the bowl in a switched-off oven with the light on. Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

Frequently asked questions

My batter did not ferment. What went wrong?

Almost always temperature: below about 22C fermentation is slow or stalls entirely. Put the bowl in a switched-off oven with the light on and allow a full night. It is ready when it has doubled, is dotted with bubbles and smells pleasantly sour.

Why grind the rice and urad dal separately?

They behave differently: the urad dal must be ground until frothy, because its proteins trap the gas from fermentation, while the rice should stay slightly gritty to give crispness. Ground together, you lose one or the other.

My dosa sticks to the pan. What should I do?

The pan was not hot enough or not prepared. Wipe it with an oiled cloth between each one and test the heat with a few drops of water, which should sizzle and vanish at once. Do not try to prise the dosa loose: it releases itself once the edges are golden.

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Masala dosa

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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