Set Dosa, Home Made Set Dosa Batter, Set Dosa Recipe

Recipe for spongy white set dosa recipe. Made with rice and atukulu / poha. Makes for an excellent breakfast. With step by step pictures.

The thing I like about set dosa is that its really so soft and so good for dunking in chutney or kurma / sagu. Its common in restaurants here in Bangalore and the name set dosa kind of intrigued me. At first, I just thought it was a set of uthappam served with kurma. But everytime I ate it, I dint know how they could get the dosa so soft and spongy. Later on, I learnt that the batter itself is completely different. The softness of the batter comes from the atukulu or poha (Aval). Also the addition of yogurt makes the batter so soft and so delicious. Its usually served with vegetable sagu / kurma. This is a very famous dish from the udipi region of karnataka. Here is my way of doing it.

We will need a cup of idly rice (I used salem car rice). Use idly rice only. Raw rice does not work very well for this recipe. Idly rice is easily available in grocery shops these days. We will need quarter cup of unpolished whole white urad dal, half a cup of poha (aval/atukulu) and half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. To know in detail about the ingredients that we usually use for making idli dosa batter, Check out my post on how to make soft idlis.

Wash all the ingredients together 2-3 times in running water to get rid of dust and dirt. Soak the ingredients in a bowl with lots of water for 2 hours. Drain the water and set aside.

Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste. While grinding add half a cup of yogurt and a cup of water. The batter needs to be ground to a really fine smooth paste. If the mixie wont budge, grind the batter in 2-3 batches.

Once the batter is ready, cover the batter bowl with a lid and let it to ferment in a warm draft free place for 12 hours. If the place where you live is cold, leave it inside the oven with the pilot light on. After the fermentation, Set Dosa batter should have increased in volume and should look foamy. Mix in the salt. The batter is ready. We are ready to do dosas.

Heat a dosa griddle/pan until medium hot. Apply few drops of oil on the griddle. Ladle the batter and pour it onto the griddle. Do not spread the batter like you do normal dosa. Spread it ever so lightly if necessary. Lots of holes will start forming on the top of the dosa. Cover the griddle with a lid and let it cook for 40 seconds on low medium flame. This dosa is usually cooked only on one side.

Note: If you feel the dosa is sticky, flip the dosa and cook for 20 seconds.

The dosas are ready when the top is completely cooked and the bubbles have settled.

Remove the dosa from the griddle and repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve the dosa hot with vegetable sagu / kurma or a spicy kaara chutney.

• Measurements used – 1 cup = 250ml

For grinding batter

• 1 cup idly rice
• 1/4 cup unpolished whole white urad dal
• 1/2 cup poha (aval / atukulu)
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 cup water

Other ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil for griddle while making dosa

1. Wash all the ingredients together 2-3 times in running water to get rid of dust and dirt. Soak the ingredients in a bowl with lots of water for 2 hours. Drain the water and set aside.
2. Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste. While grinding add half a cup of yogurt and a cup of water. The batter needs to be ground to a really fine smooth paste. If the mixie wont budge, grind the batter in 2-3 batches.
3. Once the batter is ready, cover the batter bowl with a lid and let it to ferment in a warm draft free place for 12 hours. If the place where you live is cold, leave it inside the oven with the pilot light on. After the fermentation, Set Dosa batter should have increased in volume and should look foamy. Mix in the salt. The batter is ready.
4. Heat a dosa griddle/pan until medium hot. Apply few drops of oil on the griddle. Ladle the batter and pour it onto the griddle. Cover the griddle with a lid and let it cook for 40 seconds on low medium flame.
5. Remove the dosa from the griddle and repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve the dosa hot with vegetable sagu / kurma or a spicy kaara chutney.

Notes

Store the left over batter in the refrigerator and use within 2 days.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 12 hours
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Breakfast, dosa
• Cuisine: South Indian

• Measurements used – 1 cup = 250ml

For grinding batter

• 1 cup idly rice
• 1/4 cup unpolished whole white urad dal
• 1/2 cup poha (aval / atukulu)
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 cup water

Other ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil for griddle while making dosa

1. Wash all the ingredients together 2-3 times in running water to get rid of dust and dirt. Soak the ingredients in a bowl with lots of water for 2 hours. Drain the water and set aside.
2. Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste. While grinding add half a cup of yogurt and a cup of water. The batter needs to be ground to a really fine smooth paste. If the mixie wont budge, grind the batter in 2-3 batches.
3. Once the batter is ready, cover the batter bowl with a lid and let it to ferment in a warm draft free place for 12 hours. If the place where you live is cold, leave it inside the oven with the pilot light on. After the fermentation, Set Dosa batter should have increased in volume and should look foamy. Mix in the salt. The batter is ready.
4. Heat a dosa griddle/pan until medium hot. Apply few drops of oil on the griddle. Ladle the batter and pour it onto the griddle. Cover the griddle with a lid and let it cook for 40 seconds on low medium flame.
5. Remove the dosa from the griddle and repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve the dosa hot with vegetable sagu / kurma or a spicy kaara chutney.

Notes

Store the left over batter in the refrigerator and use within 2 days.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 12 hours
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Breakfast, dosa
• Cuisine: South Indian

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/set-dosa/

Recipe for aloo poha or batata poha as its called. Makes for an amazing and easy breakfast. Made with thick poha, peanuts and potatoes. With step by step pictures.

I have a very fond memory of this aloo poha dish. Me and my friend Amit Chandak worked together for some time a decade ago. I was in Chennai at that time and my office was in Sholinganallur. The cab would pick me up at six in the morning. So that meant I had to get up at 5 everyday. I am not a morning person at all. I can never be one. Everyday when it was time for breakfast, Amit would offer his breakfast dabba / box to taste for everyone. Whatever he brought, he shared. Even if it was bread. His heavily broken Tamil is something I really enjoyed listening to. This aloo poha dish was a genius from his lunch box. I fell in love with this dish. Years have passed but the memories of those days still stays so fresh. Here is Amit’s Aloo Poha recipe. This makes for an excellent breakfast. My family likes it so much, I even make aloo poha as a snack in the evening.

Click the link below to find the recipes on the site that uses the main ingredient as Aval / Poha. Recipes using Poha / Aval

Here is step by step pictures of how to make aloo poha at home.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds and the mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to crackle. Add in the peanuts and fry for a minute. Add in the green chillies, chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Once the onions are soft, add in the diced potatoes. We would need peeled and diced potatoes for this recipe. Add in half of the salt. make sure to chop the potatoes into small pieces so it cooks evenly and cooks fast. Note: Some people like to have their peanuts retain their crunch. If you like your peanuts crunchy, first roast the peanuts for 2-3 minutes in oil and remove and set aside. Add the peanuts at the last so peanuts stay crunchy.

While the potatoes are cooking, add in the red chilli powder and the turmeric powder. Saute to combine. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes. Note: The red chilli powder is optional. Some like the spiciness of green chillies for poha. Up the green chillies if you want to omit the red chilli powder.

Add in the poha and the remaining salt. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Mix well. Squeeze the lime juice.

Mix everything well to combine. Set the flame to low and cover the pan with a lid and let the poha cook for 2-3 minutes. Once the poha is heated up and cooked, add in the coriander leaves (cilantro) and switch off the flame.

Serve the poha hot with a cup of coffee.

Main Ingredients for making Aloo Poha Recipe

• 1 Cup thick Poha / Aval ( 250 ml)
• 3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 3 tablespoon peanuts
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 medium sized potatoes, diced
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• juice from half a lime
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves (cilantro)

1. Gently wash the poha in water and soak it for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds and the mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to splutter. Add in the peanuts and fry for a minute. Add in the green chillies, chopped onions and fry till the onions are soft. Once the onions are soft, add in the diced potatoes. We would need peeled and diced potatoes for this recipe. Add in half of the salt.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, add in the red chilli powder and the turmeric powder. Saute to combine. Cover and cook till the potatoes are well done.
4. Add in the poha and the remaining salt. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Mix well. Squeeze the lime juice.
5. Mix everything well to combine. Set the flame to low and cover the pan with a lid and let the poha cook for 2-3 minutes. Once the poha is heated up and cooked, add in the coriander leaves (cilantro) and switch off the flame.
6. Serve the poha hot with a cup of coffee.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: North Indian