Rava Dosa Recipe {Crispy, Instant Dosa}
Quick to make Instant Rava Dosa Recipe! This is thin, crispy and super delicious, just like your favorite South Indian restaurant style. Here you’ll learn all you need to know to perfect them!
There is no grinding and no fermentation needed (like our traditional dosa), hence the name ‘Instant dosa’.
Who doesn’t love a quick-to-make, homemade and comforting breakfast/brunch? Especially on the weekends! Crispy rava dosa with a side of coconut chutney makes the perfect breakfast (or brunch) or light meal/dinner. And chances are once you try these you’ll be hooked for life! I am yet to meet someone who doesn’t love this crispy dosa.
If you prefer the soft rava dosa then simply cook it for less time and you will get soft yet tasty instant dosa.
I have had this recipe countless times since I first shared it 7 years ago. Even though it is known as instant dosa, but it’s not that really instant. It requires 30 minutes of passive resting time. The method is quicker than the traditional version hence the term instant/quick.
The main ingredient used for making rava dosa is rava (aka semolina or sooji). Also, the equal amount of rice flour is added which helps in making the crispy texture. To make the batter, water is used. Instead, you can use buttermilk (yogurt + water mixture). But I have made this rava dosa without yogurt (curd).
Then the batter should be rested for 30 minutes, so semolina will soak up some liquid becomes soft. In the end, the tempering (of ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, cumin seeds, and peppercorns) is made which adds a more delicious flavor.
This has everything you look for in a simple rava dosa. It has some nice, unique flavors (thanks to the desiccated coconut and cashew nut powder). It has a hint of spiciness/hot flavor (because of crushed cumin seeds and peppercorn in the tempering).
How to make Rava Dosa?
1) Take cumin seeds and black peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Crush them coarsely. Alternately, you can use spice grinder/coffee grinder. Keep it aside for later use in tempering.
2) Heat the small pan on medium-low heat and add cashew nuts. Dry roast them till cashews are slightly golden brown with stirring constantly. 
3) Then turn off the stove and add desiccated coconut. Reminding again, turn off the stove before adding coconut. The remaining heat in the pan is enough to roast the coconut.
4) Roast till coconut is golden brown in color. Remove it from the pan and let it cool down. Then grind into the powder.
5) Take semolina (sooji or rava), rice flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix.
6) Add cashew-coconut powder and mix well.
7) Add 1 cup of water at a time to semolina mixture. By adding little water at a time, it avoids forming lumps while making the batter. Add another 1 cup of water and mix. And so on. The total you will need 4 cups of water. Make very very thin dosa batter. The batter should be very thin like buttermilk consistency.
8) Now to make a tempering, heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat. Once hot add ginger paste, green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds or till the raw smell of ginger goes away.
9) Turn off the stove and add crushed cumin-pepper, mix with a spoon.
10) Immediately add the tempering to the batter, Mix well. Cover it and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer rest will not harm.
11) When you are ready to make dosa, heat cast-iron pan or nonstick dosa pan on medium heat. Sprinkle some oil on the pan.
12) Once hot, stir the dosa batter first and take a ladle full of batter and pour it in a pan. Make a thin layer. It’s very easy. Just pour batter on tawa then swirl the tawa make it even thin layer. There are some spots without batter, add little batter here and there with a ladle.
13) Let it cook on the bottom side. It might take 2-3 minutes. You will see some browning on the bottom.
14) It will leave the sides of the pan and you will get to know that bottom side is done. You can lift the dosa very easily using a spatula.
15) Fold it in a half and serve immediately.
Repeat the same process. But always stir the batter first and then spread on dosa pan. Because rava will settle down at the bottom of the bowl.
What to serve with it?
- Serve with sambar and coconut chutney as a light meal.
- If serving as a breakfast, here are a couple of varieties of chutneys – Coconut mint chutney // Coconut coriander chutney // Red coconut chutney // Tomato chutney // Peanut chutney // Curry leaves chutney.
Variations :
- Onion rava dosa – add about ½ cup of finely chopped onions into the dosa batter.
- Rava masala dosa – Stuff the dosa with potato masala (recipe shared in this masala dosa recipe) and serve with sambar.
- Onion rava msala dosa – combine above two options.
- Cheese rava dosa – Sprinkle the grated cheese when dosa is 50% cooked. Let the cheese melt and fold dosa in half or third, serve.
Tips to make the PERFECT Instant Dosa:
- Always rest the batter for 30 minutes before making this instant dosa.
- The batter consistency must be thin and runny, pouring kind. Adjust the water amount accordingly. The water amount may vary depending on the quality and freshness of the semolina.
- Every time you make the dosa, stir the batter first, then take ladleful to pour. Rava tends to settle down as the bottom as batter sits.
- The tawa/pan has to be hot. As you pour the batter into hot tawa, the batter should sizzle.
- To get more crispy and netted texture dosa, the batter has to be really thin. In that case, you can add more water.
- Be patient, it takes little longer time to cook compared to regular dosa.
- You can use a non-stick pan or cast-iron pan (well seasoned) to make this instant dosa.
Check out other Breakfast Recipes using Rava (Sooji)
Rava uttapam // Rava upma // Rava idli // Rava dhokla
Rava Dosa Recipe {Crispy, Instant Dosa}
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
For the batter
- ¾ cup Sooji (rava or semolina)
- ¾ cup Rice flour
- 8 Cashew nuts
- 3 tablespoons Desiccated coconut
- 4 cups Water
- Salt to taste
For tempering to add into batter
- 1 tablespoon Oil, + more for making dosa
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 2 Green chilies, chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds, roughly crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons Black peppercorns, roughly crushed
- 5-6 Curry leaves
Instructions
Preparation:
- Take cumin seeds and black peppercorns in mortar and pestle. Crush them coarsely. Keep it aside for later use in tempering.
- Dry roast cashew nuts till light brown in color on medium-low heat.
- Then turn off the stove and add desiccated coconut. Dry roast till golden brown.
- Let it cool completely and then grind into spice grinder into a fine powder. Keep it aside
Making the Batter:
- Take semolina, rice flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add coconut and cashew powder and mix well.
- Add 4 cups of water (1 cup at a timand make very very thin and lump-free batter.
- To make a tadka, heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add ginger paste, green chilies, and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Switch off the stove and then add crushed cumin and black peppercorns.
- Immediately add this tempering to the batter. Mix well.
- Cover it and let the batter rest for minimum 30 minutes. Longer rest will not harm.
Making Rava Dosa Recipe:
- When you are ready to make dosa, heat cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan on medium heat. Drizzle some oil in the pan.
- Once hot, stir the dosa batter first and take a ladle full of batter and spread it in a pan.
- Make a thin layer. It’s very easy. Just pour batter on tawa then swirl the tawa make it even thin layer.
- There are some spots without batter, add little batter here and there with a ladle.
- Let it cook on the bottom side. It might take 2-3 minutes. You will see some browning on the bottom and it will leave the sides of the pan. And you will get to know that bottom side is done.
- Flip it and let it cook on the other side.
- It will take lesser time than the first side. You can skip this flipping and cooking another side step.
- Repeat the same process with rest of the batter.
My go-to recipe for rava dosa. My mother, who is an expert was amazed at the quality of this rava dosa! Comes out great, consistently! Thank you so much for sharing this !
Glad that dosa came out good.