Boost your health quotient with this Millet Mysore Masala Dosa! You'll love this nutritious and tasty south Indian breakfast! Learn what millets you can use to make millet batter, how to make batter that's light and fluffy, and the recipes for spicy mysore masala red chutney and aloo stuffing!
I've been experimenting with a lot of Millet recipes recently because Millets are true superfoods. One of them is this Millet Dosa. I got this recipe from my mum and I was a little skeptical at first, but it's amazing how nobody in the house could tell the difference between these and regular dosas.
Why Are Millets In The Spotlight?
Simply because millets are treasure chests of proteins, fibres, vitamins and minerals. Millets like ragi, jowar and bajra are used very commonly in Indian dishes like Ragi Mudde (Ragi Balls), Bhakris and Bajre ki Roti. Down south, millet dosas are gaining popularity real quick, with restaurants serving them as a healthy alternative!
What To Use In Millet Dosa Batter
- The main ingredient in this millet dosa recipe is Kodo millet which is also called Kodra in Hindi. It's packed with fiber and proteins, and it's a versatile grain to make batter with. I've eaten Kodo Millet Masala Vadas which are super yummy too! Any other millets like foxtail millet, proso millets, pearl millets, etc will work with this recipe.
- Dosa batter also has split chickpeas (chana dal) for super crispy dosas, and split and skinned black gram (urad dal) for a light and airy batter.
- Fenugreek seeds (methi) help the batter to ferment wellÂ
- We added a handful of soaked flattened rice (poha) just before grinding the batter. Poha helps to make the batter light and fluffy. If you don’t have poha, you can add some cooked rice
The grain mix needs to be washed and soaked for at least 6-8 hours. When the grains are soaked, they absorb water and increase in size. This gives the desired volume and fluffiness to the dosa batter. Without soaking, you would end up with a flat and lifeless batter which refuses to ferment. So, soak your grains!
We used a regular mixer grinder to grind the batter. It needs to be fermented for at least 8 hours or overnight. You'll know the batter is fermented when it has visibly increased in size. It should have small bubbles of air on the surface. When you run a spoon through the batter it should feel light and fluffy.
For more tips on how to make dosa batter the regular way, check out my post on
How To Make Batter for Soft Idlis and Crispy Dosas
Chutney For Mysore Masala Dosa
This chutney is not the dipping kind, it's the one that gets smeared on top of the dosa as the dosa is cooking. It's made by grinding tempered Indian spices sauteed with onions and dry red chillies. It's got robust garlicky flavours with a sort of smoky heat from the dry red chillies. This chutney is what makes your taste buds tingle when you bite into masala dosa!
Aloo Stuffing For Masala Dosa
At any south Indian food joint, you'll find this savoury aloo filling stuffed into the regular masala dosas too. It's called 'Aloo Palya' in Kannada, meaning potato curry. It's like an Indian take on mashed potatoes sauteed with onions and Indian spices. And trust me, it's just as crave-worthy.
Top Tips To Make Millet Mysore Masala Dosa
- After fermenting, the batter will rise to double its original size. Use a large bowl to ferment the batter so it doesn't overflow. For instructions on fermenting temperatures, see my post on Idli dosa batter.
- The red masala chutney is simply blended to a paste with water. It should be thick, but you should be able to smear it smoothly on the dosas.
- Before making dosas, check the seasoning in the batter. Make a test dosa if required and adjust salt accordingly.
- Don't make the batter too runny by adding too much water. It will be a challenge to spread out the dosa evenly on the pan.
- You can use your regular iron dosa tawa to make these dosas. Non-stick flat bottomed pans will also give you crispy dosas.
- Don't skimp on oil! Dosas need lots of fat to crisp up and get that golden brown colour. You could also substitute the oil with ghee and take the taste up a few notches!
- It's best to eat dosas hot off the pan as you make them, so have your folks line up for their share!
Another Secret Tip: Make a little extra of everything, because these masala dosas will be flying off the counter so fast!
Millet Mysore Masala Dosa is a Sunday morning project - for when you have time to make the individual components and put it all together.
Serve crispy millet dosas stuffed with sambar, aloo palya and south Indian chutneys. And don't forget to noisily sip on some piping hot filter coffee in a steel tumbler for full south Indian feels!
More South Indian Eats
Watch the Video
Millet Mysore Masala Dosa
Ingredients
Millet Dosa Batter
- 4 Cups Kodo Millets or other millets like ragi, bajra
- ¾ Cup Urad Dal
- ¼ Cup Chana Dal
- 1 Tablespoon Fenugreek Seeds
- ¾ Cup Poha or Flattened Rice soaked for 30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons Ghee for cooking dosas
Mysore Masala Chutney
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Chana dal
- 1 Tablespoon Urad dal
- 8-10 cloves Garlic
- 1 inch roughly chopped Ginger
- 6-7 Kashmiri red chillies
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ Cup chopped Onions
- 2 Tablespoon Tamarind pulp
- ¼ Cup Water
Aloo Masala
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Mustard
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 Teaspoons Roasted Chana Dal
- 1 Teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1 Pinch Hing
- 1 Teaspoon finely chopped Ginger
- 2 Green Chilli slit lengthwise
- 1 Onion sliced
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 3 Potatoes boiled and peeled
Instructions
Millet Dosa Batter
- Add all the ingredients except the soaked poha and ghee in a mixing bowl. Cover it with enough water to submerge it. Soak this for 6-8 hours.
- Drain the excess water and add it to a blender jar along with the poha and grind them to a smooth consistency. Add a little extra water if necessary.
- Ferment this batter overnight, you need to be able to see bubbles on the top surface.
- To fry the dosa, heat up a tava or dosa pan. Ensure the pan is hot enough. If water splashed on the pan sizzles immediately, the pan is hot enough. If the water evaporates right after splashing, the pan is too hot.
- Take a ladle full of batter and pour it on the tawa. Move the ladle in concentric circles and spread it around. Add some ghee along the sides and the centre and cook it for 1-2 minutes. Next spread the Mysore masala chutney all around the dosa and add a little more ghee. Place a spoon of aloo masala in the centre and flip one half of the dosa over it. Serve hot along with some coconut chutney.
Mysore Masala Chutney
- Add oil to a pan and allow it to heat up. Once hot, add urad dal and chana dal lightly fry for 15-20 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and fry till fragrant. Next add the onions and fry till they become soft. Add red chillies, turmeric powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Allow this to cool for a bit and then transfer to the chutney jar of the mixer.
- Add the tamarind pulp and the water. Grind till it becomes a coarse paste. Add extra water if necessary. It should be a coarse and spreadable mix and not too runny so adjust accordingly.
Aloo Masala
- Add oil to a kadai or heavy bottomed pan on a high flame. Once hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow it to splutter, then add urad dal and chana dal and cook it for a minute. Next add green chillies and chopped ginger, fry till ginger is fragrant. Add hing and sliced onion and cook till onions are translucent.
- Add salt and turmeric and sauté again. Now add curry leaves and lightly fry it. Add in the boiled and crushed potato. Use the back of your spoon or spatula to mash it further. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and further cook the potato. Garnish with coriander leaves if you like and keep aside.
Video
Notes
- Dosa batter also has split chickpeas (chana dal) for super crispy dosas, and split and skinned black gram (urad dal) for a light and airy batter.
- Fenugreek seeds (methi) help the batter to ferment wellÂ
- We added a handful of soaked flattened rice (poha) just before grinding the batter. Poha helps to make the batter light and fluffy. If you don’t have poha, you can add some cooked rice.
- After fermenting, the batter will rise to double its original size. Use a large bowl to ferment the batter so it doesn't overflow. For instructions on fermenting temperatures, see my post on Idli dosa batter.
- The red masala chutney is simply blended to a paste with water. It should be thick, but you should be able to smear it smoothly on the dosas.Â
- Before making dosas, check the seasoning in the batter. Make a test dosa if required and adjust salt accordingly.
- Don't make the batter too runny by adding too much water. It will be a challenge to spread out the dosa evenly on the pan.
- You can use your regular iron dosa tawa to make these dosas. Non-stick flat bottomed pans will also give you crispy dosas.
- Don't skimp on oil! Dosas need lots of fat to crisp up and get that golden brown colour. You could also substitute the oil with ghee and take the taste up a few notches! Serve hot.Â
theflowerspoint says
Very nice Women day cake recipe
Deepa says
Loved this recipe!!!
Pooja Shah says
I started cooking only during the pandemic and found your recipes very helpful along the way. I was very happy to discover the rice alternative for dosas as I have them almost every week.
Thank you 🙂
Richa says
Thank you!! This is one of my favourite dosa recipes. I'm sooo happy you liked it
Anand says
Yummy I will try.