Making Dosa Batter:

Soaking-

• In a large bowl add the rice and rinse it with water 3-4 times.
• Soak the rice in enough water for atleast 6 hours.
• In a different bowl add the urad dal and poha and rinse it.
• Soak them in just enough water for 6 hours.

Grinding -

In wet grinder-

• you can use a wet grinder to grind these ingredients till smooth and fluffy.

In mixer Jar-

• Drain the excess water from urad dal and poha and add it to the mixer. Add enough cold water to make smooth paste. Transfer to a large bowl/container. Cold water will help the mixer from not getting hot.
• Now drain the rice and add it to the mixer. Use cold water to grind the rice.
• Grind till you get a smooth consitency.
• Combine both the batters and add necessary salt.

Mixing the batter -

• Mix the batter with clean hands for 2-3 minutes. Its very important to mix the batter with hands and not spoon. Mixing with hands helps in the fermentation process.

Fermentation -

• the most important step in making a good dosa is how well the batter ferments. I Live in the U.S, because of temperature fluctuations I prefer to ferment my dosa batter in the oven.
  
• I feel that is the best way of fermenting the batter with getting consistent results every time.
• Place the dosa container in the oven and cover with a plate. Place a large tray under the container ( in case the batter over flows).

  Close the oven door and turn on the light and let the batter ferment over night, or atleast 10 hours.
• But if you live in a warm place, you can ferment the batter on the counter top. Just make sure its not close to a window or AC vent.

fermenting in instant pot-

• You can also ferment the batter in the Instant pot by turning on the yogurt mode. Use a glass or steel lid to close the pot, not the lid which comes with the instant pot. Ferment for 8 to 10 hours.

making the dosa-

• First and foremost use a cast iron skillet not a non stick pan to make the dosa.
• Pour a ladle of batter on the hot tava and make slightly thick dosa by spreading (very lightly) in the circular motion with the back of the spatula.
• Drizzle oil and cover with a lid and cook for 1-2 minutes. The dosa is ready to be served.
• You don’t have to flip the dosa , but I generally cook the second side too for 30 seconds.
• Serve the sponge poha dosa with chutney of your choice.