How to make Crispy Porous Dosas(Rice Pancakes)
Learn How to make Crispy Porous Dosas(Rice Pancakes) with these few tips and tricks

Hello Readers,
I know this lockdown is really getting bored now and I am sure most of you foodies like me are getting yourself entertained in the kitchen making some innovations 😉 . Why don’t we try to improvise our cooking with the help of chemistry . Every week I will be sharing Kitchen Chemistry tips and tricks to make your food healthy and nutritious . Please refer to my earlier kitchen chemistry posts if you haven’t yet.
Our today’s Kitchen chemistry is : How to make Crispy Porous Dosas?
All love crisp, porous dosa. Besides the taste, the microorganisms involved in the fermentation produce useful substances like vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, biotin, vitamin K and some free amino acids as well as some antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances. Batter is pre-digested by bacteria, it is easier to digest protein. promote digestive health, inhibit bad bacteria like Shigella, and E.coli.
Let’s know little chemistry behind it and be perfect in making.
The proportion used is 2 portions of rice: 1 portion of Udad dal with little of fenugreek seeds. These are soaked in the morning, grind them at night and batter is ready for next morning (12 hours fermentation of batter). This is for Goa’s weather. If it is very cold, then more time is required for fermentation. When you add salt next day, don’t mix vigorously. The microorganisms responsible for the fermentation are naturally present in the ingredients of dosa batter, Fermentation of dosa batter is carried out mainly by Lactobacillus or lactic acid bacteria. In the early stages of fermentation, bacteria are found to predominate, with oxygen in air and sugar/starch they form carbon-dioxide, water and lactic acid. Water dissolves in batter and carbon dioxide forms bubbles and batter swells. This carbon dioxide should be trapped in batter and not leave it. It should leave only after batter is put on tawa to give porous texture.
Thus fermentation helps the batter to raise in volume, become lighter, and fluffier. So the container should be double the size.
So: GRIND THE SOAKED MATERIALS WITH COLD WATER. AIR ALWAYS MOVES FROM HOTTER TO COLDER REGION (LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS). WHEN YOU GRIND IN MIXURE/GRINDER IT INCREASES TEMPERATURE AND SO AIR REQUIRED FOR REACTION LEAVES THE BATTER. IF COLD WATER IS ADDED IT RETAINS AIR, REACTION PROCEEDS FORMING CARBON DIOXIDE AND LACTIC ACID MAKING YOUR DOSA POROUS AND LIGHT.
Happy Learning and Cooking 🙂
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Author of this article is Vrinda Borkar.
Good suggestions.
Thanks.