Kharada Eerulli Dosa / Kaaram Dosa / Khara Dosa

All my readers would be knowing about my love for dosas, as I make it rarely my love and craving for it does not subside anytime and in fact it doubles every time.More than the instant dosas I love the traditional ones,though I make different instant versions occasionally.I make dosa batter in very small quantities which I get exactly for 2 days,so I never get to make many versions out of it.During my childhood my mom used to make lots of dosa batter which used to last for 3-4 days for four of us.She makes masala dosa on the first day,plain dosa or utappam on the next day and khara/karam dosa on 3rd or 4th day and gunta ponganalu in between to finish off the batter.Dosa batter turns sour after 2 days which is not ideal for plain or masala dosa,that is the time it needs some make over to get utilized.I know that many of you might be doing the same way to finish off the batter,still I would like to tell few people who do not know how to make it.This khara dosa infact I can call it 'kharada eerulli dosa' tastes best if the batter is sour as it gives nice punch to the dosa.The addition of crunchiness from onions and chana dal and the fresh herbs and spices adds very nice flavor to the dosa.I like to sprinkle some chutney podi on top of it and would like to eat it with coconut chutney.In fact it does not require any side dish as the dosa batter itself has every thing.I have showed a pizza style decoration on it(of course with out cheese) just for presentation, you can even make like that and feed your fussy kids.

Ingredients:
3-4 cups dosa batter(2-3 days old)
1 tbsp curds(optional)
2 onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp chana dal,soaked in water for 2 hrs
1 1/2 tsp green chili paste
1/4 cup chopped coriander
12-15 curry leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a generous pinch of cooking soda
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
oil/ghee to roast dosas

for dosa batter:
4 cups raw rice
1 cup urad dal
1 cup chana dal or 1 cup of mix dals(yellow,chana and toor dal,1/3 cup each)
1 cup poha/beaten rice
1 tsp methi seeds
salt to taste


Method:

for Dosa batter:

• Wash rice,dals and methi seeds all together for 2-3 times in running water and soak them for 6-8hrs or overnight.
• Next day morning soak poha for an hour before starting the grinding process of the batter.
• Grind everything together to a smooth paste in the wet grinder for better results.Add enough salt to the ground batter and mix well and let it ferment for 9-10 hrs at room temperature or keep it in hot oven in winters for speeding up the process of fermentation.For this dosa this dosa batter should be 2-3 days old.
  

for Khara dosa:

• Heat a tsp of oil and crackle mustard seeds and add chopped onions and fry slightly and cool the mixture.You can even add raw onions to the batter directly,so adding onions while frying is completely optional.
• Take the sour dosa batter and mix in curds(use more curds 2-3tbsp if the dosa batter is fresh) and add salt, cooled onion mixture,green chili paste,finely chopped coriander, soaked and drained bengal gram, chopped curry leaves to it and mix well.
• Now take a ladle and add a pinch of soda and add a tsp of water and mix well and pour into the batter and mix well.If you do not mix it properly you will get to see yellow spots,so when you add cooking soda and mix it properly.The reason why I added cooking soda to dosa is,dosa does not turn good after 2-3 days, so if you add cooking soda to it, it will come out fluffy and soft.You can see the holes formation in dosa.So,if you are dosas are coming properly no need to add cooking soda.
  
• I am sure everyone knows how to make simple dosa,still I explain the process of making it for people who are not familiar with it.
• Pour a big ladle of batter onto a medium hot pan and spread slightly it in the circular motion to form a thick uniform round shaped dosa.Do not spread very thin,it should be like utappam.
  
• Pour 1 tbsp oil/ghee approx over it and cover it with a lid.(No need to add more oil if using Non stick pan,you can completely replace oil with ghee for better taste if you are not calorie conscious).
• Let it initially cook on low flame for 1 mins and remove the lid and turn the dosa to the other side and roast for a minute.Now increase the flame and cook for a couple of mins until you see brown/red patches.
• Serve it directly and do not drop them in hot boxes.It should be served on to the plate immediately to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the dosa.
• Reduce the flame for one minute and then start preparing the next dosa.Do not pour the batter on high flame,the batter will stick to the tawa.If you feel the tawa is over heated sprinkle some water over it before making next dosa.

Serve dosa with chutney of your choice like coconut chutney/groundnut chutney/mint chutney/tomato chutney/tomato onion chutney.I sprinkled milagai podi over the dosa.Variations:

• Addition of chana dal is optional,I like to add some crunch to it.You can even add soaked or fresh ground nuts for a variation.
• I add finely chopped onions directly to the batter some times instead of frying it ,in that way it maintains its crunchiness in dosa.
  
• You can add grated carrot to the same batter and make dosas.
• For other variations you can add grated beetroot,chopped greens and all,but I do not recommend them for this dosa,as it tastes best with onions and carrot.
  
• You can even sprinkle finely chopped onions after you pour the dosa batter and pour some oil over it and fry.
• You can even sprinkle chutney podi/ milagai podi over the dosa.
• You can use the same batter to make gunta ponganalu / Paddu/ Paniyaram in the Aebliskever pan.
• You can the dosa batter which u make regularly,it tastes better when it is very sour.so use 2-3 days old batter than the fresh one.

Note:

• For a vegan version avoid adding curd to the batter.
  

A Happy Note:

My friend Sushma of 'savi-ruchi' has chosen my blog for this month's 'Tried and Tested' event,I am very thankful to her and in fact very glad that she has chosen mine.Thanks a ton Sush !!
I would be glad if you try and test my recipes in your kitchen and make her event successful.If you have any queries regarding the recipes,please feel free to contact me anytime.I would be happy to help you guys regarding it.