Goals for running this experiment
The reasons for running this experiment are…
Criteria for rating the dosa
The way that I am measuring a “good” dosa is via three qualitative categories as follows… This criteria for rating is very subjective and qualitative but the descriptions in each category will help you decide the dosa you like the best.
Dosa experiment steps
In order to keep the experiment the same across the varieties of dosas, here are the steps I followed to keep the dosa making process constant amongst the different batter varieties.
Idli rice Ponni rice Basmati rice Jasmine rice
Each of them have varying characteristics that are described in the chart below.
Dosa batter observations (before fermentation)
After I ground the rice varieties and before I mixed it with the dal, I wrote down my observations):
Basmati - Felt the thickest, creamiest, and least grainy Jasmine - Felt watery and ultra fine, with a rough texture Idli Rice - Second thickest, and felt the most sandy of the four varieties Ponni Rice - Had granular bits of rice that were smaller than the idli rice but bigger than jasmine. Closest consistency of the jasmine rice.
Which dosa batter fermented the best?
In order to test the fermentation, I measured how high each of the dosa batters rose. Here are the batters ordered by height from most to least:
Which dosa batter was the easiest to cook?
The dosa batters that were easiest to spread were the easiest to cook. The dosa batters that were the easiest to cook had grit or texture to the batter. The batters that were completely smooth caused the metal cup used to spread the batter to stick to the pan instead of glide on top of the batter. The longer grains of rice like basmati and jasmine ground up pretty smooth and were slightly more difficult to spread than the to the shorter grain rices like idli and ponni which had more grit/texture. My current theory is that a bit of grit in the batter acts like little tiny balls that prevent the cup from suctioning to the pan.
Summary of best rice varieties for dosa batters
The best rice to make dosas - idli rice
Idli rice is the best rice to make dosas. Dosas made with idli rice have a well balanced flavor, yield dosas with the right amount of crisp and browning, and yield dosas that have a fluffy center. Idli rice has key properties that resulted it in beating out the other rice varieties in the dosa experiment.
Why is idli rice the best rice for dosa?
Good rice substitutes for dosa
Idli rice is the best rice to make dosas. Here are some recommended idli rice substitutes for making dosas, ranked from best to worst based on experimentation. Thanks for taking the time to read this experiment about how various rice varieties effect dosa batters. What should I test out next in my quest to make the best dosa? If you have suggestions or enjoyed or learned something from this blog post, please leave a comment below – I would LOVE to hear from you!
