Sponge Dosa

This dosa is very similar to Surnali. Fluffy and Spongy. The look is very similar to set dosa. I have tried to get the recipe for very authentic set dosa which we get in Bangalore but I have still not got satisfactory results.

This dosa has to been taken thick like surnali and if the batter is fermented well, the dosa comes out very soft. I have used laayi or malar is what it is called. It is one form of popped rice which is widely used in coastal India. This is typically used in making prasads during any pujas. Sweet popped rice and spicy popped rice are always prepared on Krishna Janmashtami at my mum's place. That reminds me I need to post about choodi puja :-) I was always looking for malar in Sunnyvale but never found it until my recent visit to Coconut Hill. We don't visit that store regularly but if I need anything very specific to coastal specifc I surely check that store. Henceforth I know I will stop by that store frequently to buy malar. What I liked the most is the quantity. The pack I picked up is of 2 Lbs and a perfect quantity for my usage.

Urad - Moong Dosa/ Udid-Mooga Polo

Recently I wrote a brief note on upvasa khana. This recipe is my first contribution to that new section.


I prepared this dosa last month on Ekadashi day. This is a simple dosa to prepare as the batter does not need fermenting. Serve it with butter or homemade fresh "loni" with any simple chutney. 

Surnali / Dosa

Surnali is a very simple dosa. With just very few ingredients you can have spongy dosas for breakfast. I feel this is a very versatile batter. We can add jaggery and make sweet dosas or just make regular ones and serve with chutney. You can even add cucumber or magge (mangalore sautekayi) to it. If you are adding cucumber it is better to avoid adding poha. Adding both will make the dosa too soft.

Magge is a special cucumber which is called as Mangalore Sautekayi in Bangalore. I am not sure if this is used across India or if this is a South Indian specific vegetable. I remember my Uncle growing this in his farm. This has a longer shelf life and we use this only in different types of gravy and dosas. We do not eat this raw.