Ragi Dosa or Ragi Rava Dosa is a popular breakfast recipe from South India, especially Karnataka and it can easily be found in many darshini-style hotels around Bangalore too. It is lacy, crispy and at the same time, melt in mouth delicious that it can turn anyone who does not like ragi also to fall in love with it. It can be made with readily available ingredients in any standard kitchen or pantry and does not require much effort too. In fact, I find making the ragi rava dosa simpler and fail-proof compared to the regular rava dosa. Moreover, it is healthier with the additional of finger millet or ragi flour in it. It can be easily customized depending on the ingredients available and based on the taste preferences too.
Ingredients
Ragi Flour is the main ingredient for making this instant ragi dosa recipe. Any brand or type of ragi flour works. Rava is the other main ingredient and it works the best to use unroasted regular semolina to make the batter. Rice Flour is used to give structure & body to the batter and it also adds to the taste of the ragi rava dosa. Cumin Seeds, Finely Chopped Onions, Finely Chopped Green Chillies, Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves & Curry Leaves are also added to the instant ragi dosa batter for taste and texture. For full list of ingredients and exact measurements, check the recipe below.
Step by Step Instructions
In a mixing bowl add ½ cup ragi flour, ¼ cup rice flour, ¼ cup rava (unroasted semolina), ½ teaspoon cumin seeds along with salt as needed. Add about 2 cups of water and mix well without any lumps. Next add 1 onion finely chopped along with 2-3 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves and 1 green chilli finely chopped. Mix well. Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes. The batter should be free-flowing without any lumps. Heat a cast iron dosa tawa until it is sizzling hot and set the flame on medium. Mix the bater well and take a large ladle of it, pour it all around the tawa. Do not over pour the batter at the same place or do not go around the tawa more than once. This ensures that the dosa has good number of pores and is lacy. Drizzle oil all over. Once the dosa is roasted well, turning golden brown all around and is lifting itself up from the tawa, flip it if required. Cook on the other side, and fold it in half. Remove from heat. Ragi Rava Dosa can also be easily made in a nonstick dosa tawa, set at medium flame and if the tawa has rims, it works the best as the batter does not spill out while being poured. Continue cooking the same way and once golden brown, remove from heat. Serve hot with coconut chutney, peanut chutney, or sambar as preferred.
Recipe Notes
Always mix the batter well from the bottom before taking it in the ladle to make the dosa as the flours settle at the bottom on resting. Instead of rice flour, you can also add 1 ladle of old dosa batter if its available. The dosa tawa should be hot while the batter is being poured, to make lacy ragi dosa.
Top Tip
Always rest the batter for a little while for best results. It can be made ahead of time, without onion being added. Mix the batter from bottom to top before making each dosa as the flours settle at the bottom and the top is usually the water. Adjust the amount of water as ragi dosas are being made. If it is too thick, the dosa doesn’t turn out lacy and rather becomes lumpy. While too much water makes it difficult to remove the dosa from the pan. To make the best ragi dosa, always pour the batter from a height and all around the pan avoiding overpouring at the same spot. Do not repeat circling the batter around the pan where there is batter already. If required, gently fill in large holes leaving the dosa lacy with lot of pores around. Always roast the ragi dosa on medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Longer cooking time ensures the dosa remains crispy even if made in a nonstick pan. A pan with rim works the best for making rava dosa in general as the watery batter is poured from a height and can cause mess easily.
Substitutions & Variations
Onions and green chillies are optional and can be completed avoided if preferred. Apart from cumin seeds, you can also add black peppercorns for additional spice. Instead of the rice flour, you can use old dosa batter which also adds a nice subtle sour taste to the dosa. For a richer version, add chopped cashews to the batter or sprinkle it on the pan before pouring the dosa batter all over.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Ragi Rava Dosa tastes the best hot or warm right out of the pan, served with any chutney of your choice. It also retains its crispness at room temperature when cooked right. The batter can be made beforehand (except the addition of finely chopped onions) and can be stored in the fridge too. Any left-over batter stays well in an airtight container for a day or so stored in the fridge. I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to provide your rating for this recipe and do share your comments below. If you have any questions, you can always e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
