Making dosa batter at home is a challenging process. An important part of the process is fermenting the batter to perfection, which can be difficult, particularly during the winter months, or in a cold climate. Thankfully, there are some methods which can be used to achieve or speed up fermentation of dosa batter. This article will cover ten of those methods.
Related: The Perfect Rice-Lentil Ratio for Dosa/Idli Batter
These are the ten ideas which you can implement to successfully and quickly ferment dosa batter during winter or in cold climate:
1. Increase the Amount of Urad Dal
Ideally, the ratio of rice to urad dal in dosa batter is 2:1, that is, two parts of rice and one part of urad. Slightly increasing the amount of urad (perhaps by 10%) may help ferment the batter faster. More urad will thicken the batter, generate more heat, and will speed up fermentation.
2. Use Warm Water
Using warm water while grinding the ingredients will maintain a warmer batter from the beginning, which will help in achieving faster fermentation.
3. Add Cooked Rice
This one is a widely used trick. Adding some cooked rice to the ingredients while grinding helps in faster fermentation. Cooked rice, which is carbohydrates, acts as food for the bacteria which cause fermentation.
4. Add Fenugreek Seeds
This is also a traditional hack. Use half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. Soak the seeds along with the rice and urad, and grind them all together. Fenugreek seeds have natural warming properties, which will help speed up the fermentation of the batter.
5. Add Sugar
Adding a small amount of sugar to the batter will feed the bacteria, and may help in achieving faster fermentation.
6. Keep the Batter in a Warm Place
After grinding, keep the batter in a warm place to provide a conducive environment for the fermentation to take place. An oven, without power, may be one such place.
7. Cover the Batter Without Blocking the Air
Cover the pot with something like an inverted plate, in such a way that the pot is fully covered but is not airtight. This will keep the batter warm and quicken the process of fermentation, but will allow the gases produced during fermentation to escape.
8. Use a Deep Vessel
Use a large and deep enough pot, which should be at the most half full. That will allow room for the batter to expand.
9. Add Curd
Adding a little curd to the batter will introduce bacteria, which can help quicken the fermentation process.
10. Allow Enough Time
And finally, allow enough time. Even though some of the tricks shared above will help in achieving faster fermentation, the process will still take time. Waiting for at least 10 to 12 hours will be necessary, and it may actually take longer than that.
I hope this article helps. Please share your feedback or more ideas to help others. Thank you for reading.
Related: The Perfect Rice-Lentil Ratio for Dosa/Idli Batter