Mangalorean Neer Dosa (Neer Dose) are thin, lacy, and soft South Indian crepes prepared using rice. Make these at home using my foolproof recipe (vegan, gluten-free).
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About Neer Dosa
Neer means water in Tulu (Mangalorean language) and Kannada, hence Neer Dosa translates to “water dosa”.
Neer Dosa is a Mangalorean bread made using rice as its base. It is also popular in the rest of the Konkan region of India. The batter to make this dose is watery thin and hence the name.
Just like Rava Dosa, Mysore Masala Dosa, Plain Dosa, or Set Dosa, this instant dosa recipe is also very popular in South India.
Neer Dose is light, fluffy, and soft and looks like lacy crepes. Unlike the regular dosa, the rice batter to make neer dose does not need any fermentation. All you need is the soaking time for the rice.
These lacy rice crepes are also vegan, gluten-free, and quite popular in Mangalorean households.
Serve it for breakfast with veg sagu, veg kurma, or any South Indian chutney of your choice. You can also enjoy it for brunch or lunch with a delicious fish or chicken curry.
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Here are some more Mangalorean recipes that you may like
Ingredients
Raw Rice – Sona masuri, parmal rice, idli rice, or surti kolam are the varieties of rice preferred to make neer dosa. Having said that, use any white rice that is easily available to you. Basmati rice also works great.
You can also make it with rice flour.
Coconut – Fresh coconut is optional but adds a great texture and flavor.
You can also use dry desiccated coconut in place of fresh coconut if it’s not available.
Salt – Adjust according to taste.
You will also need oil or ghee to grease the pan while cooking the dosas.
How To Make Neer Dosa
Rinse 1 and ½ cups of raw rice well with water. Soak the rice in 4 cups of water for 10-12 hours.
Drain the water and add the rice to a blender along with ½ cup of grated fresh coconut and ¼ cup of water.
Blend to make a very smooth paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.
The paste must be really smooth and you should not feel any grittiness when you rub it in between your fingers.
Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt to it. Mix well to combine.
Now add 3 cups of water to the bowl to make a really thin batter. The consistency of the batter should be like milk.
Heat a nonstick pan or a cast iron griddle over medium heat.
Brush it with very little oil.
Stir the thin batter well and pour a ladleful of it from the outside towards the inside. (check out the neer dosa recipe video for details)
Pour more batter in the gaps.
Note – If while making the dosas, they are not coming lacy and with pores, that means your batter is thick. Add some more water to it.
Cook the dosa uncovered for 2 minutes or until it is set. Once you start seeing the edges leaving the pan, the dosa is ready.
This dosa is white in color and soft, not crispy.
Fold the dosa in half and then into a triangle.
Note – To prevent the dosa from sticking, you can take it out from the pan and place it on a perforated surface like a large sieve (or a traditional neer dosa cooling sieve). Let it cool completely and then fold it.
Serve hot with any chutney or curry.
Before pouring the next dosa batter, sprinkle some water over the pan and immediately wipe it with a cloth. This step will bring down the temperature of the pan a little. You want the pan to be nicely hot but not very very hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
Grind the soaked rice and coconut with only ¼ cup of water. It will make sure the rice is nicely ground to a fine paste. Add more water later.
Make sure the batter is very thin, just like milk otherwise, the dosa will not turn out properly.
While making Neer Dose, be aware of the fact that if the dosa is not porous that means that the batter is thick.
If the batter becomes too thin, then the dosas will fall flat and break while lifting. In this case, add some rice flour to slightly thicken the batter.
The pan should be nicely hot when you pour the batter on it. Splash some water on it to check it it’s nicely heated. If the water dances and evaporates immediately, the pan is hot enough to pour the batter.
Stir the watery batter every time before pouring the dosa as the rice particles tend to settle down.
Cook the dosa uncovered. If you cover it while cooking, steam will collect at the base of the lid and it will drip on the dosa as soon as you remove the lid making the dosa soggy.
Don’t stack Neer dosas while they are still hot. Let them cool down completely before storing them in a container or casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soak 1 cup of rice flour in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. Add more water to make a milk-like batter and then make the dosas.
1. If the consistency of the batter is not proper, the dosas may crack or fall flat. The batter should be of watery consistency.
2. The temperature of the pan is very important to make lacy neer dosas. It should neither be too high nor too low.
Neer Dosa is considered a healthy food option as it is made with rice flour and water and does not contain any added fats or oils. It is a gluten-free and low-calorie dish too. However, the healthiness of Neer Dosa can also depend on the accompaniments served with it, such as chutneys or curries, which may add extra calories and fats.
Variations
Masala Neer Dosa – Dry roast dry red chilies, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds until fragrant. Soak them along with rice and blend them to make the batter.
Palak Neer Dosa – Add blanched spinach while blending the rice.
Beetroot Neer Dosa – Add boiled beet while blending the rice.
Ragi Neer Dosa – Add 1 cup of ragi flour to the rice mixture.
With Coconut Milk – Replace grated coconut with some coconut milk.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Neer Dosa for breakfast with veg stew, veg sagu, veg kurma, or potato kurma.
It can also be served with South Indian coconut chutney, peanut coriander chutney, or any other chutney of your choice.
Water dosa can also be enjoyed with a chicken (kori gassi), egg curry, or fish curry for brunch or lunch.
Storage Suggestions
I would suggest you make these fresh. Store the batter instead in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about 1 to 2 days. Stir it well before making neer dose.
If the batter has thickened a bit after refrigeration, add more water to adjust the consistency.
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Mangalorean Neer Dosa Recipe (Neer Dose, Rice Crepes)
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups raw white rice
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- oil for brushing
Instructions
- Rinse raw rice well with water. Soak the rice in 4 cups of water for 10-12 hours.
- Drain the water and add the rice to a blender along with coconut and ¼ cup of water.
- Blend to make a very smooth batter. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.
- The batter must be really smooth and you should not feel any grittiness when your rub it in between your fingers.
- Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl and add salt to it. Mix well to combine.
- Now add 3 cups of water to the batter to make it really thin. The consistency of the batter should be like milk.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Brush it with very little oil.
- Stir the batter well and pour a ladleful of it from the outside towards the inside.
- Pour more batter in the gaps.
- Note – If while making the dosas, they are not coming lacy and with pores, that means your batter is thick. Add some more water to it.
- Cook the dosa uncovered for 2 minutes or until it is set. Once you start seeing the edges leaving the pan, the dosa is ready.
- This dosa is white in color and is soft not crispy.
- Fold the dosa in half and then into a triangle.
- Note – To prevent the dosa from sticking, you can take it out from the pan and place it on a perforated surface like a large sieve (or a traditional neer dosa cooling sieve). Let it cool completely and then fold it.
- Serve hot with any chutney or curry.
- Before pouring the next dosa batter, sprinkle some water over the pan and immediately wipe it with a cloth. This step will bring down the temperature of the pan a little. You want the pan to be nicely hot but not very very hot.
Michelle Philip
Aesthetic visuals and clear directions make this an attractive website. Will definitely try your recipe.
Neha Mathur
Thanks
Ashwini
Hi.. What’s the use of coconut in this recipe? Is it for taste ot texture? What if I don’t use coconut?
Neha Mathur
It is for the taste. It is mentioned in the recipe that you can skip it.
Beth
Hi Neha,
Thanks for posting. I was recently introduced to neer dosa, and I love them. I swiftly tried a recipe similar to yours (I had looked for a video as I heard they were tricky). The ratios were slightly different 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water. I had a 50% success rate the first time and 99% the next day.
I really appreciate you giving clear proportions of coconut as I added a small undetermined amount. Additionally I was delighted to see the variations you suggested and clear description regarding determining the pan is hot enough.
Persevere fellow cookers you can do it!
Neha how would you recommend storing any left overs?
Neha Mathur
I am glad you liked the post Beth. You can store the batter in refrigerator for upto 3 days.
Supriya
Hi Neha, I have been trying to make these dosas for quite some time but it never seems to work for me either it breaks or is crisp in the center and watery on the sides and while removing I always get pieces????please help
Neha Mathur
Have you followed my recipe before?
Alonna Smith
Hi Neha,
I love your blog and am intersted in making this recipe. I am in the U.S. and have some ingredient questions: it looks like you used black salt? Also, would you use basmati rice or any long-grain rice? Lastly, can I use dessicated coconut, or do I need to use fresh?
Thanks so much!
Alonna
Neha Mathur
Hi Alonna, You can use any salt in this recipe. Regular white salt will work great. Also, any white rice can be used to make this recipe. You have to be very careful about the consistency of batter while making Neer Dosa. Do let me know if you face any problem while making. Best.
Alonna Smith
Thank you Neha! It will be a little while until I get to this recipe, but I will let you know.
Neha Mathur
Sure 🙂