Neer Dosa
on Aug 30, 2022, Updated Dec 08, 2023
Neer Dosa (Neer Dose) are thin, lacy, and soft Mangalorean crepes prepared using rice. Use my foolproof recipe to make it at home.
You may like some more Mangalorean recipes: Kori Rotti, Mangalorean Chicken Sukka, Goli Baje, and Paneer Ghee Roast.
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 with rice as its base. It is also popular in the rest of the Konkan region of India. The batter for this dosa is watery and thin, hence the name.
Neer Dose is light, fluffy, and soft, like lacy crepes. Unlike regular dosas, the rice batter for neer dose does not need fermentation. All you need is the rice’s soaking time.
Serve it for breakfast with veg sagu, veg kurma, or any South Indian chutney you choose. You can also enjoy it for brunch or lunch with a delicious fish or chicken curry.
Ingredients
Raw Rice – Sona masuri, parmal rice, idli rice, or surti kolam are the varieties of rice preferred to make neer dosa. However, you can use any white rice that is easily available. 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 instead of fresh coconut if it’s unavailable.
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 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 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 from the outside towards the inside. (check out the neer dosa recipe video for details)
Pour more batter in the gaps.
Note – Your batter is thick if the dosas do not come lacy and have pores. 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, remove it 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 water over the pan and immediately wipe it with a cloth. This step will bring down the pan’s temperature a little. You want the pan to be nicely hot but not 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.
Ensure the batter is very thin, just like milk; otherwise, the dosa will not turn out properly.
While making Neer Dose, be aware that if the dosa is not porous, the batter is thick.
If the batter becomes too thin, 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 that 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 water for 30 minutes. Add more water to make a milk-like batter, then make the dosas.
1. If the batter’s consistency is improper, the dosas may crack or fall flat. The batter should be watery.
2. The pan’s temperature is very important when making lacy neer dosas. It should neither be too high nor too low.
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Neer Dosa Recipe (Neer Dose, Mangalorean 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.
Video
Aesthetic visuals and clear directions make this an attractive website. Will definitely try your recipe.
Thanks
Hi.. What’s the use of coconut in this recipe? Is it for taste ot texture? What if I don’t use coconut?
It is for the taste. It is mentioned in the recipe that you can skip it.
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?
I am glad you liked the post Beth. You can store the batter in refrigerator for upto 3 days.
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
Have you followed my recipe before?
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
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.
Thank you Neha! It will be a little while until I get to this recipe, but I will let you know.
Sure 🙂