Super soft cucumber dosa

Cucumber dosa called Mullusouthe(cucumber) dose in Mangaluru is one of the traditional Havyaka breakfast dishes. Super soft and flavorful, these can be accompanied with pickle, honey, yogurt, coconut chutney or sambar or this jackfruit curry

Dose is an integral part of Mangalorean cuisine and is usually prepared for breakfast. I believe that coastal Karnataka plays their dosa game at a level higher than the rest of South India. There are plenty of dose recipes in the region that aren’t prepared in the rest of South India. Many of these dosas are instant, meaning no fermentation required and are made using a mix of rice and fruits/vegetables, usually a vegetable with a high water content like cucumbers, winter melons(kumbalakai), Mangalore cucumbers(southekai) etc.

What makes cucumber dosa special?

1. It does not need fermentation, only soaking of rice required.
2. Addition of cucumbers gives the dosa a distinct aroma and flavor.
3. Cucumber dosa remains soft for an entire day when kept covered, so a good lunch box option.
4. Although we use white rice in the recipe, addition of cucumbers increases the nutrition and fiber content.
5. Cucumber dosa is vegan.
6. It is gluten free.
7. Cucumbers give the dosas a nice taste and aroma.

You can check out some other dosa recipes here like Barley dosa

If you are new to making this kind of dosa, please take the time to read the Troubleshooting section before making the dosa. I have tried to explain the fixes to all the problems that you may face.

Troubleshooting

Why white streaks/spots remain on the dosa even after cooking?

This can happen due to a few reasons.

• The griddle is not hot enough.
• Dosa was not covered with a lid.
• The batter needs more water. Add a little water at a time as too much can make the dosa stick to the griddle and won’t come off.

Why does my cucumber dosa stick to the griddle?

This can happen due to several reasons.

1. Griddle/tava was not hot enough.
2. Griddle has not been greased.
3. Batter has too much water. Read fix for too much water below.
4. Some varieties of rice stick more than the others. I have used sona masoorie rice.

I added lesser cucumber than mentioned. What’s the fix?

That’s okay. I have myself made the dosa with half the amount of cucumbers mentioned. They usually just need a little more water. Don’t add the extra water just yet. Make a tiny dosa, check the texture, it should be soft and smooth with no white streaks. If not, add a little more water.

 If the amount of cucumbers is very less, you may need to make the batter as watery as rava dosa/neeru dose batter. You may have to splash the batter on the tava/griddle.

I added too much water and its sticking to the tava/griddle. Now what?

You can add some rice flour to fix it. The texture of the dosa would change by adding rice flour. Ideally, until you master this method of making dosa, soak quarter cup extra rice, grind it into a thick paste with a little water and keep it handy. If you accidentally add a lot of water, add some rice batter from this reserve and continue making dosas.

What kind of blender do I need?

Any blender that is capable of blending rice into a smooth paste will do. The batter should not be gritty.

I have tested the recipe only using regular long grain rice and white sona masoorie rice. You can always use other rice but the vegetable and water requirements may vary.

Things to remember when making cucumber dosa

1. Once you master how much water to add, you are liberated from any given recipe.
2. There sure is a maximum limit to the amount of cucumbers you can add to the batter, after which the batter will start sticking to the griddle. The measurement I have used in this recipe is close to that high threshold so don’t add any extra cucumber than mentioned here.
3. Too much water means the batter will stick to the griddle/tava. So, add water a little at a time and check by making small dosa. If it turns out soft, stop adding the water.
4. Have the tava/griddle nice and hot before pouring the batter!
5. If lesser cucumbers used, more water needed, so batter will be more thin. Higher amount of cucumbers means less water needed, so batter will be slightly thicker(not as thick as regular fermented dosa batter)

If you still encounter problems, feel free to drop a comment or email me, I will be happy to help! Once you get the hang of how much water to add, making these dosas is a breeze! You won’t have to stick to any measurements once you know how to adjust the water in the batter.

Check out other recipes from Mangalore like this simple raw jackfruit/gujje ghasi and majjige huli/melara

Super soft cucumber dosa

Shwetha

These vegan, gluten free dosas (Indian crepes) are delicious, soft and stay soft.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Soak time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Havyaka, Indian, mangalore

Servings 12 dosas

Equipment

• Blender/mixer-grinder/wet grinder
• griddle/tava preferably cast iron

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup rice soaked for 4 hours or overnight.
• 3 cups Chopped cucumber (southekai, mullusouthe) It made 2 ½ cups of puree. Check troubleshooting section for instructions about using lesser cucumbers
• 1/2 cup Water or as needed
• 1 tsp Salt or to taste
• 3 tsp oil/ghee use oil for vegan version

Instructions

 

• Soak the rice overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
• Place the chopped cucumbers in a blender and blend into a smooth paste.
  
• Take some of the puree out into a bowl. Retain some in the blender.
• Add rice, salt into the blender. The cucumber juice that we left in the blender will act as the liquid needed to blend.
  
• Blend the rice into a smooth paste. No grits should remain. Take it out into the bowl with cucumber puree and give it a nice mix.
• My batter needed half cup extra water to make soft dosas.
• Heat a cast iron griddle. When the griddle is very hot, take a ladleful of the batter and spread it using circular motions.
• Cover the dosa with a lid.
• They cook quick. In as little as 30-40 seconds, you can open the lid and spread ghee or coconut oil on top.
  
• With a thin spatula, gently peel it off the griddle. There is no need to flip and cook any further.
• Grease the griddle/tava with oil/ghee and continue with the remaining dosas
• Enjoy with chutney, sambar or honey.

Notes

• If you are new to making such instant rice dosas, please read the Troubleshooting section above where I have tried to explain the problems you may encounter.
• I make these cucumber dosas using regular long grain rice and sona masoorie rice with good results. You can always use other rice but the vegetable and water requirements may vary.
• If not using an Indian mixer grinder or wet grinder, a powerful blender will work to blend rice into a smooth paste. 

Keyword cucumber dosa, dosa recipe

Check out other recipes from Mangalore like this simple raw jackfruit/gujje ghasi and majjige huli/melara