I have yet to come across someone who dislikes dosas……savory crepes made of rice and lentils that are soaked, ground and fermented to give an airy, slightly sour batter which is then spread into thin crepes. Sure one can have a preference within the dosa family…..some are strictly in the soft and spongy camp while others are in the wafer-thin and crisp camp. But factions aside, it is a much-loved and popular south Indian tiffin which like the north Indian samosa, has a loyal following all over the country.
Although the masala dosa is the first to come to mind when one thinks of a dosa, there are endless varieties that are traditional to different regions like the Adai in Tamil Nadu, Appam in Kerala and Pesarattu in Andhra. Not to forget rava dosa, utappam and the other combinations that come out of home kitchens of creative cooks……dosas with millets or oats or quinoa. All with a distinct taste and all delicious but the masala dosa still tops the charts for most people.
Most homes have their own magic formula for making dosas. And proportions of rice to dal are a widely discussed topic, sometimes held as a closely guarded secret! When I was growing up, we followed the simple formula at home of three cups rice to one cup urad dal which gave soft and spongy dosas and one could polish more than a few in one sitting. My favorite however was the golden brown, crisp, giant dosas one would get in the Udipi restaurants. And as luck would have it, the owner of the local Udipi restaurant was a family friend who passed along a couple of trade secrets to my mother. One was to add just a little bit of sugar to the batter to get a beautiful brown color and the other was to add a few tablespoons of sooji (semolina) to the batter to make it super crisp.
This is a particularly good dish to serve as brunch when you are having company and is always a hit even with the non-Indian guests. I usually make a couple of chutneys, some sambar and have fresh fruit and homemade yogurt on the side. It always ends up as a substantial meal especially with the potato filling and one is usually not hungry until dinner time. The leftover batter can be kept in the fridge for about a week and it also freezes beautifully……which is always a plus!
Masala Dosa
Ingredients
- Dosa:
- 2 cups rice (sona masoori or long grain)*
- 1/2 cup urad dal
- 2 tbsp tuvar dal or chana dal or a mix of both
- 1 heaping tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1/4 cup flattened rice (poha) or leftover cooked rice
- 2 tbsp semolina (optional)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
- salt to taste
- oil for drizzling on the dosas
- Potato Filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/4 cup frozen or cooked peas
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 thai green chili, finely chopped (you can also use some serrano or jalapeno instead)**
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp canola, peanut, vegetable or olive oil
Instructions
For the Dosa:
Rinse and soak the rice and dals separately for 8 hrs or overight. Add the methi seeds to the rice while soaking. The next morning, rinse and soak the poha in haf a cup of water.
Drain the water from both the rice and dal and grind the dal first in the blender (I used the Vitamix). Transfer the dal to a bowl large enough to accomodate batter that will rise to at least twice its volume.
Grind the rice along with the poha in the same blender and add to the dal. Add salt to taste, cover and leave aside in a warm place for about 8-10 hours to ferment.
A well-fermented batter would have risen and be light and airy with lots of bubbles. Give the batter a good stir and add some more water if needed. The consistency of the batter should be somewhat like heavy cream....not too thick or thin. Add the sugar and soooji now, if using.
Heat a skillet (preferably cast-iron) on a medium flame and rub it with oil (An onion cut in half with a fork pierced in it makes a great spreader).
Test the pan by sprinkling a few drops of water. If it sizzles, the pan is ready.
Take a ladleful of batter and pour it in the centre and then start spreading it quickly but evenly, starting from the centre and moving outwards. This takes a bit of practice but there are many vidoes on youtube that demonstrate the technique.
Drizzle some oil along the circumference and centre of the dosa and wait for the bottom to get golden brown and the edges to start lifting off the pan.
Add a scoop of the potato masala in the centre of the dosa.
Slide a sharp spatula under the crepe and it should lift right off.
Fold it in half or in thirds and transfer to a plate. Serve with sambar and chutneys.
Potao Filling:
Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame and add the chana dal and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir for a minute and then add the sliced onions.
Stir and cook the onions just until they start to soften.. They shouldnt turn brown.
Add the turmeric and salt and stir.
Then add the water and bring to a boil.
Add the boiled potaotes and cilantro. Stir and then add the carrot and peas and cook until it becomes a soft mass. Add salt to taste and keep aside until you ready to makes the dosas.
Notes
* I have made dosas with all varieties of rice including Basmati and Brown rice and it works well. ** Adjust the amount of serrano or jalapeo depending on how spicy you want it.
