Masala Dosa

Dosa is another gem coming from South Indian cuisine with an equally strong standing in rest of Indian states. For all my global friends, Dosa is essentially a rice and lentil fermented crepe. Masala Dosa is simply the filling based version of the plain Dosa. Dosa/Masala Dosa is best enjoyed with Sambhar and Coconut chutney – made perfectly, the combination is a bliss for any food lover !

Now a days you can easily get the readymade dosa batter in any of the supermarkets. However, me being a naturalist (or try be one as far as possible :)), I have made Dosa using homemade batter. You can get so many types of dosa like plain dosa, masala dosa, rava dosa, paper dosa, mysore masala dosa etc but today I am just presenting the simple Masala Dosa. This recipe can also be used to make the Plain Dosa as it just involves making the dosa without the potato filling.

As a North Indian I didn’t try dosa at home till the cooking bug bit me (2 years ago); then I started to try out all my (and my hubby’s) favourite recipes. My 3 years old angel also loves these Dosas 😍. So, let’s start the journey to treat ourselves with the delicious Masala Dosa 😊

The ingredients for making Dosa are :
1. Rice : 2 cup
2. Poha (flattened rice) : 1/4 cup
3. Urad daal (Black gram skinned) : 1/2 cup
4. Fenugreek seeds (Dana Methi ) : 1/4 tsp
5. Salt : to taste

Method for making Dosa Batter :

Separately wash and rinse rice, urad daal, poha, and fenugreek seeds.

Soak rice and poha together with enough water for 3-4 hours.

Similarly, soak urad daal and fenugreek seeds together with enough water for 3-4 hours. Drain the water from urad daal and fenugreek seeds and, keep that water for later use to grind urad daal and rice.

Grind the urad daal and fenugreek seeds together to a very fine paste, using minimum water as needed. Place this paste in a big bowl and beat it for 2-3 minutes to make it fluffy.

Now grind rice and poha together (using the water saved from soaking urad daal and fenugreek seeds) to a very fine and smooth paste (the paste should not be grainy).

Mix both rice and daal mixture well, add salt to it and mix (beat) it for 2-3 minutes. Now cover this batter and let it ferment for overnight. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. Keep the batter in a warm place for good fermentation.

The ingredients for making the Potato Filling for Masala Dosa are:
1. Potato : 5 (boiled)
2. Onion : 2 (chopped)
3. Green chilli : 2 (chopped)
4. Ginger : 1/2 tsp (chopped)
5. Curry leaves : 10-12
6. Mustard seeds (Rye ) : 1/2 tsp
7. Cumin seeds (Jeera) : 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder (Haldi) : 1/2 tsp
9. Chana daal (Bengal gram) : 1 Tbsp
10. Salt : to taste
11. Asafoetida (Hing) : a pinch
12. Oil /Ghee : 2 tsp

Method for making Potato Filling :

Heat oil in a pan; temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and chana daal. When chana daal turns golden brown then add curry leaves, onions and sauté till the onions become translucent.

Now add green chilli, ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then add turmeric powder and sauté it. Next add the boiled potatoes and mix well. Now add salt and cook for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring.

Switch off the flame and your yummy potato filling for Masala Dosa is ready !

Method For making Masala Dosa :

Heat a skillet (tawa), sprinkle some oil and spread the oil with a damp cotton cloth. Now take a big spoonful of dosa batter and spread it in a circular manner outwards very quickly to make thin and round shaped dosa.

Sprinkle some drops of oil on the top and the edges of dosa; when the dosa becomes golden brown in colour, flip the dosa to cook the other side for 30 seconds.

Flip it again and place 1-2 Tbsp of potato filling on dosa. Fold one side of the dosa on the filling and then fold the other side to make it into a cylindrical shape. Cook the dosa for few seconds till it becomes brown. Cook the dosa on medium flame.

Your delicious Masala Dosa is ready to be served. Serve this masala dosa with Sambhar and Coconut Chutney !

Insider Tips / Finer Points :

• Keep the batter for fermentation in a warm place. If the temperature is very low (means too cold) then keep the batter in the warm place like warm oven or in the wheat flour container.
  Do not cover the batter with air tight lid.
• If you are unable to spread the batter on the skillet, then add some water to the batter.
• Spread the batter on skillet very quickly as you are pouring, otherwise you won’t get the thin and even dosa. If you are a beginner, you will get it right after making 2-3 dosas; so don’t worry and try to spread it quickly.
• I have used both iron and non-stick skillet for making dosa – but you get more crispy dosa on the iron skillet.
• If you are using iron skillet then after making each dosa, clean the skillet with a damp cloth and then start making the next one.
  You may use clarified butter (ghee) instead of oil to make it more tasty.
• You may adjust the spices for the potato filling as per your taste buds.