One of the most well known and loved food from South India is the Dosa. I’m  from the city of Bengalooru, that is well known for its software industry and pubs and dosa places. Here is a newspaper article from a popular Bangalore daily, listing several interesting Dosa hotels in Bangalore.

Of the various types of Dosa, the ‘Masala Dosa’ is very popular. Here is my version of this classic-

Ingredients-

1. Rice- 2 cups

2. Urad Dal- 1/2 cup

3. Beaten Rice( Avalakki or Poha)-   A fistful

4. Fenugreek seeds- 1 Tbspn

5. Channa Dal- A fistful

6. Salt- to taste

Method-

Soak all the ingredients separately overnight, or for at least 4 hours. Drain the water and grind using as little water as needed. A small table top wet grinder like Ultra comes in most handy for this purpose. The batter turns out better because there is a control on the amount of water that needs to be added, and the motion of the stones aerates the batter better than a normal grinder, creating a much better final product. Well, for those of us who do not have such luxuries, a normal grinder works just fine…….

Allow the batter to ferment in a warm place for about 8 hours, or till it rises slightly.  I prefer grinding the batter in the morning, as we stay in a really cold place, and the batter needs to go in a 200 Degree preheated oven, which I need to keep checking on periodically. The longer the batter is let to ferment, the sourer it gets. Add the salt to the batter after it has fermented.

For the Stuffing-

Ingredients-

1.  Potatoes- 4 large, Boiled and peeled

2. Onion- 1 Large, chopped

3. Green Chilies- 3 to 4, sliced

4. Curry leaves- 6 to 8

5. Fresh Ginger- 1 inch piece, finely chopped

6. Coriander- 1 Tbspn, finely chopped

7. Mustard seeds- 1/2 Tsp

8. Urad Dal- 1 1/2 Tsp

9. Channa Dal- 1 1/2 Tsp

10. Oil- 2 Tbsp

11. Turmeric powder- 1/2 Tsp

12. Salt to Taste

13. Juice from 1/2  lemon

Method-

Heat the oil in a thick bottom pan. Add the mustard seed, after they splutter, add the urad dal and channa dal and allow to turn slightly brown. Add the green chilies, ginger and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds. Add the onions, and saute till they become transparent. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Mash the potatoes slightly, and mix with the onions. Turn off the heat. Mix the lemon juice and garnish with the fresh coriander.

For a version of this curry without onions. Follow the initial steps as above, and use a pinch of asafetida for the tadka, but skip the onions. Before adding the mashed potatoes, add a tsp of rasam powder and a tsp of sugar to the oil. Mix the lemon juice as before, and garnish with fresh coriander. Boiled Peas make a good addition to this dish.

This curry goes great with Pooris too…..

For the onion chutney-

Onion- 1 medium, chopped

Tamarind paste- 1/4 Tsp

Red chilies- 2

salt to taste

Grind all the above to make a thick chutney to spread on the dosa.

Alternatively, a mixture of ghee and Chutney powder can be used as a spread.

To assemble the Masala Dosa-

Stick half an onion on a fork and use this to clean the tava, each time after making a dosa. Heat the Tava on medium, spread the batter into a thin, round, approximately 8′ diameter, pancake, and turn the heat on high. Add oil( or a mixture of oil and Ghee) all around the sides of the dosa to prevent sticking. After the dosa turns golden, spread some onion chutney, or chutney powder-ghee mixture, over it, put some potato curry in the center, and fold. Top with a blob of butter, and serve with some coconut chutney and Sambhar( Recipes coming up).

Hey, do you have the tradition of throwing away the first dosa????

I remember being a really spoilt brat when I was younger back in Bangalore. There were some vegetables I would not even touch, like the Choyote Squash( Seeme badanekaayi), and there were some foods I hated, like the Adai Dose, poori, rotti, etc. My Mom had to make something else for me while the whole family ate whatever was made without complaints. I regret having done all that now, and feel terrible about those crazy things I did. I love my Mom for the patience she had to put up with me.

After getting married and coming to a totally new country, it so happens, life teaches people like us a lesson. We learn the value of people who love us and we learn to appreciate whatever we can cook, or whatever we can get to eat. So that was how I came to like, then fell in love with the humble ‘ Adai Dose’.

Really easy to make, and full of healthy proteins, how could I have not ever liked it before? So if you are like me, try this recipe for once and who knows, you may fall in love too?

Ingredients-

1. Channa Dal- 1/2 Cup

2. Urad Dal- 1/2 Cup

3. Toovar Dal- 1/2 Cup

4. Moong Dal- 1/2 Cup

5. Rice- A fistful

6. Fresh grated coconut- 2 Tbsp

7. Ginger- 1 inch piece

8. Curry Leaves- 5 to 6

9. Coriander leaves- A small bunch

10. Red Chilies- 7 to 8

11. Asafetida- a big pinch

12. Jeera- 1 Tsp

13. Peppercorns- 8 to 10

14. Salt- To taste

15. Oil- For making Dose’s

Method-

Soak all the dals and rice in warm water for about 2 hours. Grind them together with all the other ingredients( Except Oil) to make a fine batter, the consistency should be similar to normal dose batter. Make the Dose just like normal dose, as thin or as thick as needed.

Enjoy with Ghee and some Jaggery or Chutney.