Start by soaking brown basmati rice, urad dal (lentils), chana dal (split chickpeas), and fenugreek seeds overnight. Then in the morning, or after 6-8 hours, blend into a batter. Leave out for 12-24 hours, letting the batter ferment. You can prepare the filling and the chutney while the batter ferments. Well, go ahead and take a look at this recipe. I just wanted to let you know what you were getting into.
Masala Dosa with
Potato Onion Filling and Coconut Cilantro Chutney
Dosas are a staple dish in India
and many times enjoyed for breakfast. A dosa is essentially a cross between a crepe
and a pancake with a slightly more complicated preparation process. The batter is made from rice, urad dal, chana
dal and fenugreek seeds. It is initially soaked, then blended and left to
ferment overnight.
Brown basmati was our rice of
choice, as white basmati rice tends to result in a runnier batter that does not hold up
as well in the cooking process. The urad
dal called for in the recipe was easily substituted for a Spanish Pardina
lentil; really any brown lentil would do.
The brown rice and dal combination
results in a more complex nutritional profile and flavor than a typical flour-based
crepe or pancake. The fermentation process also lends great flavor depth that
you don’t get from a traditional crepe or pancake. It’s also gluten free!
There are a number of different
types of dosas and endless combinations of fillings and chutneys. Traditionally
a masala dosa is stuffed with a potato filling. This version consists of a
potato and onion spiced filling, finished off with a refreshing coconut and
cilantro chutney. The result is a sweet
and savory dosa; the caramelized onions and sweet coconut offset the kick from
the chilies and ginger.
Dosas Ingredients:
Yield: 1 Quart of batter, more than 20 thin dosas. ( Think Party! )
1 cup organic brown basmati rice
½ cup urad dal (lentils)
2 tablespoons chana dal (split chickpeas)
1 ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 cups filtered water
¾ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons mustard oil or sesame oil
Combine the brown basmati rice, urad dal, chana dal and
fenugreek seeds in a bowl. Rinse and scour the mixture two to three times, draining the water each time, till
the water is no longer cloudy. Cover the mixture with fresh water and allow it
to soak overnight or for at least 6 hours.
After it has soaked
drain the mixture and transfer to a high-speed blender. Start out with adding 1 cup of water and
blend on medium speed for till it is all blended, about a minute. Then slowly add in the other cup of water and
blend till it reaches the consistency of a grainy pancake batter. The batter now needs to ferment overnight,
but not for more than 20 hours.
When it is done fermenting, add the salt and determine if
you need to add a little more water to thin it out to a pourable
consistency. Once you cook your first
dosa you will know if the batter is too thick as it will not lend it self to
spread easily.
Heat up the oil in large heavy bottomed pan when your ready
to cook the dosa. Use a ladle to put
about a quarter cup of the batter in a pan.
Use the back of the ladle to spread the batter out in a spiraling
motion. There should be some holes in
the batter as you spread it out, but be careful of the pan being too hot or it
will start to cook quicker than you can spread it. Let it cook for about 3-5
minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned and there is no raw batter
visible. You don’t flip dosas so it is
ready to be taken off the pan at this point.
It is best to assemble the dosas when they are still hot so
once you take it off the pan spread a dollop or two of the cilantro chutney in
the middle of the dosa and top with about 1/3 cup of the potato onion
filling. Enjoy!
The potato onion filling is simple
to make despite the lengthy ingredient list. There are a few ingredients here
that you may not have on hand but don’t worry, neither did we. There are usually simple substitutions that
can be made for many ingredients, so don’t ever let a missing ingredient deter
you from trying out a recipe.
The mustard seed oil can easily be
substituted for safflower oil or any other neutral oil you have on hand. You can also substitute onion and garlic
powder for asafetida. We accidently
ended up adding more mustard seeds than the recipe called for, but our end
result was still delicous!
Potato-Onion Filling Ingredients:
4 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
1 ½ yellow onions, medium dice
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 serrano chili, minced
3 tablespoons mustard seed oil
1/8 teaspoon asafetida
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 ounces filtered water
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Wash the potatoes and cut into quarters. Boil them in a pot of water till they are
soft, but not falling apart, about 30 minutes or so. When they are done cooking, drain them and
set them aside to cool.
While the potatoes are cooking chop the onion, mince the
Serrano and grate the ginger.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle peel off the
skin and chop into fairly large chunks.
Heat up the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add in the mustard seeds and let them cook
for a few minutes till they start to pop.
As soon as they begin to pop, add in the onion and cook until they get
nice and soft, about 10 minutes. Then add in the ginger and Serrano and cook
for another 2-3 minutes.
Add in the potatoes, tumeric, salt and water. Stir it around
and let it simmer until the water evaporates and the potatoes begin to fall
apart.
Cilantro Coconut Chutney
The coconut and cilantro chutney is
the perfect finishing touch for the dosa.
Though a vitamix would be ideal for this recipe, any high speed blender
will do, you may just have to blend it a little bit longer to get the
consistency you want.
The shredded coconut in the recipe
can be obtained a couple of different ways.
Either from a mature coconut, a young coconut or the unsweetened shredded
coconut you can find in the store. Each will result in a little different
outcome. We used a young coconut, so our
finished product had a very smooth consistency.
If you use a mature coconut or the shredded coconut, your chutney will
have a bit more texture but will still be equally as delicious!
Coconut and Cilantro Chutney Ingredients:
Yield: 1 ½ cup
1 ½ tablespoons chana dal
2 tablespoons oil for frying
1 to 2 serrano chilis, minced
½ cup packed cilantro, chopped
4 ounces filtered water
6 ounces freshly shredded coconut (approximately ½ of a
coconut)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ ounces lemon juice
Heat up the oil in a pan and add in the chana dal. Fry the dal till it turns a reddish brown
color then remove the dal from the oil and let them cool.
Add the chana dal, cilantro, Serrano chili and water to the
blender. Blend on high until it is all combined. Then add in the coconut, salt and lemon
juice. Blend until it reaches the consistency you would like. Be sure to taste
for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
Hi Brian, Just ran across your email from last August (2012!) linking to your blog. Looking at the recipes you've posted, my mouth is watering.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be surprised to know I ate at Casa de Luz on Dec. 29. I was visiting friends who live in Austin and they recommended it to me. I asked the cashier if you were there but she didn't know you.
Wondering if I'll see you at French Meadows in July. It's one of the highlights of my year.
Wishing you well, Kathy Keller