Author Notes
Its the Classic South Indian claim to fame dish..& yes, its correctly pronunced as 'Dosai' NOT Dosa (which is what the 'Northies' call it. ). We Southies (ooh can you sense the parochialism just OOOZING from my pores??) have made it a mission to ensure that where ever we settle down, we inevitably ensure that our homes are equipped with a dosa grinder (a table top chocolate conching machine) that stone grinds rice & urad lentils for the batter, call it the Kitchen Aid mixer equivalent if you will. traditionally the rice used for this dish is a special par boiled rice that is labeled & sold as 'idli rice' in the USA, but jasmine rice makes for a good substitute. —Panfusine
Ingredients
- Dosai
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1.5 cups
Jasmine rice
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1/2 cup
Spilt dehusked Urad Dal
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1 teaspoon
Salt.
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Sesame oil
- Potato masala
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4
large idaho potatoes, boiled & peeled
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1
large onion, quartered & thinly sliced
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1 tablespoon
finely minced fresh ginger
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1
jalapeno, deseeded & finely chopped
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1 sprig
curry leaves
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2 tablespoons
canola or olive oil
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Salt to taste
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Juice of 1 lime
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1 teaspoon
whole black mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon
cumin seeds
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1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder
Directions
- Dosai
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RInse & soak the rice & lentils separately in plenty of water for about 2 hours (preferably overnight).
-
Grind the rice to a thick paste in a blender. Transfer to a large container. Repeat with the lentil, taking care to add sufficient water while blending to obtain a batter which is somewhat fluffy in consistency. (like beaten egg whites).
Combine the rice & the urad batters with the salt taking care to mix well using your hands (yeah , its messy, & the batter isn't even worth Licking!).
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Cover & place in the oven with the light switched on over night. Alternatively bloom a packet of yeast in warm water and add to the batter. Allow to rest for an hour.
Mix well before making the dosai.
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Heat a cast iron griddle. Add a teaspoon of oil & wipe it using a paper towel. WHen the pan gets really hot, pour about 3 oz of the batter in the center & spread it around using the rounded side of the ladle. Drizzle with 1/2 a teaspoon of sesame oil. (the batter will bubble up leaving nooks & crannies on the surface. when the lower side begins to turn golden brown carefully flip the dosai over & cook till the other side turns a similar color. Serve with your choice of chutney, or jam, or even just a dollop of yogurt.
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For making dosais with the potato filling, spread the batter on the griddle & drizzle with oil. (Cover with a large lid & allow the top side to steam cook.). Remove the lid, and place a scoop (ice cream scoop ) of the potato masala in the center. Using the spatula, gently roll the dosai around the filling. (Like rolling a burrito, but without tucking the sides in, I guess like a cannoli. serve with your choice of chutney, or sambhar
- Potato masala
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crumble the boiled & peeled potatoes. Set aside
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Heat the oil in a skillet, when it just begins to smoke, add the mustard & cumin seeds & allow to sputter. Add the curry leaves and the onion. saute till the onion turns translucent.
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Add the crumbled potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Sprinkle with some water, stir, lower the heat, cover & cook till the flavors combine. remove from heat, add the lime juice.
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!
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