Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:29a.m.
The very thought of a dosa, those large thin crispy Indian pancakes, always makes my mouth water. I first tasted them when I travelled to India.
They are made from a batter of ground rice and lentils which has been left to ferment. As large as a dinner plate they are filled with a spicy potato filling and are served with a chutney alongside. They make a nutritious snack at any time of the day but are especially popular as a breakfast food in South India .
Here in New Zealand you can find them in South Indian Restaurant restaurants such as Satya on Karangahape Road, one of my favourite places to eat Indian food. Recently I had a go at making them myself.
It all started when I spotted a great range of Indian kitchenware at the Takapuna Beach Bargain Centre. I liked their stainless steel serving dishes, idli steamers, and spice jars in lidded tins. But what I fancied most was their dosa frying pans.
Still, what would be the point of buying one as I had no idea of how to cook dosa.
Luckily Mrs. Shoba Pala was working in the shop that day and she was more than happy to share her family recipes for both dosa and idli (steamed rice and lentil cakes) and to guide me on my way.
It turned out to be a lesson in Hindi as well as cooking but in the end (with a little help from an online dictionary) I think I got it right: for instance : jeerah are cumin seeds, sarso mustard seeds, haldi turmeric and mehti is fenugreek.
Then armed with the dosa pan I was off on my mission. But before I could start cooking I needed to hunt down the necessary supplies, especially idli rice (which is a special kind of rice) and urad dal. ( I had been cautioned to make sure I got these particular black lentils as other kinds of lentils would not be suitable)
That afternoon I drove across the city to Royal Oak where there is an Indian Food Market. The staff were very amused that I wanted to make dosa from scratch and tried to dissuade me.
“Why not use instant dosa mix as we always do at home? they suggested “ It tastes very good. And it’s ready in a flash. There’s none of that waiting overnight for the batter to ferment.”
They showed me the packet. I wavered. It would be the easy way out! But I trusted Mrs. Shobe Pale’s advice that dosa tastes better made from scratch.
Once home I first washed the idli rice and the urad dal separately, and left each to soak in containers overnight.. In the morning I had to grind them separately in my food processor with a little water until smooth. It took quite a few bursts and the rice was still a tiny bit grainy but it would have to do. Then the rice and urad dal mixtures were mixed together with a little salt, 2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt and enough water to make it into a pancake batter.
I let this ferment on the sunny window sill as it needed a warm place. It worked, by the following day it had increased in volume and looked bubbly. As the weather gets colder this may not happen so readily and the batter might need to be put in the hot water cupboard or near a heater to help the fermentation process along. The batter was also a little too thick at this stage so I watered it down to a pouring consistency.
Then came the moment of truth: The frying of the dosa! Although there should be no need to grease the non-stick dosa pan I found that if I gave it a quick wipe with a paper towel which had been dipped in oil this did prevent sticking.
A large spoonful of batter was needed for each dosa. The secret is to spread this out with the rounded bottom of a large spoon, using a circular motion and to fry the dosa over a medium heat. This is quite tricky! As it fried I trickled a little vegetable oil around the edges and over it.
When it was brown and crispy underneath I turned it around and cooked the other side
Then the potato filling was put in the middle and the dosa rolled around it, the coconut chutney went alongside.
It will be a while before I can turn out the perfect dosa. But the flavour was very nice, and although the middle was a little on the spongy side the edges were crispy. It made a tasty snack.
I did try a packet of instant dosa mix the following the week. You only need to add water, stir it and leave it for 5 minutes. It was lightly spiced with fenugreek. The batter spread easily. Although the dosa came out tasty and crisp they were a little too salty for our liking.
Was making dosa from scratch worth all the effort? I think so. It was time consuming, but taking the time to soak and grind the ingredients and leaving the batter to ferment overnight reminded me of a time when women didn’t rush their food preparation as we so often do in our kitchens these days. It gave me an insight into how a good Indian cook makes dosa at home. And I enjoyed her cooking lesson!
That dosa pan is also great for making pancakes and pikelets so it’s well worth having!
Dosa Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 mugs of idli rice
1 mug urad dal
2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt
½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
water
vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Soak the rice and urad dal separately overnight
Then grind them to a paste in a food processor or blender.
Now mix them together.
Add a little salt and 2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt.
Add enough water to make a batter.
Leave it to ferment in a warm place.
It should increase in volume with bubbles on the surface.
The mixture can now be used, or stored in the fridge in a lidded container for a few days.
Use a ladle/big spoon to put some batter onto the hot pan.
Drizzle a little vegetable oil on the dosa and around the edges as it cooks.
Check to see if it is brown and crispy underneath.
Then turn it around and cook other side
Masala Potato Filling
Parboil 4 potatoes and cut into small cubes.
Put a little oil in the frying pan
Add a little of each of the following:
jeerah (cumin seeds)
sarso (mustard seeds)
haldi ( turmeric)
red chili powder
salt
Fry this mixture.Keep turning so it doesn’t burn until it is quite soft
You can add a squeeze of lemon juice (to make it a little sour)
This was the recipe as it was given to me, I experimented and used 4 potatoes, 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds which I first fried in a little oil until they popped, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of Masterfoods hot red Chilli flakes , 1 teaspoon of freshly roasted and ground cumin , 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the juice of ½ lemon
Be adventurous, experiment until you find the right balance of these ingredients for you.
Coconut Chutney:
Soak 150gm of desiccated coconut in water.
Drain the water off
Put coconut in food processor
Add garlic, salt and chilies and some lemon juice according to taste .
(For 150 grams of desiccated coconut I used 2 cloves of garlic ( finely chopped) 1 teaspoon of Masterfoods hot red Chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt and the juice of a lemon.)
The supply of Indian cookware can be found at:
Takapuna Beach Bargain Centre
19 Hurstmere Road
Takapuna Auckland