Masala dosa

Introduce

Chef :

Sumera Rahman

Masala dosa

#Ambassador #Masaladosa Masala dosa is a popular Indian breakfast dish consisting of a crisp crepe-like pancake made from a fermented batter of grains and pulses. It is served with a spiced potato masala and an array of southern Indian chutneys. Dosa can be tricky to make at home – much like pancakes, the first few attempts might not come out right, but persevere! It's key to have a smooth, well-fermented batter and a good non-stick pan. You can use any short-grain rice to make the batter, but the best is 'parboiled' rice

Ingredient

500 g

short grain rice, ideally dosa rice

1/8 tbsp

urad dal

250 g

potatoes, boiled until soft, then peeled

1/2 tbsp

fenugreek seeds, (methi)

1/4 tbsp

chana dal

1 1/2 tbsp

vegetable oil

whole dried kashmiri chilli

1/4 tsp

mustard seeds

green chilli, finely chopped

1.5 cm

fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 sprig

curry leaf

1/2

onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp

ground turmeric

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Begin with the dosa batter 6 hours in advance. Wash then soak all the dosa ingredients (apart from the salt) in cold water for 6 hours

* Step 2

After this time, strain the ingredients and place in a blender. Add a little fresh cold water and blend until smooth, slowly adding more water if needed – you want it to be the consistency of double cream. Transfer to a bowl, cover loosely and leave at room temperature to ferment overnight. It ferments better in a warm environment

* Step 3

To make the masala, heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds until they begin to crackle. Add the urad dal and chana dal, both chillies, the ginger and curry leaves and cook for a minute, but be careful not to burn

* Step 4

Add the onions and cook over a medium-low heat until soft then add the turmeric and cook for a final minute

* Step 5

Crush the boiled potatoes – do not mash completely as you still want some texture. Add the crushed potato to the pan and mix to combine evenly. Taste and season with salt. Set aside to reheat before serving or keep warm

* Step 6

To cook the dosa, heat a very wide non-stick or cast-iron flat pan until it starts to smoke. Turn the heat down and add a ladle of the batter, spreading it evenly on the pan in a circular motion using the back of the ladle

* Step 7

Drizzle a bit of oil and salt over the batter and cook until the dosa is golden in colour. Flip it over and cook for a further minute

* Step 8

Serve up immediately on a tray with the masala potatoes sprinkled with coriander along with a selection of chutneys and curries. I use my special green chutney