Masala dosa (Indian food) - anyone successfully cooked them?!
Since visiting India 20+ years ago, I've made many attempts to cook a dish I just loved whjen I was there - masala dosa ( http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Dosa )!. If you don't know it, it's a crispy rice- and urid-dal-flour pancake wrapped round a spicy potato and onion filling!. Absolutely delicious!
I've tried countless recipes!. The potato filling is easy and is always a success!. However, the crispy rice/urid dal pancake always sticks to the pan/griddle!. It goes all squidgy, and it never comes off cleanly in one piece!. In short, I've never succussfully managed to make a pancake for the dosa!.
Does anyone have any tips, or know what I might be doing wrong!? I'd really appreciate some expert knowledge here as thaey are just so, so good!
ThanksWww@FoodAQ@Com
I've tried countless recipes!. The potato filling is easy and is always a success!. However, the crispy rice/urid dal pancake always sticks to the pan/griddle!. It goes all squidgy, and it never comes off cleanly in one piece!. In short, I've never succussfully managed to make a pancake for the dosa!.
Does anyone have any tips, or know what I might be doing wrong!? I'd really appreciate some expert knowledge here as thaey are just so, so good!
ThanksWww@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
I jst made it yesterday & they were yummmyyyy!.I used the following recipe everytime & it was always successfull well my family never like the flavour of packed Dosa Mix available in the markets as they never taste nice!.
*Masala Dosa
-For Dosa
2 cup: Rice - preferably parboiled
1/2 cup: Split and husked Black Gram (Dhuli Urad) - soaked with rice for 5-6 hours
1/2 tsp: Fenugreek Seeds
Oil to smear the pan for cooking the dosas
2 tsp: Salt
-For Masala
500 gm (3 cups): Potatoes - boiled, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups: Onions - sliced not very thin
1/4 tsp: Powdered Turmeric
2-3: Green chillies - chopped coarsely (optional)
6-7 : Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp dried curry leaves
2 tbsp: Oil
1 tsp: Mustard seeds
2 tsp: Salt
1/2 cup: Water
Grind daal mixture together to a very smooth consistency!. Add salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency!. Leave to ferment for about 5-6 hours, till a little spongy!.
If thickened too much, add a little water to thin a bit!. Heat tawa(or flat pan), and brush oil over it!. When really hot, splash a little water over it, and immediately pour batter onto it, spreading it thin, with a circular motion!. This will have to be very swift and will need a bit of practice!.
After spreading the batter, lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges so that it seeps under the dosa!. When edges start browning a bit, pass a flat spoon under it to ease the dosa off the pan!.
Put desired filling in the centre and fold the two edges over!. Serve accompanied with sambhar and chutney
-For the Masala Filling
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and add the mustard seeds, then onions, curry leaves and green chillies, and sauté over high heat till the onions are a little transparent!.
Add the salt and the turmeric and mix well before adding the potatoes!. Turn the potatoes around till well mixed and add the water and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes!.
U can serve it with coconut chutney
*COCONUT CHUTNEY
Cooking Time : 15 min!.
Preparation Time : 10 min!.
Makes 1 cup!.
1 cup coconut, grated
2 small green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon roasted split gram (daria dal), optional
salt to taste
-For the tempering
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli, broken into pieces
2 to 3 curry leaves
1 teaspoon oil
1!. Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste!. Keep aside!.
2!. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle!. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well!.
3!. Refrigerate and use as required!.
ENJOY :-)Www@FoodAQ@Com
*Masala Dosa
-For Dosa
2 cup: Rice - preferably parboiled
1/2 cup: Split and husked Black Gram (Dhuli Urad) - soaked with rice for 5-6 hours
1/2 tsp: Fenugreek Seeds
Oil to smear the pan for cooking the dosas
2 tsp: Salt
-For Masala
500 gm (3 cups): Potatoes - boiled, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups: Onions - sliced not very thin
1/4 tsp: Powdered Turmeric
2-3: Green chillies - chopped coarsely (optional)
6-7 : Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp dried curry leaves
2 tbsp: Oil
1 tsp: Mustard seeds
2 tsp: Salt
1/2 cup: Water
Grind daal mixture together to a very smooth consistency!. Add salt and enough water to make into a dropping consistency!. Leave to ferment for about 5-6 hours, till a little spongy!.
If thickened too much, add a little water to thin a bit!. Heat tawa(or flat pan), and brush oil over it!. When really hot, splash a little water over it, and immediately pour batter onto it, spreading it thin, with a circular motion!. This will have to be very swift and will need a bit of practice!.
After spreading the batter, lower the heat and dribble a little oil around the edges so that it seeps under the dosa!. When edges start browning a bit, pass a flat spoon under it to ease the dosa off the pan!.
Put desired filling in the centre and fold the two edges over!. Serve accompanied with sambhar and chutney
-For the Masala Filling
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and add the mustard seeds, then onions, curry leaves and green chillies, and sauté over high heat till the onions are a little transparent!.
Add the salt and the turmeric and mix well before adding the potatoes!. Turn the potatoes around till well mixed and add the water and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes!.
U can serve it with coconut chutney
*COCONUT CHUTNEY
Cooking Time : 15 min!.
Preparation Time : 10 min!.
Makes 1 cup!.
1 cup coconut, grated
2 small green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon roasted split gram (daria dal), optional
salt to taste
-For the tempering
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli, broken into pieces
2 to 3 curry leaves
1 teaspoon oil
1!. Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste!. Keep aside!.
2!. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle!. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well!.
3!. Refrigerate and use as required!.
ENJOY :-)Www@FoodAQ@Com
I suggest go to an Indian store and buy a Dosa mix!. The brand i suggest is MTR or even GITS!.These are popular in India!. Follow the instructions on the packet to make the mix!.
Now how to make it! Here are some tips!. Heat the pan , then oil it, make sure you remove the excess oil!. The pan should not be too hot or too cold!. If its too hot it will get unevenly cooked!. Now i suggest start with making tiny dosas the size of pancakes that are thin and crispy!. Take a ladle full of the mix and pour it in the pan!. Now start from the centre of the dosa and quickly make concentric circles till you thin out the dosa evenly!. pour oil from the sides if you have to!. Toss it and done!. This needs experience till you get it right!.
If you find making those concentric circles tough, then i suggest roll the pan and thin it out like you make an ommellete!.
Before making the next one wipe the pan, drizzle water on it to cool it down!. Next pour oil on it and wipe it with a paper towel and then pour the batter!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Now how to make it! Here are some tips!. Heat the pan , then oil it, make sure you remove the excess oil!. The pan should not be too hot or too cold!. If its too hot it will get unevenly cooked!. Now i suggest start with making tiny dosas the size of pancakes that are thin and crispy!. Take a ladle full of the mix and pour it in the pan!. Now start from the centre of the dosa and quickly make concentric circles till you thin out the dosa evenly!. pour oil from the sides if you have to!. Toss it and done!. This needs experience till you get it right!.
If you find making those concentric circles tough, then i suggest roll the pan and thin it out like you make an ommellete!.
Before making the next one wipe the pan, drizzle water on it to cool it down!. Next pour oil on it and wipe it with a paper towel and then pour the batter!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
The reason the dosa is squidgy or it sticks to the griddle is the proportion of Urad dal to rice!. If the batter has more dal than required, then it tends to stick to the griddle!. also you need to control the flame while making the dosa!. The ideal proportion for dosa is 2 parts rice to 1 part urad dal!. Soak the dal and rice in the morning!. Add a pinch of Methi seeds(fenugreek seeds) to the dal!. Then in the evening make a paste of the dal and rice separately!. Make sure the dal paste is as smooth and fine as possible!. Then mix the pastes together, add water if necessary and keep overnight to ferment!. Then in the morning check the batter and mix it well and add salt to taste!.Then keep the griddle on medium flame and pour 1/2 teaspoon of oil on it!. When the oil is warm, sprinkle a few drops of water on the oil!. Take care while doing this as it will make the oil splutter, so it has to be 1-2 drops!. This coats the griddle with oil evenly!. BTW some people pour oil on the griddle and then spread the oil on the griddle using the cut side of an onion as this keeps the batter from sticking to the griddle!. Then pour the batter on the griddle and spread the batter with the help of a laddle or the bottom of a small steel bowl!. The shape should be an oval!. Then pour some oil along the sides of the dosa!. Then as it starts to leave the sides of the griddle, spread some potato filling in the centre and fold the dosa lengthwise and remove!.
Let me know if this helps!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Let me know if this helps!.Www@FoodAQ@Com