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Masala Dosa - {Stuffed Dosa}

Cuisine: Indian
Courses: Dessert
Serves: 14 people

Recipe Ingredients

4   White boiling potatoes - peeled
  Salt - as needed
1 tablespoon 15mlOil
1 teaspoon 5mlBrown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon 15mlChana dal
5   Curry leaves
2   Onions - chopped
1/2 teaspoon 2.5mlGround turmeric
1 teaspoon 5mlSalt
  Sada Dosa
1/2 cup 118mlSplit urad dal
1 1/2 cups 240g / 8.5ozLong-grain rice
1 teaspoon 5mlSalt
  Oil - as needed

Recipe Instructions

For the Sada Dosa: Wash the dal and rice separately until the cloudiness in the water disappears. Soak them separately in tepid water to cover at room temperature until the dal expands and softens and the rice takes on a white opaqueness, about 4 hours.

Drain and reserve the liquid. Grind each separately in a blender, using enough of the reserved liquid to make a smooth consistency. The batter for both should be very thick, so add as little water as possible. To check the consistency, take a small amount of batter and rub it between your index finger and thumb. You should feel no grittiness.

Empty both batters into an oversized bowl (the batter will double when fermented), using more of the reserved water to wash out the stubborn bits stuck in the blender. The batter should now be of the consistency of pancake batter that is neither runny nor lumpy when dropped. Add the salt and mix thoroughly.

Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm oven (For a gas oven, heat from the pilot light should be enough; for an electric oven, heat at 225 degrees 5 minutes then turn it off. A temperature of 85 to 90 degrees is essential to the fermentation process.). Leave it to ferment overnight (at least 8 hours).

The next day, remove the bowl from the oven and mix thoroughly again. It should have doubled in volume and become thick and foamy. It should also smell slightly sour. The batter is now ready for frying; it can be covered and refrigerated at this stage if the dosas are not going to be prepared at once.

For the Masala Dosa: Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain them, reserving the water. Coarsely mash the potatoes.

Heat the oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Keep all the ingredients close at hand. When the oil reaches the smoking point, add the mustard seeds. These will immediately start to splutter and pop. Keep a splatter screen handy to fend off any hot oil burns.

When the spluttering eases off, about 5 to 8 seconds, reduce the heat and add the dal and the curry leaves. Fry a few more seconds until the dal turns brown. Add the onions and fry until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Then add the potatoes, turmeric and salt. Mix well. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the reserved potato water, mix again and cook until the water is absorbed and the bhaji is fairly dry in texture, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cook the Sada Dosa: Heat a nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the surface, seasoning the pan. Blot off any excess oil with a bunched-up paper towel. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the hot pan or griddle and immediately, beginning at the center, spread the batter out in a circular motion, using the bottom of the ladle, until the batter is spread out thinly. Spoon a little oil around the edges and cook, covered.

Uncover after about 30 seconds. Small holes should have formed on the surface of the dosa and its edges should have separated from the pan. Leave for 30 more seconds before lifting one side gently and folding it over the other. It should be crisp at this point. To get it crackly-crisp, add more oil around the edges after spreading the batter.

As each dosa is finished, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the bhaji onto one half of the dosa, then fold the other half over it. Restaurants often place the bhaji in the center of the dosa and fold the two sides over it to make it rectangular rather than half moon shape. Repeat until all the filling is used.

This recipe yields about 14 dosas.

Each dosa: 60 calories; 192 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.44 grams fiber.

Source:
The Los Angeles Times, 04-10-2002

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