Dosa
I saw this dosa mix in a local shop and couldn't resist buying it. It is all made up and refrigerated.
I love dosas, but my one attempt to make them from a dried mix was not a success, and I've not tried making them from scratch.
If I was going to make my own, I would follow Felicity Cloake's recipe . But the mix tasted great. I added some water, as it says on the package, and was amazed at how well they cooked on the cast iron griddle.
Masala Dosa Filling
This is based on this online recipe I made it in advance and warmed it up in the microwave before serving.
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 handful fresh curry leaves (maybe 9-10)
- 1 inch piece ginger, minced
- 1/4-1/2 onion sliced
- 1 green chilli, seeds removed, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 -1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sambar powder
- 500 grams potatoes
Quarter potatoes, boil until done, peel off skins and mash lightly.
Heat oil, add mustard, cumin, and fennel seeds, then curry leaves and ginger, onions and chilli. When onion is soft add peas, turmeric, sambar powder and potatoes.
Sambar
I like to dip my dosa in the sambar. It should be quite soupy, not thick like dal. It's made in two stages -- the vegetable and dal soup, with temper added at the end.
I drew on this online recipe in making my sambar, but used much less sambar powder (and didn't make my own).
Cook 1 cup toor dal in a good amount of water until soft. Drain off excess liquid if necessary and mash.
Saute in a large, heavy bottomed pot:
1/2 chopped onion
1-2 sliced okra
3-4 chopped green beans
chopped carrot, potato or squash or other vegetables
add one chopped tomato.
Add 1 teaspoon (or more) of sambar powder. Add a spoonful of tamarind paste diluted in a few tablespoons of water. Add mashed lentils. Cover with water and cook until vegetables are soft.
In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil, add 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida, a handful of fresh curry leaves.
Stir the spiced oil into vegetables and lentils, and serve with dosa.
Fresh Coconut Chutney
Coconut and coriander chutney is always served with dosa in UK restaurants.
I followed this recipe, but left out the lentils, and added more water.
Put in blender: equal amounts coriander leaves and coconut, one green chilli, a little lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Blend until smooth, and fairly runny. How much coriander and coconut depends on how much chutney you want. I would use about 1/2 cup each.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small frying pan, add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon urad dal, (optional), 8-10 fresh curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Mix into chutney.
Fresh Peanut Chutney
This was always served with dosa when I first had them at a colleague's table in Asmara. My version wasn't as good as I remember. I may have to try a few variations.
I followed this recipe but without the chilli and tamarind.
In a small fry pan, toast 1 cup raw peanuts, then set aside. In the same pan, add a spoonful of oil, and sauté a half onion, chopped, several cloves of garlic crushed or chopped, and a lump of ginger, chopped or grated. When cool, add to a food processor with water and pulse until ground into a paste.
Similar to above, the temper heats the ingredients below in a small pan, before adding to the peanut paste.
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustrad Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
- 10-12 Curry Leaves
