Moscow Food Co-op Recipes

Meals Kids Might Eat:
Masala Dosa – An Unusual Treat

by Jyotsna “Jo” Sreenivasan, from the September 2005 newsletter

I went back and forth about whether to share this recipe with you. On the one hand, my kids love masala dosa (a South Indian sourdough crepe wrapped around a potato-and-onion curry). On the other hand, making masala dosa can feel like a weird and daunting task—even to me, who grew up with parents from India!

Masala dosa is one of several South Indian snacks made with a fermented rice and dal batter. (Dal, by the way, is just a bean or lentil with the skin removed and split in half—like a split pea). Masala dosa is very difficult to find in the US—most Indian restaurants specialize in Punjabi (North Indian) food.

When my older son ate four dosas at a sitting at my mother’s house in August, I decided to throw caution to the wind and let you have the recipe.

Step 1: Pour the dosa batter.

Step 2: Spread it using back of spoon.

Step 3: Fill and fold!

Masala Dosa
Start the process about 36 hours before you want to eat your dosas. This recipe makes 10–12 dosas—enough for four people. It is best to eat each dosa as soon as it comes off the griddle, so people might have to stagger their dinners.

1/2 cup red lentils (AKA “masoor dal”) or urad dal (this is the traditional ingredient, but difficult to find)
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds (available in the spice section)
Water to cover the dal by about one inch
2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
A mild oil (such as canola or safflower)

Rinse red lentils (or urad dal), and soak with fenugreek in water for about six hours. Drain, saving water. Grind lentils in blender, using just enough soaking water (1/4 to 1/3 cup) to make a smooth paste.

Add 2 cups rice flour and 1 1/2 cups water, and mix. The batter should be thinner than pancake batter. If needed, add more water. Add salt and mix.

Cover the bowl and set it in a warm place to rise. I put mine on top of a cabinet near the stove. Let it stay there for 12 to 24 hours. Look at it and stir after 12 hours. The batter should rise and puff up. It doesn’t have to rise very much, so if after 24 hours it hasn’t done much, go ahead and use it anyway.

Now you are ready to cook your dosas. Lightly oil a griddle. Also pour some oil into a small bowl and keep that and a spoon beside the stove. Heat the skillet on medium-low heat.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and immediately spread the batter with the back of a spoon, using a spiral motion (see photo). If dosa starts cooking before you can spread it, lower the heat. The dosa should be 6 inches in diameter. Pour several drops of oil (from your small bowl) around the edges of the dosa. Cook for a few minutes, until top is dry and bottom is golden brown. Flip dosa and cook second side for a minute or so (it will still be mostly white).

Turn over again, and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of potato masala (recipe below) on dosa. Fold dosa in thirds.
Store leftover batter in fridge.

Potato Masala
(adapted from Dakshin: Vegetarian Cooking from South India, by Chandra Padmanabhan)

There is one unusual technique used here: tempering—frying seeds and dals to add flavor. Tempering is very typical of South Indian cooking, but if you are intimidated by it, go ahead and make the curry without the tempered ingredients.

1 pound potatos (Yukon Gold work well), peeled and cooked
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 green chili peppers, finely chopped (optional)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas, cooked briefly (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
For tempering:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 tsp. uncooked urad dal (if available; otherwise use more chana dal)
1 tsp. uncooked chana dal (available in the bulk section)

Mash potatoes roughly (many lumps should remain).

Sauté onion in oil until onion turns translucent. Add ginger and optional peppers at the end and sauté briefly. Add potatoes, turmeric, salt, peas, and water. Cover and cook on low heat until potatoes are warmed through.

Into a small pot with a lid, pour one tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon mustard seeds. Place lid on pot and place pot on medium-high burner. Listen for mustard seeds to pop. Shake the pan to prevent burning as the seeds are popping. When they finish making popping noises, turn heat to low (or even turn it off) and add cumin seeds and dal. Stir until dal turns golden brown. Mix tempered ingredients into potato mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Jyotsna Sreenivasan loves getting fresh vegetables from the Washington State University Organic Farm Project’s Community-Supported Agriculture program.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

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