Crispy Butter Dosa | Dosa | Masala Dosa | Coconut Chutney | South Indian Breakfast
Every single time I enter a South Indian Restaurant, the aroma of hot piping Sambar along with the whiff of Filter Coffee hits my senses. Add to it, a simple board which reads “Meals Ready”. I can barely wait to order my Paper Plain Dosa and sit back sipping my Filter Coffee. As soon as the server gets me my Paper Plain Dosa, or what I call as Topi Dosa, due to it’s conical shape, I dig in and it seems like a moment of eternal pleasure. Although it is highly unusual for a Bengali to prefer Dosa over Non-Vegeterian delicacies, however, the truth is, I would happily give up on non-vegetarian food if I am served Idli-Dosa-Sambar Vada on a loop.
I have tried my hand in making dosa in a number of ways, however, there have been quite a few hits and misses. Then I gave up altogether, and started buying store bought batter. It served my needs perfectly, since I would not have to soak and grind the rice and pulses. But in the current scenario, my store bought batter soon got over and I had no other alternative but to switch to home-made batter again. I went and browsed a few recipes, but finally settled for one which promised me Crispy Dosa, just the way I like it. I will be sharing with you the same in this post. Although it might seem like a lot of steps involved with a lot of work, but trust me, the end result will be worth it. And you can even store the batter for almost a week. So that way, you will be saving time when you need to prepare your meals.
For the Batter
- Wash the rice and daal thoroughly under running water, until the water runs clear.
- Now soak the rice and daal together in a big bowl. Add a teaspoon of methi seeds. Let it soak for atleast 6-7 hours or overnight.
STAGE TWO
- Next, drain the water and keep it aside for grinding purposes. Wash the rice and daal well again.
- Take a blending jar and add the rice and daal mixture, bit by bit. Blend it together into a smooth paste. You may add the water in which the rice and daal was soaked.
- Keep grinding the rice and daal in batches.
- Take out the paste in a big container (Try and avoid plastic containers. Use Glass or Stainless Steel).
- Now using your hands, keep incorporating air into the mixture and keep blending the batter with the your hands for atleast 5 minutes.
- The batter now needs to be fermented. Cover the batter with a lid and keep it aside in a dry place for atleast 7-8 hours, or overnight. You may also place it inside a microwave during monsoons or winters, so that it is a little warm.
STAGE THREE
- Once the batter is fermented, it will rise a little. Now scoop out the required amount of batter and store the rest in an airtight container inside the fridge.
- Add a little salt to your scooped out batter. Add a little water to make it into a runny consistency.
- Take a heavy bottomed tawa and put it on high flame. I have been using my non-stick pan for quite sometime and it works pretty well for me, although it is a fact that non-stick utensils should not be used on high flame.
- Let it heat for atleast 5 minutes. Sprinkle some water over it and wipe it off almost immediately with a clean cloth.
- Take a spoonful of the batter and drop it on the tawa. Spread it out immediately in circular motions on the tawa, so as to make the dosa thin.
- Let it roast on the tawa for sometime. Drop in few drops of oil on the sides. Keep a blob of butter on the middle.
- Now scrape out the dosa gently from the sides and fold it over. Place it on a plate.
- Sprinkle the pan with a few drops of water and repeat the process of another dosa.
Making the Potato Masala
- In a pan, heat some oil. Drop in the mustard seeds. Let it crackle,
- Next drop the curry leaves. A pinch of hing.
- Add chopped onions. Fry till translucent. Add chopped green chili.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Mash the potato and add it next. Let it cook for a while.
- Add salt to taste.
- Next add turmeric powder, kashmiri mirch powder and sambar masala.
- Now add the groundnuts, coconut, cashew. Switch off the flame in another 2 minutes.
- Grind coconut and roasted groundnuts with a little salt, sugar and water in a grinding jar. Take it out in a bowl.
- Next temper the chutney. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let it crackle.
- Add whole dried red chilli, a pinch of hing and curry leaves. Add chana daal.
- Now pour this tempered mix over the coconut mixture. Adjust salt accordingly.
Serve the Dosa with Potato Masala and Coconut Chutney.