Dosa

I have always liked dosa since my school and college days!Whenever my mother visited me in the hostel,she always took me out to have masala dosa at the madras coffee house!This was the only food which was filling and delicious.
This is a very old recipe,must be 35 yrs old,which I learnt from Mrs Chaya Rao our friend.She being from Andhra,making dosa,idli,gun powder,sambar, assorted chutnies etc was like an everyday affair for her!
Thanks chaya Bhabhi!

The ratio of rice to lentil is 3:1
It is made using usna rice or parboiled rice and washed urad dal.
I have made this recipe using 1 and 1/2 cup of usna or parboiled rice with 1/2 cup of washed urad dal.
Ingredients for dosa:
Usna or parboiled rice-1 and 1/2 cup,
Urad or white lentil-1/2 cup,
Methi or fenugreek seeds-1 tsp,
Salt to taste,
Hing or asafotida-a pinch,
Half sliced onion to spread the oil around the tawa,
Oil for dosa,
Add chana dal to make dosa more crisper-chana dal or gram dal-1/4 cup.

Ingredients for filling:
Boiled potatoes-5 to 6,
Hing powder-a pinch,
Dry red chilli-1,
Onion-2-sliced,
Garlic cloves-5 to 6-sliced,
Green chilli-3,
Roasted peanuts-a handful,
Turmeric pwd-1/2 tsp,
Mustard seeds-1 tsp,
Washed urad dal-1/4tsp,
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp,
Chana dal-1/2 tsp,
Curry patha-5-6,
Coriander leaves-a handful-chopped,
Salt to taste,
Oil-2 tsp.

Note:Making dosa or idli has never been easy because it needs a lot of experience and it is more difficult if it is not made at home and but you only try to make it quarterly or half yearly.Now a days batter is available in the market and it becomes easy to make it at home.But if you are making it from scratch,then there are few things to keep in mind-Full soaking time of rice and dal,proper grinding and mixing the batter,consistency of the batter and the temperature for the fermentation.
You will need a dosa tawa or a flat pan.

Method:
Since dosa is a breakfast meal,the preparation is made the previous day.
Wash and soak rice,dal and methi in separate bowls.( morning)

I have not used chana dal as I wanted to follow the original recipe.But try adding chana dal:)
In the evening grind the dal using little water from the soaked water to grind it to a fine paste.
The paste has to be of pouring consistency.

Take out the contents in a steel bowl.

In the same grinder put 1/3 quantity of rice with the soaked methi seeds and grind for few minutes adding little water.Add half of the soaked rice and grind again.

Add the rest of the rice.( you can all together if you have a big size grinder)

Grind the rice adding little water to make a  slight grainy paste.( not very smooth,but a little grainy).

The rice has to be of pouring consistency.Add little water if the batter is thick.

Transfer the paste to the bowl and mix till both the dal and rice are thoroughly mixed.

If the batter is thick add little water and the test is that it should coat the back of the spoon.

Cover the bowl with a lid and put  the bowl in a warm place to ferment overnight.
The best place is your microwave or oven and cover with a towel.

Filling-
Boil potatoes and let it cool.
Once cool,break them with your fingers and keep in a bowl.
Heat oil in pan,add as oil heats up sprinkle hing powder.

Add whole red chilli,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,urad dal and chana dal.

When the mustard starts to crackle,add the garlic.

Once the garlic is lightly roasted,add turmeric powder.

Stir fry the turmeric pwd only for few seconds keeping in mind that it should not burn.,add green chillies and then the peanuts.

Roast the peanuts for few seconds and then add curry patha.
Add the sliced onions.

Raise the heat and saute the onions only for few seconds or till they are soft.
Add the boiled potatoes.
Add salt and mix.( we do not have to roast the potatoes)

Add 1/2 cup of water to make the potatoes a little wet.

 As it starts to boil,put a lid and cover for 5 minutes and lower the heat.

Close gas.
 Taste salt and adjust.
Sprinkle coriander leaves.

The filling should not be very dry nor very wet to make the dosa soggy.

Making of dosa:( the dough will not rise as much as the idli dough rises)
Once the batter is fermented,add 1/2 tsp of salt and a pinch of hing powder.
Add 1/4 cup of water and mix with a ladle.

The batter has to be of pouring consistency,if too thick,it will not spread and will become a pancake.If too thin then it will spread all around and break while taking it out.
We will have a few disasters in the beginning,but eventually you will get the correct heat and consistency.
To pour and spread the batter you will need a katori with a flat bottom.
Slice an onion to half(with the peel on) and use one cut half to spread oil around the tawa.

Once the batter is ready,put the tawa on high heat.

Once the tawa is heated, lower the heat and pour 2 tsp of oil and using the cut onion spread the oil all around the tawa( center and edges)

Pour 3/4 cup batter in the center and with the bottom of the katori,spread the batter in circular motion starting from the center to the edge.

This has to be done quickly.( My center is a little thick because I stopped to take pictures)

Raise the heat.
After few seconds,the batter will dry up,then pour few tsp of oil around the edges and the center of the spread.
Once you see the sides browning and the center browning,lower the heat to medium and with a flat spatula,run it beneath the spread,lifting it slightly.

Once the sides and center is loosen,flip it and let the top side brown for few seconds.

Flip again and fill the center with 2 to 3 tbsp of potato filling.

Lift the spread from both the sides,closing and overlapping in the center.

Lift the dosa from the tawa with the flat spatula on to your serving plate.

Enjoy your dosa with sambar,coconut chutney and onion chutney.
You can make plain dosa without the potato filling.
Makes 9 to 10 dosas.
With dosa batter you can make uttapam too!