Dosa with Potato Curry

This dosa batter is not fermented, but is simple enough to grind and use right away to attain similar earthy results. This recipe is made in a large stainless-steel skillet or cast iron skillet, but a traditional talwa (skillet with a concave cooking surface) is the most authentic way to cook the dosa. Dosas can be filled aith any favorite curry, but ours is stuffed with Aloo Masala, a south Indian dish of boiled potatoes infused with curried spices and herbs.

Serves

Ingredients

For the Dosa

1/2 cup Urad Dal (black lentils), uncooked

1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked

1 cup rice flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 cup water, and more as needed

4 Tbsp. ghee or high smoke point oil

For the filling

Directions

For the Dosa: Rinse the rice and dal separately very well and drain through a wire mesh strainer.

Soak in fresh water in separate bowls for 4 hours up to overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to use, drain and set aside.

Add the drained dal and jasmine rice to a blender and pulse a few times. When blending, the rice and dal mixture will not become smooth. The batter will be OK if it is just a little bit grainy, as the water will smooth it out.

Add rice flour and salt, then pulse to blend. Pour in the water and mix until fully combined.

The batter should be like a fluffy, thick pancake batter. Add a few teaspoons of water as needed and mix well for the proper texture.

In a large skillet, add a tablespoon of ghee and bring to a shimmer over medium heat.

Carefully, pour one ladle (about 3/4 cup) of batter into the center of the skillet and gently swirl to form a dosa that naturally spreads like a pancake. This will create a soft, more pliable dosa.

Cook over medium heat till it is golden. Do not press down with a spatula.

Try to manage the heat to cook it only on one side so it is foldable. Drizzle a little ghee or oil around the sides if it looks like it needs to release.

NOTE: If you flip the dosa, it becomes crispier and more difficult to fold, but is still super tasty.

Remove crêpe to a plate and fold with potato curry filling.

For the Potato Curry Filling: Peel and boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring a tablespoon of ghee to a shimmer and add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Add in the ginger, and garlic and cook for one minute or until you smell the garlic. Toss in the crushed cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, curry powder, and ground fennel to bloom the aromatics. Add the red chili to taste.

Add curry leaves and stir for another minute to infuse.

Toss in the boiled potatoes. And turn off the heat while mashing.

Mash the potatoes with the spice blend and add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil as needed, but the mixture can be a little lumpy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in lemon juice and mix well.

Spoon the filling into the dosa crêpe, envelope fold the crepe around the mixture.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

From Shawnie's class “Global Crêpes”