Masala Dosa
Lacy, crisp-edged dosas with a spiced potato heart, from a properly fermented rice and urad batter, plus the coconut chutney that belongs beside them.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Masala Dosa, in 5 ideas
- The batter ferments until it smells faintly tangy and has risen by half. That ferment is the flavor and the lacy edges.
- A 3 to 1 rice to urad. Dal ratio is the classic working balance for crisp dosas that still fold.
- The pan wants medium heat and a wiped-clean surface. Too hot and the batter sets before you can swirl it thin.
- Spread from the center in one confident spiral. A dosa rewards decisiveness and punishes patching.
- The potato filling stays dry. Wet masala steams the crisp shell from inside.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 cups parboiled rice
- 2/3 cup urad dal, split and skinned
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 lb potatoes, boiled and peeled
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 green chiles, sliced
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup grated coconut
- Ghee or oil, for the pan
How to make it
Method
Soak the rice in one bowl and the urad dal with the fenugreek in another, both covered in water, for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Grind the dal with a little of its soaking water until completely smooth and fluffy. Grind the rice to a fine, slightly sandy batter. Mix both with the salt and ferment in a warm place 8 to 12 hours, until risen and tangy.
For the filling: temper the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chiles and onion in a little oil until soft. Add turmeric and the crumbled potatoes, season, and cook dry for 3 minutes.
Blend the coconut with a green chile, salt and a splash of water into a spoonable chutney.
Heat a heavy pan or tawa until a sprinkle of water dances. Wipe with a halved onion dipped in oil. Pour a ladle of batter in the center and spiral it thin to the edges.
Drizzle ghee around the edges. Cook until deep golden and crisp underneath, about 2 minutes; do not flip.
Spoon potato filling down the center, fold the dosa over, and serve at once with the chutney. Repeat, wiping the pan between dosas.
If the batter over-ferments and turns very sour, stir in a spoonful of fresh rice flour and a pinch of sugar to bring it back.