Masala Dosa (Rice & Lentil Pancake with Potato Stuffing)

The day before, add the 150 g idli rice and 150 g sona masoori rice to a bowl and wash them several times in water. Cover with fresh water and soak for 3-4 hours.

In a separate bowl, wash the 100 g urad dal, 30 g chana dal, 20 g thin or medium poha and ½ tsp fenugreek seeds just one time in water (otherwise you remove too much of the natural yeasts), then cover with fresh water and soak for 3-4 hours.

Drain the rice but save the water. Add the rice to a blender (I used my Vitamix E310) along with 130-150ml of the soaking water. Blend into a fine but slightly grainy paste, only adding more water if it doesn’t blend at all. The paste should fall in thick ribbons when you drizzle it. The texture should be similar to a coarse cornmeal. Transfer the paste to a large bowl.

Drain the urad dal, chana dal, poha and fenugreek seeds but save the water. Add the drained ingredients to a blender along with 130ml-180ml of the soaking water. Blend into a smooth paste. To check the consistency, add a teaspoon of the batter to a bowl of water. It should float. Transfer it to the bowl with the rice paste and mix well with your hands to bring it all together and kick off the fermentation process.

Cover the bowl (but not air-tight) and leave to ferment for around 8-24 hours in a warm place. I usually keep it in the oven with just the light switched on. The fermented batter should have risen in volume and smell slightly tangy, otherwise leave it a little longer. Once ready, you can move the bowl to the fridge to use the batter when needed. For a full fermentation guide, you can find some tips in this recipe.

To make the masala, put 4 floury potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, season with 1 tablespoon of the salt, bring to a boil and simmer, with a lid left slightly ajar, for 20–30 minutes, or until knife tender. Drain, allow to cool, then peel and mash coarsely.

While the potatoes are cooling, peel and thinly slice 1 large onion; peel and finely grate 20 g fresh root ginger; trim and thinly slice 2 green finger chillies; pick 15-20 curry leaves; trim and discard the lower stems of 15 g coriander and finely chop the rest.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tbsp chana dal and, as soon as it begins to sizzle, 1 tsp brown mustard seeds. Sauté until the dal is lightly golden or the seeds start to pop (2–3 minutes). Stir in ¼ tsp asafoetida, then tip in the sliced onion and curry leaves and continue frying until the onion is lightly golden as well (5–6 minutes). Add the ginger and chillies and cook for 1 minute more, then add ⅓ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp golden granulated sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and 250ml (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) of water. Mix well, bring to a boil and stir in the potatoes. The mixture should be easily spreadable, so add more water if necessary. Turn off the heat, mix in the coriander and set aside. Next, make the Thengai Chutney.

To make the dosa, heat a cast-iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat (I use two alongside each other to reduce total cooking time). Add the 1 teaspoon of salt to the dosa batter and, if necessary, some water (around 3 tablespoons) to achieve a thick pouring consistency, similar to a pancake batter. Give the batter a good mix to stir out some of the air, otherwise it won’t spread evenly.

Once the pan is hot, turn the heat to low. For the non-stick pan, don’t add any oil at all. For the cast-iron pan, you need to reinforce a non-stick layer: cut the small onion in half and add a splash of water to the pan. It should dance in small droplets over the surface before evaporating, otherwise heat it a little longer. Wipe the pan clean with folded kitchen paper, then add 2–3 drops of oil and spread it out with the cut side of the onion (you can pierce it with a fork and use the fork as a handle) to create a non-stick coating.

Pour a ladle of the batter into the hot pan, spreading it out to a circle with the back of the ladle. If it doesn’t spread, the batter might be too thick (add more water) or the pan might be too hot (let it cool a little). Drizzle another teaspoon of oil around the edges and over the dosa. Cook until the bottom is dark-golden and the surface looks cooked through (6–8 minutes).

Add the masala on one side and fold the dosa over into a semi-circle. Transfer to a plate, wipe the pan clean with folded kitchen paper and continue with the rest, repeating the non-stick coating for the cast-iron pan. You should have enough batter to make eight dosa. Serve with the Thengai Chutney.