This version of a well known Indian dish is thanks to my good friends Rani and Steve. Rani shared her wonderful recipe with me, and Steve took the fabulous photos. Don't be put off by the list of ingredients, this is a deceptively easy to make meal guaranteed to be a hit with everyone who tastes it. The recipe is enough for 8-10 people.
Ingredients - Split Pigeon Pea Dal - make this the day before
300-350g oily split pigeon peas (toordal)
25g fresh peeled ginger
2 whole fresh green chillies
4 medium to large cloves garlic
3 tbsp pasata
1 medium onion - finely chopped
1tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
juice of one lime
8-15 curry leaves (to taste)
3 tsp mustard seeds
4 dried birds eye chillies
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tsp garam masala
150ml sunflower oil
2-3 litres hot water
There is no need to soak this type of dal. Rinse the uncooked toordal 4 times in lukewarm water then put the dal in a large saucepan with 2 litres of water. Bring this to the boil and let it boil for 2-3 minutes before turning the heat down to a medium heat.
Finely chop the ginger, chillies, garlic and onions, add to the dal along with the pasata. Part cover the saucepan and let everything cook for 1 hour.
While the dal is cooking, gather together your other spices. Heat the sunflower oil to a medium heat and add the red birds eye chillies. Once they sizzle in the oil, add the curry leaves then the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to 'pop' add the asafoetida, gently shake the pan.
WITH CAUTION: add the oil/spice mix to the saucepan of dal. As you are adding hot oil to hot water stand back a little as you add it, the mix will be quite lively! Stir well then add the lime juice and salt. Continue cooking for between 30 minutes and 1 hour until the dal is translucent but not breaking apart. The cooking time cannot be given accurately as much depends on the pan you use, the heat, the brand of dal etc... but it usually takes 2 hours to cook.
Leave the mix in the pan to cool and set aside overnight. The next day you need to taste the dal and possibly add more lime and salt. It may also need a little more water, usually around 250ml.
Ingredients - Masala Potatoes
1 1/2 kg (peeled weight) floury potatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
150 ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 small finely chopped onions
1 large pinch turmeric
Cut the potatoes into large chunks and cook in boiling salted water until they are nearly cooked. Test them with a sharp knife, you don't want the knife to go through too easily. The outside of the potatoes should be fluffy but inside still firm and not watery or over-cooked.
Heat the sunflower oil and lightly fry the cumin seeds, make sure you don't burn them.
In a dry pan, roast the coriander seeds until they are just golden in colour, grind the coriander to a medium coarse powder.
Crush the cooked potatoes (you don't want a fine mash) then mix in the oil/cumin seed mix, coriander, turmeric and raw onions. Set aside until you've cooked your dosai 'pancakes'. This lovely potato mix is the filling for the dosai. If the potatoes have cooled too much by the time you cook your dosai just reheat them.
Coconut Chutney: Ingredients
65g fresh, medium fine grated coconut
2 x 125g natural yoghurt (Rani prefers one pot natural yoghurt to one pot Greek yoghurt)
1 heaped tsp fresh mint
This chutney can be made the day before but usually would be made on the day you eat it. Mix all the ingredients together and put in a bowl then keep it refrigerated until you want to use it.
Rani tells me this brand of dosai mix is the best one, but of course you can use whichever mix is available to you. Also, for best results she has found that adding more water and leaving to stand for longer than it says on the pack gives better results. For this recipe she used one whole pack of mix to 1 litre of cold water and left the batter for 30 minutes before using it.
To cook: use a lightly oiled pan and to the cold pan add half a ladle full of batter to the centre of the pan and with the back of a spoon spread the batter into a large circle. Put the pan on the heat and cook until the batter stops steaming and cracks a little, don't overcook or they'll be difficult to fill.
Between dosai cool the pan with a wet cloth or use 2 pans and alternate them allowing one pan to cool while you use the other.
Fill each dosai as soon as it's cooked. Either fill and fold in half or do as Rani does and roll the dosai around the filling (as photo).
Serve with hot dal and a coconut chutney.
One or two filled dosai is usually enough for a portion per person with the dal and chutney.
If you have any fresh coriander you can add some chopped to the hot dal before serving. If there is any dal left-over it is delicious served with rice. The dal also freezes well.
Personally I wouldn't freeze the potato mix as I find potatoes in general do not freeze well.
