Masala Dosa & Saambhar - South Indian Cuisine.
Updated: Jun 27, 2020
#Dosa is one of the most popular #South #Indian food which I believe everyone loves. Made with fermented rice and urad dal batter, Dosa is crispy yet soft. Most commonly served with Saambhar (a #sweet and #sour lentil soup) Dosa is a great choice to go for when you are tired of normal lunch and dinner routine.
I am a huge fan of South Indian food, specially "Dosa". Being a North Indian, I never gave Dosa a try at home thinking that it takes a lot of effort and tricks to make perfect Dosa. Whenever I used to crave for Dosa in breakfast/lunch/dinner, I used to grab my phone, search for some good South Indian restaurants nearby, read reviews, and then finally go out to one to satisfy the crave. Happy at times, disappointed sometimes, compared restaurant Dosa with the authentic ones that I'd actually had at my South Indian friends' homes, I always wanted to make it myself so that I could get rid of this cycle of searching restaurants and going out.
And I'm glad I did it. Perfect Dosa at home, and no more searching. Yayy!
So, here I bring the recipe of Dosa and Saambhar for you. This will serve 4.
List of Ingredients:
For Dosa:
Rice - 1.5 cups
Urad Dal - 7 tbsp
Chana Dal - 5 tbsp
Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp.
For Saambhar:
Arhar Dal - 1/2 cup.
Laal Masoor Dal - 1/2 cup.
Tomato Puree - 1 cup.
Tamarind Pulp - 1/2 cup.
Veggies of your choice - I used one carrot, half lauki (squash - small sized), Kaddu (White Pumpkin) and 1 onion (medium sized).
Salt - as per taste.
Haldi/Turmeric - 2 tsp.
Red chili powder - 1 tsp.
Heeng/Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp.
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Curry Leaves - 5-6.
Saambhar Masala - 1.5 tbsp.
Cilantro/Coriander for garnishing.
For Aloo Masala (Potato Masala)
Boiled and Peeled potatoes (Roughly mashed) - 3 medium sized.
Curry leaves - 5-6
Mustard seeds - 1tsp.
Haldi/Turmeric powder - 1tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Heeng/Asafoetida - 1tsp.
Ginger - 2 tsp (chopped).
Green chilli - 2 (Finely chopped)
Coriander/Dhaniya - for garnish
Onion - 1 medium sized (chopped)
Salt - as per taste
Easy to follow steps:
Wash rice and lentils, and soak everything including methi in a bowl overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain the water. Grind the mixture into a slightly grainy paste (as you can see in the picture below). To check, you can rub the batter between your thumb and finger, and you should feel tiny grains. Pour it into a big bowl to avoid overflow when the batter doubles in volume, cover it with a lid and keep it in a warm place to ferment for 8-10 hours. Little bubbles in the batter mean it's well fermented. If the batter is too thick, add a little bit of water. Consistency should be pouring, neither too thick nor runny.
Let's make Saambhar now. Peel and chop all veggies. Soak Arhar and Laal/Red Masoor dal for 10 minutes and transfer it to pressure cooker. Add all the veggies except onion. Add 3 cups of water, 1 tsp turmeric, salt and pressure cook it for 3 whistles and let the cooker depressurize naturally. When pressure is released check that the veggies are soft, and then add tamarind pulp. Mix well and let it simmer open (without the lid) while we make tadka for Saambhar.
Now we will add all the flavors to Saambhar. In a pan, heat oil, add heeng, mustard seeds (let them crackle a bit), curry leaves, pinch of turmeric powder, red chilli powder and onions. Sauté onions till they turn translucent, and then pour tomato puree, add salt and cook it till the oil gets separated. Add Saambhar masala and mix well. Pour this tadka into simmering Saambhar and mix. If you feel its thick, add some water. Let the Saambhar boil for another 15-20 minutes. You can even taste at this point and adjust salt as per your preference.
Saambhar is done , Dosa batter is ready. Up for aloo masala? If you want plain Dosa you can just make plain and serve it with Saambhar. But I like it with aloo masala so let's make it real quick.
In a pan, heat oil, add heeng, crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves, put some green chili and turmeric powder. Add ginger and cook it till it is golden brown. Then add onion and cook it until they turn translucent. Add mashed potatoes and salt. Mix well. Heat should be medium. You can add a little bit of water if mixture is sticking at the bottom. Masala need not be very dry. Garnish with coriander leaves. Mix everything well and cook on medium flame for 5 more minutes.
Turn off the flame/heat, and our aloo masala is ready!
Let's make Dosas.. :) My mouth is watering as I am writing this and uploading pictures, lol. Add salt in the batter and mix before making Dosa. Heat any tawa/pan on medium heat (iron or non-stick doesn't matter). Non-stick tawa makes life easier. Sprinkle some water to lower the temperature, wipe it off with a clean cloth and reduce the flame to medium-low. Add a ladle full of batter in the center and start spreading the batter outward in circular motion. Increase heat to medium-high and drizzle some oil. Once you see dosa is turning brown, start scraping it off from the sides. You can follow steps shown in the video below.
And, Dosa is plated! I made peanut and tomato chutneys too. Recipes coming soon.
Enjoy the treat!
Hope you liked the recipe and didn't find it too difficult. Let me know if this got you high on flavors. Don't forget to subscribe for more updates. Leave a comment for any questions/thoughts. Talk to you in my next mouthwatering recipe!
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