Dosa Potatoes

Dosa Potatoes

One of the most popular foods in South India is Dosa. Dosas are like savoury crepes. They are extremely thin, crisp, and delicious. The batter is made out of rice and Urad dal. These two ingredients are ground together and allowed to sit out to ferment slightly. Making the batter at home can be tricky, especially if you live in a colder area, as it would take ages for the dosa batter to ferment. 

Luckily for us, most Indian stores in the U.S sell ready to use batter. You can get the batter in the frozen section or you can buy a box of dosa batter, to which you just add water and use. The dosa batter you get in the refrigerated section has been freshly made by someone and probably would be healthier. But you should only buy it only if you’re going to use it within a day or two, as it expires pretty fast. I prefer using the boxes as they have a longer shelf life and are a little cheaper. Also, if this is your first time making dosas, then the boxes give a much better explanation of how to cook them. I use either PRIYA or GITS dosai mix.

Dosas are cooked on a tava, or a thin bottomed, flat frying pan. All you do is spread some batter as thin as possible on the frying pan and then cook it till the bottom is brown and crisp. The trick to making a dosa that does not stick or break is to cool the pan before each dosa is made; for which I use a cold wet paper towel, to wipe the inside of the pan. Dosas are typically eaten with coconut chutney and a yellow spicy potato, for which I have given the recipe below. It is also eaten with a sambar, which is a very thin dal with vegetables in it. However, both my husband and I prefer the potatoes and the chutneys to the sambar, and so I never make it at home. Click on the link to see the coconut chutney recipe.

2 large potatoes, diced small

1 medium onion, cut to the same size as potatoes

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp (heaped) turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 green chilies, slit (optional)

Curry leaves, about 12-15

Salt to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Dosa, Potatoes, and Chutney

Peel and chop potatoes and place them in a pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes, so that the potatoes are half cooked. In the mean time chop all the other ingredients and keep ready. Drain the potatoes and keep aside.  

In a pot, heat the oil. Once it’s hot, put in the curry leaves and the green chilies. Allow them to fry, stirring occasionally. Let the chilies brown on both sides (be careful, the curry leaves and chilies can splatter and burn you).  As soon as the curry leaves start to become crisp, take them out and set them on a plate with a paper towel, so that the oil is absorbed. Do the same with the chilies as soon as they brown.

Add onions, to the same pot, and fry till they are brown. Add a little more oil if necessary, but use the oil already in the pot, as it will be flavored with curry leaves and chilies. Once the onions start to brown, add in the mustard seeds. Give them a minute to get hot, so that it start to release it's flavor. Next add in the salt, and all the spices. Cook for a few minutes and then mix in the potatoes. Once the potatoes are well mixed, put in a half cup of water, or so, and close the pot with a lid. Allow the potatoes to fully cook, adding more water if necessary. Once the potatoes are cooked, allow all the water to evaporate. The potatoes should be served dry. Mix in the curry leaves and the chilies before serving. Serve them hot with dosas or chapatis.