Friday, February 11, 2011

dosas in the indian countryside

dosas are so awesome. especially here on the farm for breakfast; we eat them probably twice a week.

i want to first explain this is not like the crispy restaurant dosa you are used to. these are smaller (8-12 inches in diameter.) in western terms i can only describe them as big soft crepes. they do not need to have a sambar or masala filling. they are really great with coconut chutney, but can be served with many different things.

to begin, you want short grain white rice at a ratio of 3 to 1 with urad dal. here, they were each soaked in water in separate pans, but i am not sure if that is necessary. soak them for at least 8 hours. drain the water before you grind them both together. we use our handy 500-pound stone grinder powered by none other than the sweat of a human being. a food processor would work too.

add water as necessary. continue the process of grinding the rice and dal together and adding water until it is like a loose pudding. when you finish, put it in a bowl and let it ferment for at least 12 hours. when fermentation is done, add a good amount of salt after (you will ruin the fermentation process otherwise.)

to cook:

find a nice big flat pan and heat it up. make sure it is well oiled and lightly oil it again after every dosa. have a good spoon that can pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the pan. use the back of the spoon in a spiraling motion out to spread the batter to about a 8-12 inch circle. make sure it is even. put a lid on top and wait a good 30 seconds.

the best way to tell when it needs to be flipped is when the batter on top looks dry. i think you will know what i mean when you do it for yourself. so flip the dosa when ready; it should cook on this side for about half the time it cooked on the first side. remember to keep oiling the pan. store them in a place that will keep them warm and enjoy.

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