Mysore Masala Dosa

Method

1. Put the rice and the batter chana dal in one bowl and the urad dal and fenugreek in another, and wash each until the water runs clear. Cover with water by at least 5 cm and soak for 5 h. Rinse the poha briefly and add it to the rice bowl for the last 30 minutes. The poha and chana dal give a crisper, more golden dosa.

   Add in this stepParboiled (idli/dosa) rice or long-grain rice 150 gWhole skinned urad dal 50 gChana dal (for the batter) 2 tspFenugreek seeds ½ tspThick poha (flattened rice) 20 g

2. Drain. Grind the urad dal and fenugreek first, adding the ice-cold water a little at a time, until silky and fluffy. Run the blender in 30-second bursts so it doesn't heat up: warm batter ferments badly and loses its lightness. Then grind the rice, chana dal and poha with the rest of the iced water to a fine, barely gritty semolina texture. Combine in a 1.5 L container (half full at most), add the salt, mix with a clean hand for 1 minute, cover loosely and ferment at 25–30 °C for 12 h. It is ready when nearly doubled, bubbly and pleasantly sour.

   Add in this stepIce-cold water (for grinding) 250 mlSalt (for the batter) ¾ tsp

3. Red chutney: snap the stems off the dried chillies, shake out the seeds and soak them in hot water for 15 min. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and fry the garlic and shallots for 3 min, until just golden at the edges. Blend the squeezed chillies, garlic, shallots, tamarind and salt with 1–2 tbsp of the soaking water to a thick, spreadable paste.

   Add in this stepMild dried red chillies (Kashmiri type) 5Garlic cloves 5Shallots 2Tamarind paste 1 tspSalt (for the chutney) 2 pinchVegetable oil (for the chutney) 1½ tsp

   medium heat

4. Put the unpeeled potatoes in a 18 cm pot, cover with cold water by 2 cm, bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 22 min, until a knife slides in easily. Drain, peel while warm and break into rough 1–2 cm chunks.

   Add in this stepPotatoes 400 g

   high heat→medium heat

5. Melt the ghee in a 22 cm pan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the chana dal and cashews and fry for 1 min 30 sec, until both are golden. Stand back, add the curry leaves, then immediately the thinly sliced onion, slit chillies and chopped ginger, and cook for 6 min, until the onion is soft and translucent.

   Add in this stepGhee (for the filling) 1½ tbspBlack mustard seeds ½ tspChana dal (for the tempering) 1 tspCashew halves 8 gCurry leaves 12Onion (medium) 1Green chillies 1Fresh ginger 10 g

   medium heat

6. Stir in the turmeric for 10 seconds, then add the potatoes, salt and water and cook over low heat for 3 min, folding gently, until yellow and holding together. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the chopped coriander; adding the lime off the heat keeps it fresh. Keep warm.

   Add in this stepGround turmeric ¼ tspSalt (for the filling) ½ tspWater (for the filling) 60 mlLime ¼Fresh coriander 5 g

   low heat

7. Stir the batter gently to a thick-cream consistency. Heat a 26–28 cm cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until water drops vanish in 2–3 seconds, wipe it with oiled paper, pour in a ladle of batter and spiral it out as thin as you can, to about 25 cm. Drizzle ghee round the edge and over the surface and reduce to medium heat. When the top turns from glossy to matt (about 40 seconds), spread a share of the red chutney thinly over it with the back of a spoon, and cook for 2 min 30 sec in total, until the underside is deep brown and crisp. Don't flip. Turn the heat back up and sprinkle and wipe the pan before each one; make 4 dosas.

   Add in this stepGhee (for roasting the dosas) 6 tsp

   medium-high heat→medium heat

8. Spoon a share of the potato masala onto one half of the chutney side, press it lightly, then fold the dosa in half or roll it into a tube and serve while still crackling, with coconut chutney and sambar.