Dosa with a twist

Dosa is one of my favorite breakfast items ever. Breakfast is one of the things I miss most about staying away from home. I remember quite fondly the trips to Kottayam town which would include a movie and then a stop for masala dosa accompanied by a crisp vada and a cup of filter coffee. Oh man, nothing could beat that! For some reason, I have failed in creating the right batter at home. Finally, I finally found a recipe for dosa which has worked quite well and believe it or not I found it on marthastewart.com

For those who do not know what dosa is, it is kind of like a crepe but made with a fermented rice and urad dal batter. Traditionally served for breakfast, it is served with coconut chutney and sambhar. Some people like the paper thin dosa and others like the thicker kind, the ones that you find in thattukadas(mobile food carts in Kerala, kind of like the ones found in NY city). I like the thinner kind but of course I was certainly not able to replicate the degree of thinness that you get at restaurants. That is better left for the professionals.

So here is the concotion that creates beautiful dosas...

2 cups long-grain white rice
1 cup urad dal
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
3/4teaspoon coarse salt


Soak rice, urad dal, and fenugreek in water to cover for 3 hours. Rinse under running water and drain. Transfer to a food processor and grind to a smooth yet thick batter. Set batter aside, and let ferment overnight at room temperature.

Add salt and a little water, if necessary, to thin batter. Heat griddle and sprinkle hot griddle with water and a teaspoon of oil. Wipe clean with a cloth. Drizzle a little oil on the griddle. Using ladle, measure 3/4 cup batter, and pour onto griddle. Spread batter out into a oval using the bottom of the ladle. Cook until the surface bubbles and the bottom is golden brown (1 to 1 1/2 minutes).Flip over and cook the other side. Enjoy!

So what was the twist! I added some freshly picked young carrot leaves to the batter to create these unique looking dosas. I dont think it improved the taste of the dosas but it added a nice visual impact.