Set Dosa and Coconut Chutney - a South Indian Breakfast

Dosa is one of the most famous dishes of South India and something we have been eating a lot of lately in the restaurants here, we always ask for it to be cooked with 'less oil' as that is something they are quite free in using.  Anyone who has travelled or lived in South-India will know that breakfast is essentially a choice between dosa or idli (pretty much the same but steamed as a cake).  It's like their cornflakes.

Set Dosa

I was first served this after teaching a yoga student of mine from Mumbai - we were in London by the way and not in Mumbai - so I was quite out of my comfort zone when she said she done a typical South Indian Breakfast and serve me up this. Like many things I try on the first time, being stubborn and a creature of habit, I am usually rather equivocal on whether I like it or not. It takes time and reflection on the experience, to kind of retrospectively mellow into the experience and enjoy it (again often retrospectively).

Having said all that,  as fate would have it, the next year I ended up traveling to South India for the first time and then staying for over a year. It was there that I met Theresa and we ended up having Idli or Dosa almost every day. Luckily, I developed a taste for it.

Traditionally, dosa and idli are served with Sambar (a spicy lentil soup) and coconut chutney.  This time I skipped on the Sambar s I thought we'd posted it loads already, but checking back I'm quited gutted as we haven't. I will get a recipe up asap, whilst coconut chutney and chutney-powder (if you look carefully at the pic, you can see it but it kind of camouflages with the dosa) recipes are given below.  This is a very healthy choice to start the day with. The rice they use for this is what they cool "cooked rice", as the method that it's de-hulled involves steaming it at high temperatures which actually compresses all the vitality back into the grain from the husk when it is removed. So you get the best of both worlds- the protein and minerals of brown rice, with the fluffy-lightness of white.

Adam

Set Dosa (serves 2)

1/2 cup converted/evaporated rice
1/4 cup urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp chana dal
1 tsp salt

1. Rinse the dal and the rice seperately in a few changes of water until the water runs clear. Keep apart in two bolw sna dfill with a generous amount of water. Leave overnight or for at least 8 hours.
2. Drain the rice and dal and blend each one seperately with a little water into a smooth batter (adding the chana dal with the dal and teh fenugreek seeds with the rice). Check that you have blended it really smooth by rubbing a little between your fingers. It should not feel coarse or at all "gritty".
3. Now empty the two batters into one bowl. Add a little more water if needed to make a batter about the consistency of a double cream. Cover with a muslin cloth, or some breathable material and leave overnight to ferment. Note: if you are not in a warm country like India for this, you may need to leave out for up to two days, or if you prefer, put the bowl by a radiater, airing-cupboard or some other warm nook. When it's ready the batter should smell sour and have developed some small bubbles on the surface as well as having risen by about 1/3rd.

4. Stir in the salt to the batter and grease a heavy skillet or frying pan with a teaspoon of oil. Place over a medium heat and wait 5 minutes for the pan to heat fully. Now add another teaspoon oil to the pan, then scoop up a ladlefull of batter and drop into the pan, smoothing it out into a wide circle about the size of a side-plate and 3-4mm thick.
5. Immediately, start working a spatula around the edges of the dosa, gradually bringing it into the middle, sliding it under and flipping over after about 30 seconds. Drizzle another teaspoon of oil around the sides of the dosa and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove the cooked dosa and store in a clean tea-towel or tin-foil to keep warm. Repeat for the other three.

Coconut Chutney (adapted from Dakshin)

2 tbs oil
4 tbs dried flaked coconut
4 tbs chana dal
2 green chillies
1/2 inch piece of root ginger
large handful of coriander
teaspoon of tamarind concentrate (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
pinch asafoetida

1. heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium low heat and fry the chana dal for 5 minutes until it darkens a shade in colour. Remove from the heat, rinse thoroughly and place in a food processor with teh rest of the ingredients and a little water. Pulse into a coarse paste and more water to achieve a semi-runny consistency.
2. Heat the remaining oil and when hot in quick succession add the mustard seeds and then the cumin seeds. wait for a few seconds and add the Urad dal. Continue to fry for a couple more minutes add the asafoetida, stir once, and empty the contents into the chutney paste. Mix thoroughly and serve chilled.

Chutney Powder(adapted from Dakshin)


1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup dried coconut
1 tsp oil
3 red chillies
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp jaggery
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)
1 tsp salt

1. dry roast the 2 dals until they darken a shade in a heavy bottomed oan over medium-low heat. Remove from the pan, rinse well and drain thoroughly. Place in a clean coffee-grinder.
2. Now roast the coconut, taking care not to burn it. It should take about 2-3 minutes only. Place in the coffee-grinder, then add the oil and repeat the toasting with the red chillies until they puff a little. This should take only a few minutes longer.
3. Add the red chillies, jaggery, tamarind (if using) and salt, to the rest of the ingredients in the coffee grinder. Blend to a coarse powder.

Note: wait until all the ingredients are cool to blend otherwise the mixture has a tendency to become clumpy with the steam it releases. You may also need to blend in two batches. Don't overfill the grinder as it won't powder the dals finely enough otherwise.