Dosa

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@Bhukhhad^ ^ ^ What ElainaA said. I have been offline until now. Absolutely no offense taken. I am so glad you have joined the community, and value your posts very much.

 

You may be right about the dosa and idli batter at the Indian grocer, but it is in quart takeout plastic containers like you get Chinese takeout soup in with the contents hand written in magic marker on the side of the container. It is refrigerated, and for all I know, may be made in a licensed kitchen somewhere. The samosas, while they may also be made in a licensed kitchen, I am sure the fact that they are unrefrigerated on the front counter does not comply with the laws here. Nor does the unrefrigerated fried fish or sushi sold at my beloved Asian grocer. I am aware that we as a species have survived for millennia before refrigerators were invented. My mom and grandma continued to refer to ours as an "icebox". Both the products at the Asian store and the samosa at the Indian one are very popular. I have never visited the Indian place when several customers did not purchase the samosa. Heck, these products are probably a lot safer and healthier than some of the artificially colored and flavored processed Franken Foods offered at mainstream grocers here. Just sayin' they might not be in compliance with the law. 

 

In fact, I had not seen the dosa batter when I tried to make them last year, and the next time I can get to the Indian store I had planned to buy some to try.

 

And do keep posting, and speak your mind. Most of the rest of us aren't shy about it, either. 

[dennisedward]

Fish curry goes well with dosas. That is my favorite combination.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night was my first attempt at dosa:

 

 

 

Tasted fine but the presentation left a bit to be desired.  Any suggestions for rolling dosa or should I just fold the dosa over like an envelope?  As may be seen the dosa fell apart while rolling and plating.

 

Also it took 36 hours or so to get good fermentation.  Is this OK?

 

[Bhukhhad]

31 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Last night was my first attempt at dosa:

 

 

 

Tasted fine but the presentation left a bit to be desired.  Any suggestions for rolling dosa or should I just fold the dosa over like an envelope?  As may be seen the dosa fell apart while rolling and plating.

 

Also it took 36 hours or so to get good fermentation.  Is this OK?

 

JoNorvelleWalker

 

No, this is not the right way to have dosa. I’m sure it tastes nice though. Let’s see. The first thing is that it should LOOK like a very thin crepe. And it is to be spread pretty much like we would spread a crepe. 
1. cast iron very very flat skillet or dosa tava+ seasoned.

2. Well heated

3.Batter should be perfect. 
4. Pour a ladleful in the center and Immediately swirl with the flat back portion of the ladle to spread in a circular fashion on the tava.  It should be uniformly thin.

5. Pretty soon the sides of the dosa should start to turn upwards because they are ‘done’

6. you can fold like an omelette or roll like a crepe.

Now I too grew up in the north of India so chapati and paratha or Poha are my familiar dishes. Dosa I still get right only sometimes. So you are doing very well! 
But if you want to see a chef making dosa, have a look at Wah Chef. He is a south indian chef and his recipes are pretty authentic. Just like Bhavna’s recipes are authentically gujarati. 

Bhukkhad

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Bhukhhad (log)

[Bhukhhad]

35 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Last night was my first attempt at dosa:

 

 

 

Tasted fine but the presentation left a bit to be desired.  Any suggestions for rolling dosa or should I just fold the dosa over like an envelope?  As may be seen the dosa fell apart while rolling and plating.

 

Also it took 36 hours or so to get good fermentation.  Is this OK?

 

36 hours for fermentation? Hmm I would say thats true in this winter weather. But you have to be careful with urad dal. Too much standing time for fermentation and it tends to go ‘off’. 
I dont know if you have the luxury to buy ready made batter. In the part of the world that I live in, we get ready to eat dosa and idli batter. Its a life saver for me. I don’t need to plan three days ahead nor keep batter in my fridge. I buy the day I want to make whatever. 
Shasta brand idli and dosa batter is really very good. It is available in the Indian store. I have not looked for it on Amazon. But one never knows. Or try Shasta’s website. I am afraid if I switch out of this screen to look for the links, I will misplace this spot. So I will let you consult the google search and find a way to see this batter in reality once. Then you will always get the consistency right. 
Best wishes! Dosa is so yummy! And sambhar is even more so

Bhukkhad

[JoNorvelleWalker]

31 minutes ago, Bhukhhad said:

JoNorvelleWalker

 

No, this is not the right way to have dosa. I’m sure it tastes nice though. Let’s see. The first thing is that it should LOOK like a very thin crepe. And it is to be spread pretty much like we would spread a crepe. 
1. cast iron very very flat skillet or dosa tava+ seasoned.

2. Well heated

3.Batter should be perfect. 
4. Pour a ladleful in the center and Immediately swirl with the flat back portion of the ladle to spread in a circular fashion on the tava.  It should be uniformly thin.

5. Pretty soon the sides of the dosa should start to turn upwards because they are ‘done’

6. you can fold like an omelette or roll like a crepe.

Now I too grew up in the north of India so chapati and paratha or Poha are my familiar dishes. Dosa I still get right only sometimes. So you are doing very well! 

Bhukkhad

 

 

@Bhukhhad thank you.  Yes, my dosa looked like a very thin crepe, about 10 inches in diameter.  I ladled the batter and spread the batter in a circle using the back of the ladle.  After a couple of minutes I added the filling and rolled the dosa.  But the spatula I was using was not very wide and the dosa ripped as I tried to roll it.

 

I consulted many dosa recipes, including Modernist Bread.  The recipe I was most closely following was this one:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/25/keralan-onam-festival-feast-recipes-masala-dosa-vivek-singh-a-cooks-kitchen

 

Some time ago our library hosted a dosa making course and I was trying to follow the technique I remember the presenter demonstrating.  She used a non-stick electric griddle, as did I.  Actually what I used was a crepe maker.  She did not fill her dosa however.  That may have made a difference.  Possibly I used too much filling, or I added the filling too soon.

 

I am aware store-bought dosa batter exists.  A friend who makes dosa frequently recommended against using it.  She said her children would not eat her dosa when she tried the store-bought batter.  Besides, this is eGullet.

 

[Bhukhhad]

I loved how you said ‘besides this is egullet’!! 
yes of course best when made by one’s own hands. ❤️
All I can say is you have done all the things I could think of. And admittedly this is not my forte. They say experience makes it to perfection. So my friend, enjoy lots of dosas on your way and you will certainly get there soon. 
Bhukkhad

[Anna N]

37 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Besides, this is eGullet.

Yep. We pride ourselves on doing things the hard way and being contrary as often as we possibly can. It is what keeps us separate from the rational world. 😂

[heidih]

That is a great video @Bhukhhad  Thank you. The dosa at my shop is like the first one. Already crisped up before filling the middle and more like something to pick up. Being in California - I'd say  more "taco" style.