After eating our way through northern India, somehow I’ve returned home with a favorite food more typical of the south: masala dosa.
Masala dosa is a giant, thin crepe typically made from rice flour that is rolled around a small amount of curried potatoes, called potato bhaaji. The pancake is crisp and slightly sweet and the potatoes are not dissimilar to what we might call hash browns. The pancake and potatoes are typically served with various chutneys (coriander, ginger and coconut) and daal (simmered lentils) which you dip bites and pieces into.
Dosa is a common breakfast dish and street food, and we found it on most menus along the way. We also developed an affinity for cheela, a similar food item more typical of northern India but made with chickpea flour instead.
To make the pancakes, rice or chickpeas and various pulses are soaked in water and ground finely to form a batter. The batter then ferments overnight and is mixed with water until the right thickness is reached. The batter is then ladled into a hot tava (a gigantic round skillet) that is lightly greased. Once the crepe is done it’s either folded into fours or rolled like a wrap, in the images you see here.
Indian comfort food at its finest!
