Mysore Masala Dosa using Millet flour

Do you know that there is an article that tells you the character of a person by analysing the way he/she eats it!?Well if this is new to you, head over to this article – Masala Dosa and the way of life to check it out and also to see which category you belong to.

Speaking of masal Dosa, this is one famous version from the city of Mysore. Frankly speaking, I have never tasted this dish! Though I have visited Mysore a couple of times, we usually see the Chamundi Hills , the vast zoological gardens,The Mysore Palace  and come back to relish ho,e cooked food.My aunt is an excellent cook and so we never even think of eating out!

But ever since I entered the blogging world, I have seen a lot of this on various blogs and have been wanting to make it ever since.

The time seemed right now that I chose one state different cuisines as the theme for Blogging Marathon #47, Week 2,Day 2.

Since I was looking for the authentic version, I searched
for it in the blogs written by true blue kannadigas. And I landed on
Vani’s blog – Mysoorean! She has a post explaining the nuances and the how a perfect Mysore masala dosa must look and taste like.

Vani explains that the authentic version should be brown and crispy on the outside with a soft and spongy inside. A chutney is smeared in the inside and a chutney powder should never be used as a substitute. And the use of butter is very essential as it one of the key ingredient and also imparts the special taste to the dish. Butter is used to cook the dosa and it tastes even more sinful when it is served with a small dollop of butter on top of the piping hot dosa!

Mysore masala dosa is usually  made with the regular rice-urad dal batter. But I have used millets here for a change.

I used:
Adapted from – Mysoorean

For the batter:

Mixed millets [ I used foxtail millet, barnyard millet]- 4 cups
Urad dal-1 cup
Red rice flakes- 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Wash and soak the millets and urad dal in separate vessels. I soaked them for 4 hours.

Wash once again and grind the urad dal in a grinder till nice and fluffy and the batter is smooth. Add water little by little while grinding and not is one go.Remove the batter into a vessel and keep aside.

While you are grinding the urad dal, wash and soak the pressed rice/ red rice flakes/ aval . Add water so that it is 1cm above the pressed rice. By the time the urad dal is ground, the pressed rice will get soaked absorbing all the water. If there is excess water, drain it.

Now grind together the millets,pressed rice in the grinder till you get a smooth batter. It should not be too watery, so add water little by little.Remove this into the vessel in which we have kept the urad dal batter.

Add salt.I used rock salt. Table salt can also be used.Mix well and cover and keep overnight/6-8 hours to ferment .Once it is fermented, the batter would have risen and small bubbles can be seen on the surface.Mix well once again.

Take a portion of this batter to make the dosa and store the remaining batter in the fridge for later use. This batter can be used to make regular dosas as well.

For the chutney:

Channa dal- 1/4 cup
Red chili-1[The chutney should be spicy,mine was mildly spicy]
Shallots-5 numbers ,chopped
Garlic-2 cloves, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil-1 teaspoon

Heat oil in a pan and add the channa dal, red chili.Roast till light brown.Add the onion, garlic and saute till the onion is soft.Once done, switch off the flame and add a splash of water to cool it down and also to soften the dal.Grind to a smooth paste adding little water .Make sure that the chutney is not too watery.

For the potato palya / filling

Potatoes- 3, washed peeled and pressure cooked
Onion-1, chopped
Green chilies-2, chopped and seeds removed
Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Chana dal-1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Turmeric powder- a large pinch
Oil-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard and chana dal. When the mustard pops and dal turns brown, add the onion,green chilies, curry leaves and saute till onion is soft. Add turmeric powder,salt to taste and roughly mashed potato. Mix well and cook for a few minutes.Remove from heat and keep aside.

To prepare Mysore Masal Dosa…

Heat a griddle. Pour a large ladle full of batter in the center and spread it into a circle. The dosa should be thick only then we will get a spongy inside.Generously drizzle melted butter on the sides and in the center.Cover and cook on low flame till the top is fully cooked. You can find it out by touching it.If the batter sticks,cook for some more time.This dosa should not be flipped over.

Now spread the spicy chutney on the dosa leaving a little gap around the edges.Place some filling a little off the center and fold the dosa.

Note:

• I have used 2 types of millets here.You can use your choice of millet.
• Instead of using millets, 4 cups of idli rice can be used.
• I have used red rice flakes here. You can use regular aval / pressed rice /avalakki

Bon Appetit…