Potato Stuffing for Dosa is a must have for a great Masala Dosa. The ‘Masala‘ here refers to the vegetable stuffing and not a spice.
Who doesn’t love a Masala Dosa? Whether you’re Indian or not, and whether you live in India or not, the Masala Dosa is so popular that people all over the world savor it. The best Masala Dosa I have eaten recently is probably at the Udupi Cafe in Pittsburgh. Yes, that hole in the wall place near the Indian temple that is soo easy to miss. But if you are ever driving through Pittsburgh, this is one pit stop you want to make!
A great Masala Dosa starts with the potato subzi or stuffing. This is actually very simple, but that is what makes it kind of difficult to get right too. I learned this recipe from my mother who has been dishing out hot dosas for us from as far back as I remember. As cuisine becomes more ‘fusion’ than ‘authentic’, there are many kinds of stuffing you will find in restaurants. ‘Special’ dosas have cashews and raisins in their stuffing. Some have Chinese spices, while some have meat or paneer. But if you want to go back to basics and make an authentic stuffing, this is the one to go for.
Some of the ingredients may be hard to find if you don’t live in India, but they are not impossible to procure. You will need some mainstays of any South Indian recipe – dry red chilli, fresh curry leaves, Udad Dal and/or chana dal, and your typical Indian spices for tempering the oil. All of these are easily available in your local Indian grocery store, or can be ordered off Amazon or other online grocery stores.
The recipe is as follows –
Potato stuffing for Dosa is simple to make and will give you a great Masala Dosa. Curry leaves give necessary South Indian flavor to this vegan recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 medium potatoes
- 2 medium onions
- 1-2 dry red chillies
- 5-6 fresh curry leaves
- 1 tsp Udad dal
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- pinch hing or Asfoetida
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp oil
- cilantro for garnish
Method
- Boil potatoes until they are well cooked. Indian homes generally use a pressure cooker for this. Peel and chop into large chunks. Set aside.
- Chop the onion lengthwise.
- Heat oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds and udad dal. Let them pop and then add hing or Asfoetida, turmeric and cayenne pepper rapidly.
- Add the chopped onion.
- Add curry leaves and fry for a minute until the leaves give out a nice aroma. Add the broken red chillies now. (deseed chilis if you want to lower heat).
- Add the chopped potatoes and salt/sugar and stir everything until the oil mixture covers the potatoes. Cover and let it heat under the steam for 2-3 minutes on simmer.
- Once everything is well mixed, switch off heat and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
To serve – Add a serving spoon full of stuffing onto the Dosa. Wrap/ roll any way you want and serve hot.
This potato stuffing can be used for sandwiches or wraps too. Now wasn’t that really easy? Let me know when you try this out.
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