A masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with lightly cooked potatoes, onions, green chilli and spices. You can use the regular dosa batter for making masala dosa.

Preparation Time : 30 mins(excluding soaking time)

Cooking time : 21-25 minutes

Servings : Depends

Ingredients for the Masala - Potato filling:

• 4-5 potatoes/aloo
• 10-12 cashewnuts/kaju (optional)
• 10-12 curry leaves/kadi patta
• 1 tbsp chana dal/bengal gram
• 3 onions sliced or chopped
• ½ tsp mustard seeds/rai
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 or 2 chopped green chillies/hari mirch
• 1 or 1.5 tsp chopped ginger or grated ginger
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• A pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 3 tsp oil or ghee
• Salt

Ingredients for the Dosa Batter:

• 1 cup regular rice
• 1 cup parboiled rice/ukda chawal
• ½ cup spilt black lentils or urad dal
• ¼ cup poha/flattened rice
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
• Salt to taste
• Water as required

Preparing the Dosa Batter:

1. Rinse the rice and urad dal separately first.
2. Soak the parboiled rice, regular rice and poha in a bowl or pan.
3. In another bowl soak the urad dal-methi in enough water.
4. Grind the urad dal with methi to a fine and fluffy batter.
5. Grind the rice and poha to a smooth batter.
6. Mix both the rice and urad dal batter with salt.
7. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours.

Preparing the potato filling-sabzi:

1. Soak the chana dal in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Later drain the chana dal and keep aside.
3. Heat oil or ghee. Fry cashew nuts and keep aside.
4. Splutter the mustard seeds. add cumin seeds and drained chana dal.
5. Fry the chana dal well. Now add the onions and curry leaves.
6. Fry the onions till they become soft. Add the green chilies and ginger.
7. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Mix well.
8. Now add the boiled chopped potatoes. Add the fried cashew nuts and salt.
9. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring well. Add chopped coriander leaves. Stir and keep aside.

Preparing the Masala Dosa:

1. Heat a flat pan or a flat non-stick pan. Smear some oil if using an iron pan or griddle. don't smear oil on a non stick pan, as then you won't be able to spread the dosa batter.
2. Spread the dosa batter in a circular way on the pan. Add some oil on top.
3. Flip and cook the other side. Flip again.
4. Spread the potato sabzi filling on one side of the dosa.
5. Cover with the other half and let the dosa cook for 15-30 seconds.
6. Serve masala dosa hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

NOTES:

• If you are unable to spread the batter on the pan, then add some water to the dosa batter. this will help you in spreading the batter evenly on the pan.
• To get golden brown dosa, the pan should be hot. But the flip side is that if the pan is very hot, then you cannot spread the dosa batter nicely. Either sprinkle water on the pan and then wipe it. This brings down the temperature of the pan. Do this method on an iron pan. Don't do this on a non stick pan. It might affect the non stick coating.
• If using a non stick pan than as soon as one dosa is done, reduce the flame. Spread the dosa batter on the pan. now increase the flame and let the dosa cook.

Enjoy!