Crispy masala dosa

Method

1. Wash the rice well in several changes of water until the water runs clear, then soak it overnight or for 5–6 hours. At the same time, wash the lentils well and leave them, too, to soak. Drain the rice and lentils, reserving the water. Now grind or blend the rice, lentils and fenugreek seeds to a fluffy paste with 250–260ml of the reserved water. It should be smooth with few, if any, powdery hard grains left; this does take a few minutes. Stir in 1 tsp salt, cover and leave to ferment in a warm-ish, draught-free place for another half day or so; it needs to start fermenting and be a bit bubbly.
2. When you are getting ready to eat, make the potato filling. Peel and halve the potatoes and boil until just soft in salted water, or place, skins on, in the microwave and cook until soft. Once done and cool enough to handle, peel and roughly chop.
3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and, once the popping starts to die down, add all the chillies and chana dal; following 10 seconds later with the urad dal and the curry leaves. Cook until the lentils are just golden. Add the onions and a little more salt, sauté these until golden brown on the edges, then add the ginger and cook for another minute or so. Add the turmeric and a splash of water and give the pan a couple of stirs. Add in the potatoes and mix well in the other flavours. Cook for 4–5 minutes, then add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning. The potatoes should be slightly crushed and in large lumps rather than pieces now. Add the ghee if using and stir in the coriander.
4. Now cook the dosas. Choose a frying pan, ideally cast iron, but you can use a non-stick one as well. Find a 60ml ladle or serving spoon. Heat the pan over a medium heat.
5. Take the half onion, spear it with a fork and dip in oil, then wipe the pan with the onion. Using your chosen ladle or spoon, add the batter to the middle of the pan, and quickly – using the base of the ladle – spread the batter out in circular motions before it sets. It should look quite thin in places, if not everywhere. The thinner, the crispier! Leave to cook over a medium heat, drizzling over 1 tsp of vegetable oil. It shouldn’t take more than 2–3 minutes.
6. Once you can see brown coming through the thinner bits of the dosa and it is rising a little, check the base – it should be golden. Take it off the heat, fill with a few spoons of the potato filling and serve with Coconut Chutney. Repeat to cook the rest of the batter, eating each dosa as soon as it is cooked.