The Elusive Dosai

The Elusive dosai

My earliest memories of dosai is of my younger brother asking my granny to make dosai. “Maa make dosai’ and my granny too would relate to the other grandchildren how he used to worry her for dosai.
But that dosai was sweet. (check my post in SA Indians).
Imagine our shock in 1995 when we walked into the eastern canteen in Prashanti Nilayam (Baba’s ashram in Puttaparthi) around 9am and saw people having dosai and idli and vadai and dhall. So that’s why they didn’t bother with the breakfast we had in the western canteen. They just had some tea or coffee and were waiting to have this secret feast. But knowing that India could give us some surprises we first asked a kind lady if we could taste her idli and dosai. In hindsight we realize how rude we were but when the tongue is craving its home food you become desperate. Well we tasted it, politely thanked her and scooted outside. Imagine it was salty – we thought we’d taste sweet coconutty idli and dosai like the one Sashni’s mother makes for centre functions but no this was salty and we saw people eating it with dhall!!
Well what a culture shock but after coming back home and then going to North Indian and South Indian restaurants that seemed to spring up in Durban (like Amarvati Palki, Vintage, Jaipur Palace) we saw more and more dosai in the menus, dosai with dum aloo, wow eating potato curry with dosai – really what next. Slowly it dawned on me that dosai seemed to be a very important item in the South Indian kitchen. Browsing through recipe websites I began to learn a bit more and my sister too enlightened me about the savoury dosai since she’s married in a Gujerati family and they know about dosai, uppama and the like.

Well not to be left out I too tried my hand at savoury dosai – but, it flopped.
I was meeting Dharam and I told him my woeful tale about the spoilt dosai and that in India it’s savoury – he too was shocked cos he also remembered having dosai when he was younger. Thin sweet dosai with tea.

Then with courting and thereafter preparations for the wedding my experiments with dosai took a backseat.
After the wedding I tried my hand at some culinary experiments during weekends and my husband was the eager taster. Well invariably I again plucked up the courage to try my hand at dosai again – I soaked the rice, then ground the mixture, I left it to ferment. Then I tried to cook it but failed, it stuck to the pan. My mum was around and she tried to salvage it but she too failed. Then we realized that perhaps the food processor was not the appliance to use. Now I understood why they had these stainless steel grinders from India.

Well my sister had given me her one but after my disaster even my mother put me off – since I wasted ingredients and nothing she’d ever cooked had flopped!!

And then I got busy when Dhivashan arrived. The dosai was forgotten for a while. But in the tradition of my granny and mum I started making sweet pancakes for my son or slightly thicker crumpets – it was an instant hit with him and every Saturday he’d say “mum make crumpets”. Of course the thrill for him is to make designs with the maple syrup on it.

But I still longed to make savoury dosai after looking at websites and recipes. I invested in a non stick thava (though it’s not really a thava but a ‘crepes pan’). Then I bought a packet of Gitts Instant Dosai. It was a bit of a schlep cooling the pan after each dosai and with my husband looking at my quizzically saying aren’t you wasting water. Never mind, 6 dosais were made, my husband ate one and enjoyed it, I sent 2 for my mum and I ate three!! Very delicious. Well I asked my mum later if she enjoyed it and she muttered that the potato curry should be more spicier. Well so much for encouragement and she has 100% tamil blood!!

Maybe the obsession with dosai is because I want to find something to connect me to my Indian roots. For some reason I don’t eat roti and everyone says shocked ‘what a roti girl not liking roti!’ Unbelievable!!

Well Diwali dawned and we all look forward to Diwali lunch because for days prior we are looking at and tasting sweet stuff like biscuits, burfee, jumbos and chana magaj and we just crave salt and savouries by then. We had a huge spread and I made some paneer chutney. Now wouldn’t that taste nice with dosai. I carried my box of ‘instant dosai’. Thankfully I mixed one third of the packet. I spread it on my mother’s thava and then as it heated it just stuck, we put oil but it just didn’t come out right. I gave up again. I resigned myself to eating two broken pieces that I could salvage.
I took the mixture home and for supper used my non stick pan – well I realized later that it may have stood too long it was no longer bubbly so again it just flopped and I threw the mixture away.

When all settles down and I’ve overcome my disappointment I’ll try again.

PS: Last month, I mustered the courage to make a batch since the expiry date on the packet was looming. Dharam and I ate it with spicy potato curry but Dhivashan asked “Mum is it Indian dosai” and gave it a miss. But I had the last say, “Well you better get used to it because that’s what you’ll be eating when we visit India”.

Hello Nessha

nice post. I can relate to my Dosa failure. But wanted to suggest follow Chitra mam's (Chitvish) recipes. She can for sure help you out.

Ria

Dear Neesha
You write so well.. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your write up about the elusive dosa.. Trust me when I say its much easier than you think and needs only a simple blender to make the dough (maavu); I remember me in the same boat close to 26-28 years back.. Back then most people would be quick to critise and make much more aso over nothing.. over the years I realised its much easier than everyone madeit out.. if you still need a simple recipe do send me a pm... But back to the elusive dosa.. like you say when we eat out its so much different..some places too spicy and some too salty. For this reason my family refuses to eat dosa out becuse they claim I make the best.. It is my experience the heat and the pan also makes a little difference. Small techniques as wiping the heated tava with oiled cloth or oiled napkin also helps.. Hang in there my friend you are going to be an expert in no time at all:)

Dear Ria

Thanks for your reply. I do check Chitvish recipes and I will look for a simple recipe. It was with that search that I stumbled upon "Indusladies". It's just that it's not a regular item amongst South African Indians and normally you learn better watching mum or relatives making something.

Dear Chitra

Thank you for your message. Can you please give me a simple recipe? I bought rice flour and peeled urad dhall cos I thought it might be easier. But I have white rice so its not a problem if you have to use whole rice. Also please tell me what's the difference with a grinder and a mixer. I bought a Mixer/ grinder" when I went to India in 1995. Here we have food processors and blenders.

Thanks and warm regards
Neesha

Neesha,
You are going to be the best in making Dosais...with your enthusiaism, you are going to be one...
As Chitra had pointed out, small things count like, the heat, the consistency, applying of oil, etc..
Hopefully you must have mastered it because, this was belated reply...
soon let us know...

sriniketan

Thanks Sriniketan

Made dosai's yesterday for breakfast but the South African version. Had guests for the weekend - husband's cousin and her family. Our relative then remarked that she had tasted in "Little India" (restaurant) dosai with potato curry. Darn how I wished I had perfected the art of dosai then not only could I say "yes I know - my Indian friends make it daily", I could have also served her the same.

Promise to post pictures as soon as I make my "pukka dosais".

Thanks for your confidence in me.

Regards Neesha

hi neesha,
even i am sure you will make perfect dosas soon!!!
looking forward to see your pictures soon!
best wishes
pavi