Potato Dosai and Chutney

I love Indian food. For one thing, well-made Indian food, with it's vibrant spices and unique types of food, is absolutely delicious. Also, though, Indian cuisine offers endless vegetarian options. At one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Kalamazoo, I sometimes used to order their Masala Dosai. Dosai is an Indian crepe made out of lentils (instead of egg and flour, like a French crepe). Masala Dosai are these crepes filled with a spiced potato filling.

Several years ago, I decided to play around in the kitchen one day, and made my own version of potato dosai with french crepes and my own potato filling. It was yummy, and I've been making it ever since. I've never looked up a recipe to make lentil dosai, and I always make the potato filling by winging it instead of writing down my amounts or anything, so it's different every time. My own version of potato dosai isn't authentic Indian, but it is tasty. I love to serve it with spicy fruit chutney. There are plenty of great chutneys at your local grocery store. Once in a while, though, it's fun to make a homemade chutney. You can find hundreds of recipes for Indian-style spicy chutneys, like apple or mango. I usually just wing it.

Like I said, I don't go by a specific recipe (except for the measurements for the crepes, which has to be exact), but I will give a general description of what I do for those who want to know.

Crepes:

1 c flour, 1 tsp. salt, mixed together well in bowl. Make a hole in the center, into which pour 1.25 c milk and 2 well-beaten eggs. Slowly mix the flour into the liquid, so that there are no lumps of flour at all. Then cover and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before using it to make the crepes.

After heating a pan so it's nice and hot, spray it with a little cooking spray, spoon in a ladel of the batter, and tilt the pan so the batter makes a nice, thin crepe. Cook it 'til it's golden brown, flip, cook on the other side until it's done, and remove it from the pan. Spray the pan with a little more cooking spray, make another crepe, repeat, etc. Save the crepes on a plate or pan without folding them. You can spray the plate with a little cooking spray to make sure the crepes don't stick, but if they are cooked enough, they shouldn't stick too much.

Potato Filling:

It is common in Indian food to include cooked green peas with the potatoes. Sauteed onions are another common ingredient. Sometimes, I use carrots, cooked and slightly mashed up, instead of peas.

Boil however many potatoes you think you need, and mash them with a masher so that there are still some chunks. Add whatever other veggies you are using. Add some water and/or milk, so that the potatoes are very sticky, and also toss in your seasoning, and salt. Using a pre-mixed curry powder can be really good. Turmeric, cumin, cardamom, garlic or roasted garlic, paprika, any sort of chile peppers you like - all those are good options for seasoning the potatoes. I like to make them just lightly spicy, but do whatever you like.

Fill the Dosai:

It's easy to make the potato filling and the crepes in advance, and then throw them together when it's time to eat. I just lay a crepe out flat, with the prettier golden-brown side facing outwards, and spread the potato mixture over the whole crepe with a big spoon. I make the filling about 1/2 inch thick. Then cover it with another crepe, golden-brown side out. Bake them in the oven on a baking sheet until they are heated through, and the edges of the crepe are a little crispy. You can cut them in halves or quarters, and serve them with chutney or whatever other Indian condiment you like. Some seasoned, stir-fried veggies on the side are very good.

Apple Chutney:

This is one way I have made spicy apple chutney. This makes for a very small amount, for 2-4 people. Amounts are approximate, as I have never actually measured, so apply your own tastes to the "recipe":

1 large apple, peeled and chopped small, 1tbsp freshly grated orange peel, 1.5 tbsp sugar, .25 c water, 1 tbsp finely chopped onion, a little butter/margarine, fresh garlic or ground garlic, 1 tsp tomato powder or a spoonful of tomato paste, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and cumin.

Sautee the onions (and fresh garlic) in a little bit of butter until they are soft. Add everything else, stir it up really well, and simmer it all together, covered, until it's the consistency you like. I like to cook it until the apples are very soft, and then mash them up just a little, so that it is still very chunky. You can make it as mild or spicy as you wish. I use mostly cardamom, a little bit less than that of cinnamon, and only a touch of cumin and cayenne.

That's my "recipe" for Potato Dosai and Chutney. Enjoy!