Pole (poh-lay) or dosas

We love variety in our plates, and Alex and I gulp down dosas, as though they are going out of fashion. That may be because I never made them, and the only opportunity we got to eat this awesome treat was either when Alex's mum or my mum prepared it. Both my mums encouraged me many times to try this as it was sooooooo simple. And yet I never gave in. Even after I moved to Manila and now Cebu, I never gave this preparation a second thought. Then one day, I had a Tamil- Telugu family move into my neighborhood. I was over-joyed at the thought of having Indian neighbors. And one evening as David and I were sitting at Sudha's (my neighbor) house, she asked him if he was hungry. And David said he was, so she quickly went to the kitchen and got him a dosa within five to six minutes. David ate that and then asked for more. You can imagine my awe, that was inspired by this simple and humble dosa. The fact that it took so little time to make something so lovely was the big draw for me.

That is when I started making dosas with a enthusiasm that is bordering psychotic. This episode happened in mid-December 2014. Since then, I have dosa batter in my fridge on any given day. For many days, David ate nothing but dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and just like that he has decided to give dosas a break.

However, Alex and I have gotten used to eating dosas for breakfast. They are quick to make and an healthy option and go so well with chutney and sambhar or potato bhaji.

This is the simplest thing to cook besides rice and yet it took me so long to start making them. But better late than never I guess.

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 3 measures
2. Urad daal - 1 measure
3. Methi seeds (fenugreek) - few seeds.
4. Salt - to taste
5. Oil - for pan frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice and fenugreek seeds together in a bowl with enough water to cover the rice.
2. In another bowl, wash and soak urad daal. Soak for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Grind the rice and daal separately in a mixer to a smooth fine paste using little water. The consistency should be thick and creamy.  
4. Empty the batter into a vessel, where the batter occupies half of the vessel, leaving room for it to rise. It will increase in quantity by at least half so use a large enough vessel. 
5. Do not add salt at this stage.
6. Leave it over-night or at least eight to nine hours to ferment.
7. When the wait time is over. Mix the batter well and adjust consistency by adding water if required. Add salt.
8. Heat a flat pan, pour a little oil and then laddle the batter onto the pan, just like a pancake. Cook on simmer till the edges start to loosen and leave the pan. You may add oil on the top of the dosa and turn it over so it cooks on the other side too. This should take about thirty seconds.
9. You can make as many dosas as you want and then store the remaining batter in the fridge. It stays upto a week.
10. Once done, serve it hot with your choice of chutney and sambhar.

Click the following links for recipes that go well with Pole pronounced poh-lay, in konkani or Dosa

• Tomato coconut chutney
• White chutney for dosa
• Dosa bhaji (Potato bhaji)