If you don’t feel like fermenting lentils for dosa, you can just eat this on its own or with meat, or in a different kind of wrap (especially with mango chutney or tomato chutney…), spiced to your preferred level of heat. My level is high, but my dinner guest’s level was significantly lower. Fortunately starch inhibits heat, so even using an entire chili pepper isn’t too bad, depending on the pepper. Jalapeno, serrano or cayenne are fine. Habanero…not so fine.
Heat is not always flavour, though, and this dish is really about the other spices – mustard seeds, garlic, ginger and coriander. The garlic and ginger, mostly. I doubled the garlic…so it was perfect. The night didn’t work out as we’d hoped, but it wasn’t the garlic’s fault at least.
Spicy Potato Filling for Masala Dosa
the only change I made besides doubling the garlic was using a mix of regular potatoes and jerusalem artichokes. Make sure you give yourself enough time to either peel the artichokes in advance or boil them whole with the potatoes (also whole), and then peel them more easily after.
1 lb potatoes
1 lb jerusalem artichokes
2 tbsp sunflower oil (or other high-heat oil)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed to a pulp (in a mortar with a pestle, or blended in a small food processor)
1/2″ fresh ginger, also mashed (optional)
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 green cayenne or jalapeno chili, seeds and membrane removed, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste. Starch also sucks up salt, though, which is why you need so much here)
1/2 cup chopped coriander (aka cilantro. Or use parsley)
Boil the potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes whole in enough water to cover until tender (about 20 minutes. Test with a fork).
Drain, rinse in cold water, and when cool enough to handle peel with hands. Gently crush the peeled potatoes and artichokes with the bottom of a fork in a large bowl and set aside.
While waiting for the potatoes to cool, chop and measure everything else. Mashing that garlic could take some effort if you don’t have a good mortar and pestle. Another option for mashing instead of blending is to put it in a plastic bag and beat it with a mallet, but be careful to to pop or break the bag. This was my method of choice, and I had a little bit of garlic splatter to clean up when I was done.
Heat oil in a large pot over high heat and when hot add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop (about 20 seconds max) lower the heat to medium-high and add the turmeric and garlic and ginger pastes. 30 seconds later add the onion and cool, stirring constantly for about 8 minutes. Add a little water a tbsp at a time as the onion starts to stick. Or lower the heat a little, but higher heat is better to get that charred taste on the onions. Add the chili. Stir, then add the potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, and salt.
Stir and press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pot to create a crust, then mix in the crust and press more of the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pot. Repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. for about 5 minutes. Scoop into a large bowl and let cool. Add salt if necessary. Top with half the cilantro and stir. Top with the remaining cilantro and don’t stir.
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