The Mysore region is considered Karnataka’s “high spice” zone so most dishes here are enhanced with chillis, peppers and ginger. The Mysore Masala Dosa with Udupi Sambar and Coconut Chutney is a morning staple that typifies the spicy palate of this region. While the dosa, which comes with a lining of red hot chutney on the inside, originated as a breakfast dish from party leftovers, the Udupi Sambar came up as the poor man’s food in the Krishna Matta temple. The coconut chutney with the Mysore Masala Dosa is again, a chilli-enhanced version of the regular chutney found in other parts of southern India. A hot favourite for breakfast, this combination is served at restaurants across the state in the morning time.
A good souring agent is critical to making this chutney. For long, imli was the chosen ingredient in Karnataka’s authentic chutney recipe. But even in the olden days, the imli would sometimes be replaced with curd, with great care taken to ensure that it was nice and thick. The chutney’s taste would otherwise be ruined.
Ingredients
Fresh coconut, grated (1 cup)
Green chillies (hari mirch) (2 to 3)
Ginger (adrak), crushed (1-inch piece)
Tamarind (imli) pulp (2 tsp)
Coriander leaves (hara dhania) (2 tbsp)
Curry leaves (kadipatta) (4)
Split Bengal gram (chana dal), soaked for a couple of hours (1 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
label (For tempering )
Oil (2 tsp)
Mustard seeds (sarson) (1 tsp)
Black gram (urad dal) (1 tsp)
Dry red chillies (sabut lal mirch) (2)
Asafoetida (hing) (a pinch)
Method
In a mixer-grinder, toss in all the ingredients (except the ones for tempering), and a little water and grind up a fine paste. Transfer the mix to a bowl.
Heat oil in a pan on a high flame and add the sarson to it. When it begins to splutter, add the urad dal, hing and lal mirch, and fry till the dal turns golden brown.
Take off the flame and immediately add to the coconut paste. Mix well and cover the bowl with a lid. Let it rest for 2 minutes to allow the flavours to seep through.
Serve fresh with dosas or idlis.
Mysore Masala Dosa
Duration:25 minutes + fermentation time (overnight)
To get that right taste, make sure to grind the chutney with extra spices; it gives the dosa its unique flavour. In the olden kitchens of the state, a spoonful of sugar was often added to the batter to give the dosa an extra golden crust.
Wash the potatoes and transfer them to a pressure cooker, filling water up to 1-inch above the level of the vegetables.
Time it to 4 to 5 whistles on a high flame, and then allow the steam to escape naturally.
Peel the potatoes, mash them coarsely and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai on a high flame till it starts to give off smoke. Add the sarson and when it begins to crackle, add the urad dal and keep frying till the dal turns golden brown.
Add in the onion, green chillies and kadipatta and sauté till the onion turns golden brown.
Toss in the mashed potatoes and salt and mix till the potato mash is evenly coated with the masala.
Turn off the flame and garnish with the hara dhania.
For the Dosa
Wash and soak together black gram (urad dal), split chickpeas (chana dal) and rice in water for 2 hrs.
Toss in the soaked ingredients in a mixer-grinder, and work up a smooth paste. Next, add the cooked rice to this paste and grind again till the batter becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and allow it to ferment overnight.
Next morning, add salt and mix thoroughly.
To prepare the dosas, heat the dosa tawa on a medium flame, sprinkle a few drops of oil on it and gently wipe it off with a moist cloth.
Pour a small katori-full of batter at the centre of the tawa and gently but briskly, spread it out using clockwise circular motions with the help of a ladle or the bottom of the katori. The dosa must be about 10 cm in diameter.
Immediately smear the red chutney over it and sprinkle around half-a-tsp of oil around the edges. Allow it to cook for a minute.
As the edges of the dosa start to curl up, plop a tbsp of the potato masala at the centre of the chutney-smeared dosa. (There is no need to flip the dosa and cook it on the other side.)
Fold the dosa from both sides using a spatula or flat cooking spoon and gently transfer to a serving plate.
Serve hot with some more red chutney, and sambar on the side.
The MTR Sambar Masala is a perfect blend of all the authentic ingredients. To make sambar in a jiffy, use this masala and you can enjoy piping hot sambar in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Pre-cooked veggies of choice (1 cup)
Tuvar dal (split pigeon pea) (3/4 cup)
Water (600 ml)
Imli (tamarind) juice (2 tsp)
MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1/2 tsp)
MTR Sambar Powder (1 tbsp)
Grated coconut (1/2 tbsp)
Gud (jaggery) (2 tsp)
Salt (To taste )
Oil (1/2 tsp)
For tempering (1 tsp)
Mustard (sarson) (4)
Curry leaves (kadipatta) (1 tbsp)
Oil ()
Method
In a deep pan, add the water, dal, MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder and oil. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil on a high flame. Then, lower the flame to medium and cook till the dal is done.
Meanwhile, get the sambar paste ready. In a mixie, add MTR Sambar Powder, coconut, gud, a little water and blend well to form a fine paste.
Now, add this paste to the cooked dal and stir to combine on a medium flame.
Add the pre-cooked veggies of choice (onions, tomatoes, lauki, pumpkin). Then add the imli juice. Mix well.
Season with salt and let the dal cook for another 5 mins.
Make the tadka separately. In a pan, heat oil on a high flame. Add sarson and let it splutter, then add kadipatta.
Take off the flame and pour immediately on the sambar. Stir to mix well.
Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with idli, dosa or steamed rice.
