Potato Masala Curry or Bhaji for Dosas

Breakfast is a very important part of Indian cooking. Being a South Indian, dosas, idlis and upma were the main favorites for breakfast.   Now, these and other south Indian dishes are a must in most Indian restaurants around the world.

“Masala Dosa” is our weekend favorite .  It is a dosa or crepe made of Urad dal and rice, filled with a dry curry made with potatoes, onions, green chillies and spices or as they call in Konkani language, "bhaji".  Normally, in most houses, the spice is simple; just turmeric, green chilles, urad dal and sometimes ginger.  In our house, the masala is slightly different.  In my maternal grandparents house, two types of potato masalas were prepared ( the one I mentioned above, and the other I normally make in our home), catering to the tastes of my uncles and aunts (8 of them) who had their favorite preference.

This masala that I will be preparing is a favorite in my house.  It has spices like coriander powder and jeera powder in it, giving it a distinct flavor.

You can either stuff the potatoes in the dosa or serve on the side; the way I prefer it.

Potato Masala Curry or Bhaji for Dosas

Serves : 4

Prep time: 10 minutes  Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 medium (boiled, peeled and cut into cubes)

Onions: 2 large, cut into cubes or sliced (whichever you prefer)

Ginger: ½ inch piece, grated or finely chopped (optional)

Green chillies : 2 medium, chopped

Curry leaves : 8 to 10 leaves

Mustard seeds : 1 tbsp

Urad dal or split black lentils: ½ tsp

Turmeric powder : ½ tsp

Chilli powder : 1 tsp

Coriander powder : 2 tsp

Jeera powder : 1 tsp

Oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing (optional, I have not used them as I did not have them in the refrigerator)

Method:

Wash the potatoes well and pressure cook or microwave them till soft and cooked. Peel, and cut into cubes.

Chop the onions  into cubes or you can even slice them.

Heat a pan on medium high.  Add the oil and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the urad dal and fry for a few seconds. Do not let them burn.

Pour in the onions, grated ginger, green chilles and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.

Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and mix well.  Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes and salt and mix well.  Keep frying for about 1 minute.  Close the lid, lower the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes, to allow the spices and salt to blend through the dish. If you want the potato masala to be slightly soft and mushy, you can add a little water to it.

Remove the lid, mix again.

Remove from the stove and serve with dosa, either stuffed or as I prefer it, on the side.

Serve hot!!!

Please let me know how you enjoyed this new version of potato masala for dosas.

You can also serve them with rotis, parathas or even make bread sandwiches with these.

Note:

For a "no-onion, no-garlic" version, you can omit the onions and increase the potato.

Handy tip:

To keep spices (like coriander seeds, cumin or jeera seeds etc.) fresh for a longer time and to avoid spoilage, either keep them in the sunlight for a few hours, cool and store them in airtight containers, or you an pan roast them on medium heat, stirring often till hot, cool and then store them.