At the crack of 2012's dawn, I would like to reflect on types of cooks. Which kind of cook do you think you are? Good or bad is not an answer. The same way that there are various types of cooking which are the basic methods such as roasting, boiling etc.. Cooks too are categorised.
Some
years back The New York Times analysed a research indicating 5 types
of cooks. The article described them as:
•
“Giving” cooks (22%), enthusiastic
about cooking and specialize in comfort food, particularly home-baked
goodies.
•
“Methodical” cooks (18%) rely
heavily on recipes, so their cooking is strongly influenced by the
cookbook they use.
•
“Competitive” cooks (13%) think
less about health and more about making the most impressive dish
possible.
•
“Healthy” cooks (20%) often serve
fish and use fresh ingredients, but taste isn’t the primary goal.
•
“Innovative” cooks (19%) like to
experiment with different ingredients, cooking methods and cuisines,
which tends to lead to healthier cooking."
I
am firmly anchored in the last category however he is a methodical
cook and one who will never give up a recipe until it works.
Sometimes it will take years and many unsuccessful, how shall I put
this delicately, "Goo-dishes".
In
this way, Masala Dosa became a sort of Grail. For the benefit of the
readers who are not aware of this particular Indian street-food.
Masala Dosa is a traditional South Indian snack often served at
breakfast consisting of fermented Rice-lentil batter, fried crisp
brown both sides then stuffed with a potato filling and accompanied
by a coconut-chutney.
Recipe
in hand, the correct type of dahl or lentils had to be found. For a
while, we could have opened the pantry as a legumes shop. Urad Dhal
or black lentil, not to confused with many other sort of black dhal
even white ones! as I was told by an Indian shopkeeper in the Euston
Road who pointed at snow white lentils assuring me that this was the
true Urad/black Dhal.
Then,
there was the Dosa which warranted a trip to Kerala, to observe the
type of utensils used, the shape and texture. Still nothing worked,
"goo-dishes" came out of the kitchen with much shaking of
the head. Until, last night......
You
will not get a step by step picture-story. The cook might be
methodical but he, like many of us, doesn't like to share the kitchen
space while preparing, chopping (that includes fingers) and working a
certain kind of magic. So here are some recommendations over stolen
observations.
- A ready mixture for the Dosa is by far the easiest
- The frying pan seems to be crucial: non-stick, nothing else will do.
- Use Ghee to fry the batter and a rounded spoon to "fan" it in the pan
- White dahl will do, as long as you believe that it's black.
- Though a breakfast food, it can be served at dinner and is very filling.
- Do not forget to soak the lentils, the day before.
Masala Dosa
For the Potato filling:
Ingredients:
Method:
Boil the potatoes while they cook until soft
Heat oil in a frying pan, place the mustard seeds in and wait until they pop add all the remaining ingredients except for lemon, sugar, salt and potatoes.
Allow to cook for 5 minutes and then toss in the rest cook for a couple of minutes.
For the Dosa use a commercial mix and follow the instructions on the packet and the tips above.
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