| 1. | To make batter: In a bowl, cover rice, parboiled rice and urad dal with water at least 1 inch/2.5 cm above ingredients. Soak 4 hours. Drain. |
| 2. | Grind rice-dal mixture into a paste gradually adding 2 cups/480 ml water. |
| 3. | In a large bowl, mix rice-dal paste and salt. Cover and keep aside (not in a refrigerator) at least 12 hours to ferment. |
| 4. | To make filling: Mix potatoes, salt and turmeric. |
| 5. | Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat about 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds. When crackling, add urad dal. Stir a few seconds. Add curry leaves and chillies. Stir fry till dal is light golden brown. Add onions and stir fry about 1 minute. Add ginger. Mix. Cover and cook on low heat (about 10 minutes) till onions are soft, stirring at 3 minute intervals. Uncover. |
| 6. | Increase heat to medium-high. Add potato mixture. Mix. Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm. |
| 7. | To make masala dosa: Mix fermented paste and enough of remaining water (½ cup/120 ml) to make a thin batter. |
| 8. | Heat tava on medium heat no more than 5 minutes. |
| 9. | Stir batter and pour 1/3 cup/80 ml in centre of tava. Quickly place the flat base of a metal ladle or katori very lightly on batter. Using a continuous circular motion in one direction, gently spread batter evenly outwards from centre to make a thin round about 11 inch/27 cm in diameter. Do not increase heat. Cook the first dosa about 3 minutes. During this time, add ½ tsp/2.5 ml oil around edges of dosa and dribble ¼ tsp/1.3 ml oil all over dosa. Turn over. Cook 45 seconds, pressing gently with spatula all over dosa to flatten. Turn over. Quickly place 1/3 cup/65 g filling on one side of the centre of dosa and spread into a rectangular shape about 1½ inch/3.8 cm wide and 6½ inch/16 cm long. Fold one large side of dosa over filling. Fold over the opposite side of dosa. Remove. Keep heat at medium. Cook remaining masala dosa in the same way as the first masala dosa except reduce cooking time before turning over dosa from about 3 minutes to about 2 minutes. Serve hot, accompanied with Coconut Chutney. |