Mar 11, 2011

Cauliflower masala dosa


Calling all cauliflower lovers, all dosa lovers, all fusion food lovers and all who have not had enough of cauliflower from my last post – here is another fun masala dosa. I have created this filling with critical inputs from my kids, so I guess it will work for all of you too! I hope too, that this can join the exalted ranks of  amazing dosa fillings like palak paneer dosa or pav bhaji dosa.                 
Fusion dosa
You need
For the filling
  1. Cauliflower( what else) – 1 medium head (I got 2 heaped cups of florets)
  2. Paneer – 250gm (I used 200 gms in this recipe and found it inadequate, hence suggesting 250gms)
  3. Onions – 3-4 medium, chopped fine  ingredients
  4. Capsicum – 1, chopped
  5. Green chillies – 6-7, chopped
  6. Salt – 1tbsp
  7. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
  8. Garam masala powder – 2 heaped tsp
  9. Sugar – 1 tsp (optional)
  10. Vegetable oil – 4 tsp
  11. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  12. Cumin – 1 tsp
For dosa
  1. Idli rice – 4 cups
  2. Whole skinned urad – 1 cup
  3. Water for grinding – 2-3 cups
  4. Salt – 2 heaped tsp
  5. Sesame oil – 4-5 tsp, for making dosas
I soaked rice and dal separately overnight, ground each separately and then mixed the batter with salt and left to ferment for at least 6-7 hours. You can dilute if too thick for dosa batter. Making idli or dosa batter merits a separate post. I shall post that as soon as I am able to take good pictures of my dosa batter!
To assemble
  1. Heat oil in a pan. Add seasonings (11 and12).
  2. Add green chillies, chopped onions, chopped capsicum in this order.seasonings   pink onions and green chillies
  3. Add cauliflower florets, toss well.
  4. Add turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, sugar (if using).
  5. Cover and cook for a few minutes over low flame.
  6. Crumble paneer coarsely.
  7. Once the cauliflower is cooked through, add paneer, fold gently.cauliflower and paneer filling
  8. Filling for dosa is ready. (Aha, can’t wait to dig in)
  9. Heat a skillet/ non-stick griddle/ iron dosa griddle.
  10. Grease the griddle with a tsp of sesame oil.
  11. Splatter a few drops of water on the hot griddle. When it sizzles, go ahead, attack!
  12. Pour a heaped ladle of batter in the centre, spread the batter in concentric circles using the ladle. dosa on griddle-note the lovely concentric circles
  13. Drizzle some sesame oil around the dosa. When it begins to brown, loosen the edges carefully and flip over. flip dosa over
  14. Dosa should be done in just a minute. Turn over again, spread the filling over half of the dosa, fold over and serve.fold dosa with filling I served with some coconut  chutney and more filling on the side.super yum masala dosa
Variations
  • Add boiled peas instead of paneer.
  • Use cheese spread to spread on dosa. In case you use cheese spread, omit paneer. You can smear cheese spread on flipped dosa and then spread vegetable filling.
  • The same filling can be used inside a sandwich or to make frankie rolls.
Nutri notes
  • This dish is a complete meal in itself. It combines carbohydrates and proteins from the dosa, vegetable allowance from the cauliflower, dairy protein from paneer, fats from oil, paneer and coconut (if using for chutney), fibre from vegetables, coconut.
  • Since dosa is made from fermented batter, the dish has all benefits of fermentation. These will be discussed later with my post on dosa/idli batter.

35 comments:

divya said...

looks gorgeous and so so so crispy...

kitchen queen said...

hmmmmmmmmmmmm! yum yummy dosa with attractive fillings tempting and pulling me. Can I come over to have this wonderful filling dosa?

Umm Mymoonah said...

I love masala dosas, this idea with cauliflower is really yummy. Next time my masala dosa is with cauliflower.

Teresa said...

Thanks for the recipe!!! Love it

btw, bird nest (www.geocities.jp/hongkong_bird_nest/index_e.htm) is made up of about 58% soluable proteins...the highest amoung all food and even synetic protein powders

it greatly increase tissue regeneration

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious.. you need to make this for us when we visit next!!

Torviewtoronto said...

yummy dosa and flavourful combination

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Masala dosa looks delicious...

FunWidFud

Vaishali said...

I love the potato filling in dosas, but I absolutely love the idea of a healthier and equally delicious substitute, like cauliflower!

Priya Suresh said...

Wowww thats a great looking masala dosa, nice twist to the usual potato masala..

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Never thought of substituting potatoes with any other stuffing. This looks wonderful. Nice variation

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Rajani said...

Hi everyone,Glad that all find use of cauliflower is a good sustitute for the omnipresent potato.
Kitchen queen, of course you can come over :-)
Crisp dosas with lovely fillings,one of the best breakfast options.
Vaishali,it was only when I saw your comment that I realised I did not mention any vegan substitute.I guess tofu will offer great texture in place of paneer.
Teresa,Thanks for info on birds nest.

shriannalakshmi said...

Wonderful idea.A good substitute for potatoes.Have bookmarked this.

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

Masala dosa with cauliflower my fav one.Love the version of masala.

Aruna Manikandan said...

looks delicious and very tempting dear...
love the stuffing :)

Sushma Mallya said...

I love Masala dosa my fav sunday breakfast in our house, looks yum!

Sharmi said...

right now I am very hungry looking at the whole combo:)

sangeeta said...

I am getting lots of cauliflowers and broccoli from my garden and making lots of parathas and mashes ...dosa is the next...great idea.
I make a cauliflower chilla ( or uttapam ), but never tried a dosa with it.

Priya dharshini said...

Crispy dosai ,rajani with awesome filling..Wish to try these dosais now...

sangeeta said...

Thanks rajani... i wish the food we read on the screen had more tangibility ( it has some level of tangibility already :) )...

Rajani , my experiments with the red rice have been limited to the multigrain khichdi and some lentil soups , will post about them ... but we dint like it as plain boiled rice as i wanted to ....i am looking for more ideas with it n would like to see how it is used traditionally in the southern states...post some recipes with red rice if you use it...

In UP , my folks say it is used for a rice pudding made with jaggery , i have to try that too...

Jayasree said...

I find this in various restaurant menus... Your fillings sounds very delicious. Lovely pictures.

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

sounds yummy...love to try asap..:P
Tasty appetite

aipi said...

hey this a great innovative recipe with such nice clicks and a step by step explanation..very very tasty..yum yum..


US Masala

Rajani said...

Thanks to everyone who has taken time to put in your views here.
Sangeeta,we use red rice for a milk kheer to in Kerala,will post asap.Shall check with mom and mil too.
Jayashree,I amyet to see this in restaurants,what else is new in dosa fillings?Maybe we can try to recreate them at home?
Aipi,Sushma and eveybody else,glad you liked this idea.

Anu Nandu said...

Nice recipe Rajani! I always love a paneer filling in dosas. Looks good.

Panchpakwan said...

This is really nice twist..loved it..next time try your way.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What a delicious looking dish! Very healthy and flavorful.

Cheers,

Rosa

Lakshmi ...Rasoi ki Malkin..northern and southern spices said...

Full of nutrition ,healthy dosa..

Priya Srinivasan - I Camp in My Kitchen said...

Delicious!!!!
Sorry for replying to your question so late!!! Almond meal is nothing but powdered almonds!!!!

Unknown said...

Excellent idea and really yummy post!

Unknown said...

what a yummy dish..Love it

Sharmi said...

very nice pics, I love couliflower dosa!

indianspicemagic said...

Thanks for your comments.Lovely dosa.

Sowmya said...

Great idea for dosa filling....a definite hit with kids! Happy to follow your posts!

Vegetarian Cultural Creatives

Preety said...

never tried cauliflower stuffing in dosa..looks perfect

Kaveri Venkatesh said...

Thats a yummy filling... Please accept an award at my space.