The dosa is a pancake made from ground rice and black lentils and is a typically southern Indian dish – eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner and is rich in carbohydrates and protein. It is generally believed that dosa was frist made in the Temple Streets of Udupi in Karnataka and be that as it may but anyone that lives in Bangladore knows there’s only one place to find the best dosas on earth and the dosas at the Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan, a hotel that‘s more than a 100 years old! It’s an institution in itself and the cooks have been handing down their recipes to their successors to make sure that the dosas are always roasted

perfectly. This tradition started by Rama Holla (popular as Ramaiah) has been maintained by his great grandchildren, Srinivasa J. Holla and Subramanya Holla. So, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Bangladore – make sure you don’t miss these.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp s urad dal (skinned black lentils)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 heaped tsp ginger, peeled and very finely grated
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 3 medium dried red chillies, stalks removed
• 1 medium red onion, finely sliced
• Sea salt to taste
• 600 g  red potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
• 1 medium tomato, peeled and roughly chopped
• 20 g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2-3 chapattis or naan breads, to serve

Method

• Remove all grit and small stones from the lentils and then soak them in a little hot water for about 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the asafoetida, then the cumin and the mustard seeds and as soon as they sizzle, add the curry leaves, the lentils, the red chillies, the turmeric and the onions and mix everything well.
• Fry this mixture over a medium heat for 4 minutes, add the salt, the ginger, the potatoes, the tomatoes, and the fresh coriander leaves and mix well.
• Grill the chapattis for a couple of minutes on each side and put the potato mixture on top, roll up and serve.