I combined my 2 favorite brunch items today and they were delicious together
Deconstructed shakshuka : this is how I like to make shakshuka – with a fried egg rather than poached (it’s easier and less messy and I like the crispy fried edges of the egg)
Sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil – add 1 tbsp cumin seeds and heat till they sputter and turn color. Add 1 diced onion and 1 diced red pepper. Cook over medium to high heat till onions brown. Add 1 14 oz can of tomatoes with 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1tbsp gochuang paste (not essential but delicious), 1 tsp soya sauce and cook for 10 min. Add salt and chilli powder to taste (about 1 tsp of each). Finish with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Top onion, tomato, pepper mixture with fried egg when ready to serve.
Sunday brunch was always dosa at home while growing up. A decade later, my kid was weaned on idli at 6 months. Now my wonderful babysitter soaks the grains on Thursday and grinds them every Friday for 2 dosa meals a week. My dosa recipe is from a Tamilian friend and works well for both idli and dosa
Dosa
Soak 3 cups idli rice and 1 cup white urad dal and 1 tsp methi seeds separately (the methi seeds with the dal) with several cups of water for 24 hours
Strain the dal and rice and grind them separately. I use my table top granite grinder for this but a blender works too. The dal and methi should be ground very fine with a little water. The rice should be ground till it is the consistency of coarse sooji or grits. Mix the two, cover and let it ferment for 8-24 hours. This is very variable, it takes 24 hours for me in Nebraska in my oven on a proofing setting. The final dosa batter should smell sour and have fine bubbles all through the batter.
Alternatively – buy the batter from the Indian store
Spread batter on pan, cover with a lid till top is cooked and bottom is golden brown. Add a tsp of oil around the dosa while it’s cooking.
Masala:
Boil and peel 3 large russet potatoes and chop them into inch squares (about 1-2 cups). Slice half a large onion into long slivers (half a cup)
Heat 2 tbsp of oil, add half a tsp of mustard seeds, wait till they cackle and pop. Add half a tsp of cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, half a tsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of whole urad dal and 8-9 finely chopped curry leaves. Wait till the urad dal turns golden
Add the onions and cook till pale brown. Add 1 tbsp of ginger , ¼ cup of chopped cashews- cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes and one large jalapeño chili (I slice it in half but go ahead and chop it fine if you wish), half a cup of water and 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro.
So far this recipe is very traditional. I then add a tbsp of finely chopped lime pickle. If it’s good enough for the Moroccans, it’s good enough for me. The lime pickle permeates the whole masala with a fantastic umami zing. Cook for 10 minutes more . Top with another 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro
I serve the masala on the side rather than stuffed into the dosa. I find that the dosa keeps its crunch better.
Many of these ingredients are very Indian specific. They are all available online but your neighborhood Indian store is a much better resource.
Of all the street food in Mumbai, my favorite is the spring roll dosa
Here is my version of it
Filling: use a cast iron skillet – it’s the only thing that can potentially mimic the high BTUs of a professional kitchen’s wok. Oil, onions (1 large), 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garlic, 1 red pepper- stir fry, add cabbage ( one packet of angel hair slaw). Stir fry for a minute till cabbage is heated through. Top with my favorite sauce of 3-4 tblsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp butter (remember not to salt this dish- the soy is plenty salty). Top with toasted sesame
Delhi Girl Meets Food 