I’m still on a deep dive into Chandra Padmanabhan’s Dosai. I had batter prepared for Mavu Dosai (p. 6), and I was planning to add fresh coriander paste to some of it to make Malli Dosai (p. 19). (I also tried adding tomatoes to make a tomato dosa (p. 17) but the batter got much too watery and they would not cook for me at all. I’ll try those again.) The Malli Dosai were to be served with any coconut chutney from pages 115-118 and 125. I had not one but two coconuts I had bought last week, but I was afraid of injuring myself in trying to pry them open. I got a burst of courage and went for it, knowing a little more this time than I had before. Success! Suddenly I had more than enough fresh coconut all ready to use – just the right amount to try all of the chutneys. I was happy to do this side by side comparison, so now I know which ones are most to my liking. From left to right, top to bottom, they are the chutneys found on pages 115, 116, 117, 118, and 125. I kept going back for more of 116. 115 was a fairly close second – a little less earthy flavor. The ingredients are pretty similar but the proportions are different. I liked the flavor of 117, but it was very crumbly. I could try adding more water in the final grind. 118 was fine, but a little plain for my taste. I didn’t enjoy 125, but I think that was because I used the white coconut for that one, and there was something about that taste that I was not used to. There are two other chutneys involving coconut, and several other dosas that do as well. It’s also a common ingredient in authentic Indonesian tempeh recipes. I will be buying several more coconuts in the coming weeks and months.
I should add that all but the whitest looking chutney have either roasted channa dal or urad dal or both in them. They bring a lot of flavor. And the dosas themselves: the Mavu Dosai weren’t my favorite texture, but they were fine. I liked the addition of the cilantro, and I gather that would work as an addition to other base batters.
