India Inspired . . .

After trying each and every dosa at our local Indian restaurant, I decided to have at it at home. The results were tasty -- the filling and the chutney very fresh. The savory crepe wasn't the amazing thin and crispy miracle that defines the Indian dosa, but it was whipped up in a hurry in my galley kitchen with no griddle. It was the best I could do, but honestly would have been better filled with mushrooms and herbs or something more French.


the filling - after and before roasting

Masala Filling (serves 4 as main, 8 as appetizer)
4 lg. potatoes (I used two Russets and two yams), roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 c. white beans (already cooked)
1 green chili, chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. curry powder
1-2 tbsp. oil
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Put chopped potatoes on lined baking sheet into preheated oven with a toss of oil and salt. Cook for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Meanwhile heat 1-2tbsp. oil in a large pan. Add mustard seeds when oil is hot (1-2 minutes) and seeds will start to pop. Add onion, garlic, green chile and spices and cook on medium/high heat for approximately 5 minutes. Next, add roasted potatoes, peas and white beans. Cook on low/medium heat for another 10 minutes, until all items have incorporated themselves. Add a bit of water if mixture is too dry. Set aside to use as filling or eat as is -- a perfect bed-time snack.






Savory Crepes (makes about 5 large crepes)
1 c. flour
1c. whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
2 c. water
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt.

Stir all dry ingredients into large bowl. Combine all wet ingredients into separate bowl, whisking to combine. Add wet to dry ingredients, whisking just until uniform batter is achieved. Heat large pan/griddle to a high heat, spray with canola oil and use a small cup to pour about 1/2 c. of batter onto pan. Pick up pan and swirl crepe batter around to get desired thinness (I never got mine as thin as I would have liked). Heat for approximately 5 minutes on one side, flip and cook 1 minute more. Keep finished crepes in low oven (200 degrees or lowest setting) to keep warm.



Peach Chutney
This was nice with the Masala dosa, but would be equally nice on a sandwich or to dip pretzels into.
1 heaping c. chopped peaches
1/4 c. currants
scant 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. finely minced ginger root
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt to taste

in a medium sized pot, place all ingredients in on a medium/high heat and cook (stirring occasionally) for 12 minutes. Mixture will reduce in size by at least 1/2-- turning into a gooey, velvety mash.



My main assistant plates us up.



We feast with fresh cut roses from our garden -- cue the trumpets and the string section. Summer is here, it's spectacular and we retire into the hammock after our meal.