We are making Dosa.
So Dosa is a fermented crepe from South India.
Very popular crepe that I grew up eating.
So it's traditionally made
with fermented rice and lentil batter.
Very good for you, it's gluten free.
It's all the deliciousness come
from the fermentation of the batter.
That's right?
And fermentation is such a trendy thing now.
It is, that's right.
So many cooks books and people talk about it.
It's trendy now, but in India, it's centuries old.
This recipe is almost 2000 years old.
That's fantastic.
It's amazing.
And we live near Washington Square Park.
I used to go to the Dosa guy all the time.
Long lines.
With the long line around the block.
So it's pretty simple,
but the process is making the batter.
It requires a little bit of planning.
So the first step is you have to take white rice
and the white gram lentils.
It's called, urad daal.
You soak it overnight, or at least for six hours.
So once it's soaked, you drain the water,
you put it in a a blender or a wider mix and make a batter.
So water.
(blender whirring)
And it comes together so easily.
It takes about a couple of minutes
into a smooth batter.
Which is what you have here.
What we have here.
So you have to store it overnight,
again, it requires a little bit of patience.
So you have to let it rise.
Well all things fermented do.
Yes.
What we do is, overnight is best
or it just at least for eight hours.
So you have to put in a bowl,
which you leave the room to rise.
So it's bubbly.
And the next morning it's perfect to make a Dosa.
Like he said, all the fermentation it's like pooping.
Right, so once you have the batter,
it stays perfectly fine in the refrigerator
for at least a week, so.
That's fantastic.
That's the tough part,
but then there are so many different fillings
that you can make with it, so.
And that's why people stand on line
around the block at the door.
Have whatever you want, inside.
It's a vessel and then you put whatever you want inside.
Absolutely.
The traditional filling is turmeric mashed potatoes.
And so that's again right here.
So to make that, any South Indian dishes always starts
with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
So we kind of take hot oil and take black mustard seeds.
You start with black mustard seeds.
Very important is you have to let it crackle.
So you are releasing the spices into the oil.
So you crackle the mustard seeds.
You add some cumin seeds, a little bit of curry leaves,
red chili, but flakes, you can add flakes or a whole red
dry dry chili, perfectly fine.
So you're kind of cooking the onions
until it's nice and sauteed.
And tender.
And a little bit of turmeric to that.
That gives it that beautiful color,
and that extra layer of aroma.
So I'm adding some boiled potatoes
and a little bit of edamame.
You can add any vegetables.
So Dosas are so versatile.
Yeah, they're just super versatile.
Yeah, you can add any kind of vegetables,
spinach, potatoes, even chicken.
My mom used to make doses with chicken curry for dinner.
So Doses are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Like a chicken crepe in a French household. Sure.
So yeah, there you go.
So you mash it up and-
So then it's like this
Right, right here, yes.
I just want them to see the finish too.
So that's here.
So the fun part is making the Dosa.
We have this fermented batter.
Look at that, wow. My goodness.
It's kind of mesmerizing.
It is, it's gorgeous.
So, you can make it vegan by adding
just vegetable oil.
Yep.
Or for me, my favorite is ghee.
Ghee always tastes better.
Clarified butter, guys.
Clarified butter, yes.
So you can add a little bit of ghee right on the edge.
That's okay by me, the ghee.
Yeah, it is.
So I like my Dosas really crispy and thin.
So I'm kind of pressing the batter
to make a really thin crepe.
So at Sona, we add a little bit of Gruyère cheese,
so everything's special at Sona.
So again, a little bit of Gruyère cheese on it.
That's not traditional, but it's our signature dish.
Yeah, you could just make a little pyramid with just-
(applause)
So cute.
Look, look, look, aw.
Look at that.
Yay!
That's our Sona's Gruyère cheese Dosa.
It is so beautiful
with the potatoes and the condiments on the side.
It's just beautiful, chef.
Thank you so much.
Thank you guys.