Savory Breakfast Dosa with Eggs & Garden Vegetables
More lessons on cooking with a Blackstone griddle
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Hi friend,
I’m Mira Dessy — a writer, crochet enthusiast, plant mom, and holistic nutrition educator who loves helping people feel truly nourished. If we were sitting together at my kitchen table, there would be green tea and a few simple snacks nearby while we talked about food, wellness, and how to make sense of it all. This space is my Substack kitchen table. I’m so glad you’re here.
This post is a little different than most. I’m one of those people who, when looking for a recipe online, is impatient to get to the recipe. I’m guessing other people feel the same way. Which means often I simply share a story and a recipe with a short headnote. Something like you might find in Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking or Ann Hood’s Kitchen Yarns. Because this is Substack, those kind of posts do better with at least one picture so I include one. But I don’t normally share process photos.
In an effort to learn new things and to play more with my food I signed up for The Visual Language of Food Photography hosted by Rebecca Blackwell and Kelsey Erin Shipman and taught by Jessie-Sierra; The Last Bite and Shelly Waldman.
The class was fascinating, packed with information, gorgeous photography, and filled with tips; I learned a lot. So now I’m stepping out of my comfort zone by taking more pictures of my food and actually sharing them in public. Today I made our breakfast on the Blackstone griddle and this is the result.
Here’s what’s different.
This is the real life behind the scenes view of how I create a recipe. Me thinking of something and trying it out. It’s literally the first time I’ve made this. Usually when I create recipes I go through several versions and wait until it’s picture perfect (or as close I can get) or look for an online stock photo before I share. This recipe is being shared, warts and all.
More pictures - this time I’m sharing process pictures. As I mentioned above, normally I just share one. This time you’re getting all of them.
The recipe starts after the pictures and description. If you’re impatient to get to the recipe, just click the Jump to Recipe button to go straight there.
Making dosas
Several months ago I visited my friend and colleague, Anita, who taught me how to make dosas, an Indian griddle bread. The process is fairly easy, but it is a little time consuming because it’s a fermented batter made with idli rice (a short grain variety), urad dal (a type of legume), and methi (fenugreek seeds).
You start by soaking the ingredients. Next you drain and blend them in a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or a Ninja. After blending the ingredients you allow the batter to ferment for a period of time.
After the batter has fermented, it may have risen a little and should have a pleasant sour smell, you add salt and a little more water, if needed, to create a smooth, pourable batter. After which it’s ready to ladle onto the griddle, or pan, and swirl to make a round shape. This takes practice.
Because the batter is so thin it cooks very quickly. Once you start to see bubbles and a slight golden color to the edges, the dosas are ready to flip. As you’ll see below, this also takes practice. Because the dosas are so thin and somewhat larger than traditional pancakes, the flip action isn’t as smooth as you might expect.
The first flip was a complete disaster. Remember, just like when you make pancakes, the first dosa isn't a failure, it's simply the one that teaches you how to make the second one better. And it’s always destined for the cook’s plate.
Goodies from the greenhouse
Dosas are typically served with ingredients like chutney, paneer, or aloo masala (spiced potatoes). I didn’t have any of those on hand. I did, however have tomato, onion, and a few things growing in the greenhouse.
Luckily the greenhouse is just a few steps outside the back door, making it easy to go pick some arugula, parsley, spring onions, and chives.
One of the beautiful things about having an outdoor kitchen is that I have two counters instead of the single counter inside. This makes it easy to do all of the chopping, slicing, and dicing, right next to the griddle. Otherwise I’d be repeatedly running in and out to get things done.
Easy eggs on the griddle
The last part of this breakfast is the eggs. Now that I have a griddle and have learned how easy eggs are to make on it, I’m not sure I’ll cook them any other way. I’ve learned to do fried eggs, omelettes, and now, for the dosas, a quick and easy egg flat.
Simply scramble the egg in a bowl and turn it out onto a well greased griddle, or pan if you’re using that instead. Because they’re so thin, like the dosas, they cook very quickly so be prepared to flip. Earlier dosa-flipping practice means it should be easier to flip your eggs. Although I confess I’m wondering if I should ladle the eggs and then swirl them into a circle. Maybe I’ll have to try that next time.
Assembling breakfast
After everything was cooked it was time to put it all together and enjoy a delicious breakfast. And this is the part where I confess that our kitchen is under renovation. Which is one reason I’m so happy to have an outdoor kitchen. It’s also where I tell you all of our dishes have been packed away; we are living off paper plates until everything is done and we can unpack the boxes to put things away.
Traditionally dosas are meant to be pulled apart and used to pick up the food from your plate. I chose to serve our dosas folded in half. You’re certainly welcome to do the traditional method if you choose.
Luckily this worked out fairly well. Clearly I could use more practice making dosas. And maybe I’ll get creative with those eggs, who knows. But if I can do this well right off the bat, so can you.
Recipe
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Get weekly holistic nutrition and preparedness insights to help you build a nourishing kitchen, resilient lifestyle habits, and lasting peace of mind—one thoughtful choice at a time.
This is fantastic!! I made dosas for the first time last month but needed to use premade batter from the Indian grocery as I was out of time to ferment. I look forward to trying the whole process from start to finish.
Wonderful photo documentation!
I had never heard of dosas and now I can’t wait to try them! I love that you ate them with eggs and fresh veggies! But mostly, I love your photos! All the process shots are marvelous! They really take the reader with you for the ride. From the broken dosas as you perfected your flipping technique to the finished breakfast, ready to eat! I just love it.