Essence Dosa / Essence Roast ~ My Hometown Special !!

This week I was paired with Prabha of Prabha's Cooking. She is my relative and a good friend. I tried some of her recipes and all were turned out good and even shared my comments also. For Blog hop I decided to make honey cookies from her space but I don't have cashew nuts in hand, then searched for some other recipe and at last decided to make My Hometown special recipe - Essence Dosa. I was wondering how I forgot this recipe to share in my space..My mom makes chicken essence which is our most favorite dish for dosa. I made only once in this 4 years. 

Sometimes we forget the most favorite recipes too. Amma's  chicken essence and chicken chalna are notable, I love it a lot. Really I miss her recipes and even if I try that with the same measurement and ingredients don't get that real taste which she makes. I combined both my mom's n Prabha's recipe and we had a tasty and filling breakfast. My kids didn't like it as I made it spicy but we both enjoyed :) This recipe can be made in two ways, you can make only the essence alone as in the original recipe or you can add one more step to make essence kuzhambu/curry like I did. Both were awesome. Essence Kuzhambu goes well with Idly also.Now to the recipe...

Ingredients
For Essence

1. Onion   1 large  (roughly chopped)
2. Tomato   1 medium(roughly chopped)
3. Dry red chilli    2 no.s
4. Curry leaves    1 sprig
5. Cilantro     10 sprigs
6. Ginger    2" piece
7. Garlic    2 cloves

To Temper

1. Oil    2 tsp
2. Fennel seeds    1/2 tsp
3. Pepper Corns   1/4 tsp
4. Poppy seeds    1/2 tsp
5. Clove    2 no.s
6. Cinnamon   1" stick
7. Chana dal    1-2 tsp

Ingredients for Essence Kuzhambu

1. Oil    2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds    1/2 tsp
3. Fennel seeds   1/4 tsp
4. Onion   1/2 medium(finely chopped)
5. Curry leaves    few
6. Red chilli powder    1 and 1/2 tsp
7. Curry powder    1 tsp
8. Salt   to taste
9. Coconut    2-3 tbsp(shredded)
10. Poppy seeds    1/2 tsp

For Essence Dosa

1. Dosa Batter    as required
2. oil   as needed to toast dosa

Method

• Grind coconut and poppy seeds using 1/4 cup water to a fine paste and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a pan, add all the "tempering ingredients" one by one and fry lightly.

• Then add red chilli, ginger garlic and curry leaves saute lightly followed by adding onions to it.

• Saute the onions for 1-2 minutes then add tomatoes and saute for a minute.
• Lastly add cilantro and turn off the stove. Allow this cool for sometime and then grind in to a fine paste and keep aside.

• Heat oil in the same pan, add mustard seeds wait till splutter and then add curry leaves and finely chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent.

• Then add the ground masala paste, chilli and curry powder, enough salt and saute for 2-3 minutes.

• Then add ground poppy paste and stir well and cook till raw smell leaves and masala gets thicken.

• Once done, take 2-3 ladleful of essence and keep aside to make essence roast.
• To the remaining masala add 3/4 cup water and bring to boil till the kuzhambu shows oil on top.

• Lastly add some finely chopped cilantro and turn off the stove.
• To make Essence Roast/Dosa

• Heat tawa/griddle, pour a ladle ful of dosa batter and spread in circular motion to make little thick dosa.
• Drizzle oil around and close it with a lid, after 2 minutes open the lid and add 2 tsp of essence spread all over the dosa , fold it and remove from the stove.

• That's it...Essence roast/Dosa is ready to serve. Serve Hot with Essence Kuzhambu.

Notes:
To the same recipe if you add chicken after saute onions and proceed the same procedure to get chicken essence kuzhambu.
Plz adjust the spices amount according to your taste.
I use to make thick Oothappam, transfer to plate and spread essence kuzhambu all over the oothappam let it to rest for few minutes and I love to eat that soggy and juicy dosa fully immersed in essence kuzhambu.
Try this with chicken, definitely a treat for chicken lovers :) do try this n enjoy!!