Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love of Indian cuisine. So much so that one of my co-workers who is from India is convinced I was Indian in a past life. I don’t doubt that she is right. It’s just too weird that a Southern girl who was raised on more-or-less your typical American fare. Oh, I won’t pretend that I don’t love and crave other cuisines as well. Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Regional American… I could go on and on. Probably the only thing I’m not a huge fan of is fish and seafood. I’ve just had too many bad experiences with this particular ingredient. Surprisingly, we here in Atlanta have a fairly strong Indian community and so there are quite a few delicious Indian restaurants and even better Indian grocers. The former is good for learning what is what and which dishes you like. The later is good for when you have the courage to make your own Indian food. One of my favorite dishes is masla dosa. This is also one of the last dishes I will make at home. For those unfamiliar with Indian cuisine, masla dosa is a South Indian dish of a sourdough crepe (dosa) filled with a curried potato (masala) filling. It is typically served with coconut chutney and sambar (a lentil soup). Now, in addition to having lots of hard to find, and cheap, Indian ingredients the Indian grocers also have a good selection of frozen prepared foods. Whenever I visit the Indian grocer I stock up on frozen masala dosas. They come four to a pack and with two small packets of coconut chutney. Now I’m guessing that most of you have never heard of masla dosa or for that matter have the love for them that I do. Don’t feel bad, you’re normal. So imagine my surprise while at Trader Joe’s today I came across frozen masla dosa. I picked up a box of four priced at $1.99, the same price I usually pay for my favorite brand at the Indian grocer, thinking ‘Okay, I’ll bite.’ Deep down inside I’m thinking that this is only going to be a passable substitution for what I’m used to. But hey! It will be a quick and easy dinner for a Saturday night.
I was delightfully surprised by Trader Joe’s frozen masala dosa. First appearances based on packaging and this item is very similar to what I’m used to. Size, quantity, and the inclusion of coconut chutney all seemed comparable. The one difference being that the picture of the dosa on the Joe’s package was quite pale. The dosa is actually golden brown, even before cooking. The package included four individually wrapped dosas and one large package of coconut chutney. My usual brand comes with two smaller packages of chutney and probably a little bit more all together when the packages are combined. I cooked the dosa the same way I normally do. Two at a time on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, baked at 350° for about 10 min. on each side. As usual I did not follow the package directions. You can read them if you want but I like to live on the edge.
All in all the Trader Joe’s version is an acceptable replacement for the Indian grocery version. The TJ’s version is, unsurprisingly, a lot milder in flavor. The filling is more mildly spiced and almost has a sweet note compared to the Indian version. The onions in the filling are cut differently, julliened as opposed to cubed, and for me texture always makes a difference when it come to flavor. The coconut chutney is also more mildly spiced, though only slightly since the idea behind the chutney is that is balances out the spiciness of the filling. I have to admit that my first choice would be the brand that I get at the Indian grocery. But since a visit to Trader Joe’s allows me pick up a wider variety of foods to stock my pantry. And, if you’re unaccustomed to Indian food this would probably be a good introduction to a dosa.
