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The snag was the whole fermentation process. We placed the newly pureed batter into an oven heated to 200 degrees, which we immediately turned off just like the recipe said to do. Guess what? Eight hours later, no fermentation had taken place - at all. Boo! Hiss!
At this point, I searched the Internet and found out that we should have mixed the batter by hand so that the bacteria therein could jump start the fermentation process. I also learned we should have placed the batter in a heated oven for 7-8 minutes before turning it off and allowing the batter to ferment over night. Flash forward to this morning, AGAIN, it didn't work. The top of the batter was crusty and the batter itself was thick. Ugh. Kit tasted it. It did not taste good. It was still bland instead of sour, which means that NO FERMENTATION had taken place.
Impatient and hungry for dosas earlier this evening, I took that batter out of the fridge, mixed it with water and set out to fry the dosas. The dosas looked beautiful. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. They tasted bland and hit our stomachs like bricks. As I write this, my stomach still aches.
Frustrated, the perfectionist side of me needed to know WHY this dosa batter turned out pretty, but bland. It seems (at least according other frustrated souls on the Internet) that the fermentation process eludes many an American, especially in winter. Good to know. Irritating. But nevertheless, good to know.
Not a pair to be beaten, Kit and I will try again. This time, however, we will using an online recipe that has both fenugreek and kosher salt in it along with a hint to add a little baking soda and/or beer into the mix to aid the fermentation process. I have faith. After all, everything is better with beer!
Stay tuned...oh...and if your dosas don't turn out...just do what Phoebe does and eat a Wampa!
Fermentation might take twice as long during cold months. Good luck with you experiments.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....our dosa batter (from the same Bittman recipe) was WAY too thick and spongy last week. I'm pretty sure ours fermented...now I'm second guessing. We're going to try again, though, and good luck--let us know what you find out!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anastasia, Rob makes dosa batter or uttapam batter, but it takes a lot longer in the winter because our house is pretty chilly. I need to take on projects like this instead of waiting for Rob to do them. I need to make injera too. Maybe we should have a fermenting batter party. (Can you tell I just need to get together with other adults? LOL!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, my friends! The batter is still hanging out in our fridge. It smells a bit more sour. We'll have to test it out tonight, or rather Kit will! : ) I think the Bittman recipe had some important information / steps left out of it. Onward and upward! Meagan, I'm sad that your batter turned out as it did, but I am also happy that mine wasn't the only one that turned out like that from Mark's recipe.
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