Why does it have to be always potato masala for masala dosa? How about some lauki masala dosa or bottle gourd masala dosa for a change? And that’s what I am going to share today, delicious lauki masala dosa or bottle gourd dosa recipe.
My third dosa recipe after jini dosa and kal dosa is the masala dosa with bottle gourd stuffing. As much as I love masala dosa with potato stuffing, I also love dosa with other stuffings like spring dosa, jini dosa, and pav bhaji dosa. And here is one such dosa recipe stuffed with bottle gourd curry.
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Stuffed dosa
Like soups, you can quickly sneak in vegetables in dosa by adding the vegetable puree to the dosa batter or grinding the vegetables with rice and urad dal. Check out my carrot dosa, celery dosa, or dill dosa for some inspiration. Alternatively, you can prepare a versatile dry curry and stuff it inside the dosa, which I have done here.
I make dosa for dinner or breakfast atleast thrice a week, and sometimes I serve it with chutney or podi. While we love that combo, we miss our regular dose of vegetables some days. But with stuffed dosa, you get a decent dose of vegetables, and most of the time, I don’t make any particular sides as the masala dosa is excellent on its own.
You can prepare your idli-dosa batter and the stuffing/masala as a part of your weekend meal prep, and during weekdays you can easily prepare the dosa.
Versatile lauki masala
Bottle gourd or calabash is known as lauki in Hindi and sorakkai in Tamil. It’s a vegetable with fewer calories and high water content, and with a decent amount of vitamins. With the bottle gourd, you can make dry curry, dal, kootu, and steamed cakes/muthiyas.
For this dosa, I grated the bottle gourd and prepared a simple dry curry which I call the masala here. The curry is so versatile that you can pair it with rice or roti. So you can very well batch cook the curry as a part of your meal prep and serve it with multiple dishes, including dosa.
Ingredients required
For the base
Dosa batter: For the lauki masala dosa, the main ingredient is the dosa batter. I used my homemade idli-dosa batter. I used brown idli rice to make the dosa instead of the regular one. Any fermented dosa batter which is spreadable works well for this dosa. I haven’t tested this masala dosa with instant dosa batters.
For the filling
Bottle gourd: Tender bottle gourd works well, and you don’t need to remove seeds or pith when the vegetable is tender. But if it’s hard, please remove the seeds. We need a peeled and grated bottle gourd for this masala.
To temper: We need oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and asafoetida for tempering.
Herbs: I have used both curry leaves and cilantro. If you can’t source curry leaves, please skip it.
Fresh ginger and green chilies: We use these two to spice up the masala, and we don’t need any other spice powders. I slit the green chilies and added them. Before stuffing the masala, I remove them.
Onion: It adds a nice flavor, but you can skip it for the no onion, no garlic version.
We also need salt and oil to make the dosa and ground turmeric for masala. Check the recipe card for detailed measurements.
VVK Tips and Variations
- Make sure the filling is not runny. A thick, gravy-like consistency is fine, but it should not be runny.
- Grated bottle gourd makes the filling spreadable, but you can chop the bottle gourd into small pieces and make the masala. Mash it well and cook until the water evaporates as the bottle gourd oozes a lot of water. Do not add extra water while making the bottle gourd masala.
- Spread the dosa evenly, and it can be slightly thick or thin. But spreading it too thin like paper roast won’t work. The filling will break the dosa.
- Once the dosa tawa is hot, reduce the heat to medium, add the dosa batter, and spread it. Cook the dosa in medium to medium-low heat and reduce the heat to low when adding the filling. Do not cook in high heat. Cooking in medium to medium-low heat is the key here.
- If you have onion-tomato chutney or onion chutney, you can spread the chutney on the dosa before adding the masala for enhanced flavor.
Dietary specifications and serving suggestions
This lauki dosa is a nut-free and vegan dosa. Use gluten-free asafoetida or skip it for a gluten-free version. This dosa doesn’t need any separate side dishes. But feel free to serve it with coconut chutney, onion chutney, mixed nuts chutney, or sambar.
Yield: You can make 6 to 8 stuffed dosas with this filling.
How to make lauki masala dosa
Prepare the filling
- Heat a pan or kadai and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and asafoetida when the oil is hot. Let it splutter and then add the curry leaves, slit green chilies, and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the chopped onion.
- Cook until the onions are soft, and then add the grated bottle gourd, salt, and turmeric.
- Mix well and cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottle gourd is soft and cooked.
- Make sure to mix in between and do not leave it unattended. Remove the lid and cook for five more minutes or until the water evaporates. Add the cilantro and mix well. The filling is now ready. Remove the green chilies and let it cool.
Prepare the bottlegourd masala dosa.
Method 1
- Heat a well seasoned cast-iron pan, and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a spoon/ladle full of batter and pour it onto the pan. Spread it evenly but slightly thick. Spread some oil around the edges; ½ tsp should be sufficient. Let the top side cook.
- Reduce the heat to low. Now take two tbsp of the prepared lauki masala filling, add it to one side of the dosa, and spread it on that side. Let it cook for 40 to 50 seconds.
- Gently fold the dosa in half and remove it from the tawa.
Method 2
- Instead of spreading the batter thick, you can make it slightly big and even. Let the top side cook, add the masala in the center, and spread it in the center. Now fold each end of the dosa towards the center like below.
Similarly, prepare the dosa with the remaining batter.
Recipe notes
- Adjust the salt and spices to taste. I did not add any garlic to the masala. You can add two cloves of garlic for this measure.
- You can add cheese on top or spread some chutney or podi before adding the masala, like Mysore masala dosa.
- Enjoy the dosa hot. You can make the filling and dosa batter well ahead. Ensure the filling is at room temperature when adding it to the dosa.
Explore other dosa varieties
PS: If you try this lauki masala dosa, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
📖 Recipe
Lauki Masala Dosa | Bottle Gourd Dosa
Equipment
- Saucepan or kadai
- Tawa or Griddle
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- 2 cups idli-dosa batter
- 3 tsps oil ½ tsp oil for each dosa.
For the filling
- 2 tsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal
- ½ tsp chana dal
- 3 green chilies slit
- 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 1/16 tsp asafoetida a pinch
- 10 curry leaves
- 130 grams onion approx ¾ cup when chopped
- 650 grams bottle gourd after peeling and grating, I got about 3.25 cups
- 1.25 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prepare the filling
- Heat a pan or kadai and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and asafoetida when the oil is hot. Let it splutter and then add the curry leaves, slit green chilies, and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the chopped onion.
- Cook until the onions are soft, and then add the grated bottle gourd, salt, and turmeric.
- Mix well and cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottle gourd is soft and cooked.
- Make sure to mix in between and do not leave it unattended. Remove the lid and cook for five more minutes or until the water evaporates. Add the cilantro and mix well. The filling is now ready. Remove the green chilies and let it cool.
Prepare the bottlegourd masala dosa.
Method 1
- Heat a well seasoned cast-iron pan, and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a spoon/ladle full of batter and pour it onto the pan. Spread it evenly but slightly thick. Spread some oil around the edges; ½ tsp should be sufficient. Let the top side cook.
- Reduce the heat to low. Now take two tbsp of the prepared lauki masala filling, add it to one side of the dosa, and spread it on that side. Let it cook for 40 to 50 seconds.
- Gently fold the dosa in half and remove it from the tawa.
Method 2
- Instead of spreading the batter thick, you can make it slightly big and even. Let the top side cook, add the masala in the center, and spread it in the center. Now fold each end of the dosa towards the center like below.
- Similarly, prepare the dosa with the remaining batter.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices to taste. I did not add any garlic to the masala. You can add two cloves of garlic for this measure.
- You can add cheese on top or spread some chutney or podi before adding the masala, like Mysore masala dosa.
- Enjoy the dosa hot. You can make the filling and dosa batter well ahead. Ensure the filling is at room temperature when adding it to the dosa.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Great filling! I add lauki to rice and make batter, filling with lauki masala is a tasty idea. Love it!
Initially I was thinking the same, later made masala and prepared it this way.
the lauki filling idea is a brilliant, I have tried cabbage and sweet potato filling earlier for masala dosa, and this lauki thing is a must try soon!
Please do try Kalyani. I am sure you will love it.
Such a unique idea to fill dosas. Very nicely done Vidya.
Thanks Anu.