Dosa

For the notion of doṣa (bodily humor) in Ayurveda, see dosha. For the genus of moth, see Dosa (moth).

Dosa

Dosa and ghee.jpg Dosa with chutneys
Origin
Place of origin	India
Region or state	South India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Singapore and Malaysia
Details
Course served	Main dish
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Rice and black gram
Variations	Masala Dosa, Rava Dosa, Onion Dosa and many more

Dosa is a type of pancake made from a fermented batter. It is somewhat similar to a crepe but its main ingredients are rice and black gram. Dosa is a typical part of the South Indian diet and popular all over the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, Dosa is served hot along with sambar, stuffing of potatoes or paneer and chutney. It can be consumed with idli podi as well.

History

Dosa is indigenous to South India; its exact birthplace in that region is a matter of conjecture. According to food historian K. T. Achaya, dosa (as dosai) was already in use in ancient Tamil country around the 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature. According to historian P. Thankappan Nair, dosa originated in the Udupi town of present-day Karnataka.

In popular tradition, the origin of dosa is linked to Udupi, probably because of the dish's association with the Udupi restaurants. Also, the original Tamil dosa was softer and thicker. The thinner and crispier version of dosa, which became popular all over India, was first made in present-day Karnataka. A recipe for dosa (as dosaka) can be found in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka.

Names

File:Samber Dosa Chutney.JPG

Dosa with Sambar and various Chutnies in restaurant

This is one of the many varieties of Dosas prepared in India and is for breakfast. It's made with ground tomatoes and seasoning

Dosa is known by several names. The standard transliterations and pronunciations of the word in various South Indian languages are as follows:

Language	Transliteration	Pronunciation (IPA)
Kannada: ದೋಸೆ	dōse	d̪oːse
Malayalam: ദോശ	dōsa	d̪oːɕa
Tamil: தோசை	dōsai	t̪oːsʌj
Telugu: దోసె	dōse	d̪oːɕe
Tulu: ದೋಸೆ	dōse	d̪oːse

Nutrition

Dosa with chutney and sambar traditionally served in banana leaf

Dosa is high in carbohydrates and contains no added sugars or saturated fats. As its key ingredients are rice and black gram, it is also a good source of protein. The fermentation process increases the vitamin B and vitamin C content. There are also instant mix products for making dosa which usually contain higher amounts of rice.

Preparation

Dosa making

A mixture of rice and black grams that has been soaked in water is ground finely to form a batter. Some add a handful of fenugreek seeds soaked along with the rice. The proportion of rice to lentils is generally 4:1 or 5:1. The batter is allowed to ferment overnight. After the overnight fermentation, the batter is mixed with water to get the desired thickness. The batter is then ladled onto a hot tava (griddle) greased with oil or ghee (clarified butter). It is spread out evenly with the base of a ladle or bowl to form a pancake. A dosa is served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap. It is also usually served with chutney and sambar. The mixture of black grams and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour or semolina.

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  Rice batter

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  Batter poured on a tava griddle

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  Batter being spread uniformly

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  After being cooked for some time

Serving

Dosa can be stuffed with fillings of vegetables and sauces to make a quick meal. They are typically served with a vegetarian side dish which varies according to regional and personal preferences. Common side items are:

• Sambar
• Wet chutney: examples include coconut chutney (a semisolid paste made up of coconut, dal (lentils), green chilli and mint or coriander)
• There are variety of chutney served along with Dosai
• Dry chutney (Idli podi or molagapodi): a powder of spices and sometimes desiccated coconut
• Indian pickles

Variations

Though dosa typically refers to the version made with rice and lentils, many other versions exist.

Types of dosa

Name	Key ingredients
Masala dosa	spiced potatoes tucked inside the dosa.
Paneer dosa	spiced paneer filling inside the dosa.
Palak dosa	layered with palak (spinach) paste inside the folds of dosa.
Mini soya dosa	soya milk and wheat flour
Pesarattu (Green Dosa)	green gram
Light white dosa	rice and coconut
Mysore Masala Dose	rice, black gram, fenugreek seeds
Onion Rava Dosa	Semolina, rice flour
Ragi Wheat Dosa	Ragi, Whole Wheat Flour
Rava dosa	rava or sooji
Benne Dose	butter
Neer dosa	watery rice batter
Amboli, Ghavan, Dhirde	In coastal parts of Maharashtra, variations known as amboli, ghavan and dhirde (or Dhirade) exist. Amboli and Ghavan (like dosa) are thin rice crêpes prepared with fermented batter, while dhirde is prepared with unfermented batter.

• Dosa (Plain).jpg

  Dosa made in South Indian homes

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  Paper Roast, a wafer thin crispy dosa, served in restaurants.

• Amini Ghee Roast.jpg

  Ghee Roast
  

• Butter Dosa.JPG

  Butter Dosa, known as Benne Dosa in Karnataka

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  Pesarattu (Moong Dal dosa) and Ginger chutney in Andhra Pradesh

• NeerDosa.jpg

  Mangalorian Neer Dosa popular in South Canara districts, Karnataka

• Kambu adai.JPG

  Kambu (Bajra/Pearl Millet) Dosa

• Rava Dosa of Salem.jpg

  Rava Dosa (Finger millet) made from Sooji rava flour, more popular in Karnataka and Udipi restaurants in Mumbai.

• Aate ka dosa.jpg

  Aate ka dosa (Wheat Dosa)

• Ragi dosa.JPG

  Ragi dosa.Ragi flour mixed with small portion of Rice and Urad dal.

• Onion Chilli Tomato Uthappam.jpg

  Uthappam or Utthapa, an Onion, Chilli, Tomato version

• Methi dosa on a pan.jpg

  Methi dosa on a pan, known as Vendhyam Dosai in Tamil Nadu

Masala dosa

Main article: Masala dosa

Masala dosa as served in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. The dosa is wrapped around an onion and potato curry or masala. Masala dosa was listed as number 49 on World's 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNN Go in 2011.

Related foods

• Uttapam: a dosa-like dish made from the same batter. Unlike a dosa, which is crisp and unlike relatively soggy crepes, it is a thick pancake mostly topped with diced onions, tomatoes, cilantro or cheese. Uttapam is sometimes characterized as an Indian pizza.
• Pesarattu: a dosa-like preparation prepared from green gram, which is typically served with a ginger and tamarind chutney
• Adai: a dosa-like dish prepared from a combination of lentils, namely black gram, kadalai (Chickpea) and green gram
• Appam/aappam/hopper : a pancake prepared from a combination of patted rice batter. The center is thicker and the outer rim is very thin. Served with sweet coconut milk.
• Chakuli pitha: batter contains more black gram and less rice flour
• Apam balik: made from a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, baking soda, coconut milk and water.
• Jianbing: dosa like dish made in china

See also

• Idli
• Vada
• List of fermented foods
• List of Indian breads
• List of pancakes
• Mangalorean cuisine
• Udupi cuisine

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Dosa at Wikibook Cookbooks