Dosas (Crepes, Pancakes)

Dosa is a cooked flat thin pancake, originated from South India, made from a fermented batter. It is somewhat similar to a crepe in appearance. Its main ingredients are rice and black gram dal ground together in a fine, smooth batter with a bit of salt. This dish, once confined to South India, is now a popular and much sought after breakfast/snack throughout India. Traditionally, dosas are served hot along with sambar and chutney and can be consumed with idli podi as well.

Historical evidence of the dosa is found in the more than 2500 years old Sangam literature of Tamil Nadu, although in modern day cuisine history it tends to be associated with the Udupi district of Karnataka, probably because of the Udupi restaurants where they gained huge popularity. But, the fact that dosa is described in the Bhaga Shastra, makes this dish atleast 60,000 years old!

Ingredients:

The basic ingredients in a dosa are black gram dal (urad) and rice, which are fermented for a few hrs before it is ground to a fine paste. A variety of dosas are made using other lentils, semolina as well, making for an amazing array of delicacies out of these simple ingredients.

Preparation:

A mixture of rice and black gram 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 3:1 or 2:1. The batter is allowed to ferment overnight, after which it is mixed with water to get the desired consistency. The batter is then ladled onto a hot tava (griddle) greased with oil or ghee (clarified butter). It is spread out with the base of a ladle or bowl to form a pancake.

Dosa can be made either thick like a pancake, or thin like a crepe and thin and crispy too. A dosa is served ho and is usually served with chutney and sambar. Dosa can be stuffed with vegetables, the most popular one being a potato filling – this variation of the dosa, hugely popular with people, is called the masala dosa.

BLACK GRAM DOSA

Ingredients:

rice half 750gm

black gram quarter 375gm

Method:

● Soak rice and black gram in water for an hour. Drain the black gram and grind them in stone ural.

● Add ¼ cup water and grind until the texture is light and fluffy when completely ground. Transfer the batter into a aluminium pot.

fine salt ¾ dint

● Add this salt into the aluminium pot containing the dosa batter. pour ¼ cup water into the pot and mix it well. Then, use the dosa pan that has been mentioned in page 59 (nom 45 or 46) let it hot and apply some sesame oil on the pan.

● Then pour 1 ladle batter on the pan and spread it in a circular manner according to your
preferred size and thickness. After a few minutes, once the batter does not stick to the wooden spoon and pan, turn it over and sprinkle some water on it. Repeat the above activity and once the dosa is ready put it on a plate. Do as mentioned till all the dosa batter finished.
Some people will keep the dosa batter overnight for fermentation.