In India, this thin
pancake made of rice and black gram flour is referred to as
dosa. 'Thosai' is the Jaffna Tamil vernacular for it. It is
commonly a breakfast dish but is often eaten as part of an
evening meal as well. While gingelly oil is traditionally used
to coat the skillet to fry the thosai, ghee is also used, though
frowned upon by nutrition-conscious cooks.
Ingredients
1/2 cup parboiled rice (white)
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 cup black gram (urad dal), split and skinned
1 tsp
fenugreek seeds
tsp salt
Method
1. Mix the two types of rice together and soak for at least 4
hours.
2. Soak black gram and fenugreek seeds, for at least 4 hours.
3. Grind all together till fine.
4. Allow to ferment overnight (or over a heater in cool
temperatures)
5. Add salt. Stir thoroughly. Add water as required to make
consistency right for frying on a skillet.
6. Heat a skillet or a non-stick pan. Grease with the
gingelly oil or ghee.
7. Use a ladle to pour mixture onto the heated skillet or pan
and spread with the ladle to form a circular pancake.
8. When bubbles form, flip it on to the other side to cook
the thosai evenly.
9. Remove and serve hot.
10. Grease pan lightly again before making the next thosai.
Variations
Ghee Thosai: After the thosai has been spread on the skillet,
dribble ghee round the edges and a little all over the thosai,
before turning it over. This forms a crisper, richer Ghee Thosai
(called a 'Ghee Murugal").
Egg Thosai: An egg can be broken on to the thosai directly.
Allow to firm and flip half the thosai on to the other half
(omelette style).
Masala Dosa
- Masala Thosai
Ingredients
Rice flour dosa mixture (as above)
Spicy dry potato curry:
4 potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 dessertspoon oil
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
6-8 curry leaves cut fine I green chilli, chopped
1
dessertspoon curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
*A combination of chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin seed
powder and turmeric. Can be bought in most groceries.
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds.
2. As soon as they turn golden add the chopped onion, curry
leaves and green chilli. Cook till soft.
3. Add cubed potatoes, curry powder and salt.
4. Add water and mix thoroughly. Cook for about two minutes,
turning constantly to prevent burning.
5. Remove and allow to cool a little.
6. Heat a skillet and make a thosai. When one side is cooked,
place 2 dessertspoons of potato curry across the centre of the
thosai. Fold the two sides of the thosai over the curry along
the center.
7. Dish on to a plate and serve hot.
Semolina Dosa
- Ravai Thosai
Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice, soaked and ground fine
1 cup plain flour (wheat)
1 cup semolina
2 cups buttermilk or
2 cups thin coconut milk (I cup water mixed with 1 cup thick
coconut milk)
I tsp salt
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
6-8 curry leaves, chopped fine
5 green chillies, sliced fine
1 onion, chopped
Method
1. Mix ground rice, plain flour and semolina.
2. Add buttermilk (or coconut milk) and salt.
3. Leave to ferment for about an hour.
4. Heat oil and temper mustard seeds, ginger and curry
leaves.
5. Add to the batter.
6. Add chopped green chillies and onion and water if
necessary. The mixture should be thin enough to form a light
pancake.
7. Heat a skillet. Stir the batter and make the thosai on the
heated skillet.
8. When cooked fold in two and remove from skillet.
Wholemeal Flour Dosa - Aatamaa Thosai
2 cups wholemeal flour (aata/wheat flour) or 2 cups plain
flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
21/4 cups water
Method
1. Mix all ingredients together. Leave to ferment for about
half an hour.
2. Make the thosai on a greased, heated griddle. Perforate
lightly with the edge of the spoon.
3. Dribble a little ghee on the thosai. Flip over to cook on
the other side.
4. Remove when well cooked.
