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| Dosa [In different Indic Languages (Alphabetically)] | |
|---|---|
| Bangla: | Chapri |
| Hindi: | Dosa (Hindi:डोसा ) |
| Kannada: | Dose (Kannada: ದೋಸೆ) |
| Konkani: | Pollo Devnagri:पॉळॉ) |
| Malayalam: | Dosha (Malayalam: ദോശ) |
| Marathi: | Ghavan/Dheerda |
| Tamil: | Dosai (Tamil:தோசை) |
| Telugu: | Dosa / Minapattu (Telugu: దోసె) |
| Tulu: | Dose |
The Dosa is a South Indian crêpe made from rice and lentils. Dosa is a typical South Indian food, taken as breakfast or dinner, and is rich in carbohydrates and protein.
Contents |
Regular dosa batter is made from rice and split, skinned urad bean (black lentil) blended with water and left to ferment overnight. A modified form of the same batter can be used to make idlis.
Characteristically the rice is very finely ground, more so than in idli batter. Furthermore, the rice to lentil ratio varies in both. The rice can be uncooked and/or parboiled. The urad bean and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour to make a maida dosa or semolina for a rava dosa.
The batter is then ladled in small amounts onto a hot greased skillet, where it is spread out into a thin circle and fried with oil or ghee until golden brown. The dosa may then be folded in half and served or rolled as in a wrap, but in both cases it is cooked on a single side. Alternatively, it may be flipped to cook on the other side and then served.
Though sometimes considered a breakfast dish, dosas are also eaten at other times of day. Those with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance will find the dosa a nice addition to their diets. They can be stuffed with vegetables, meats and sauces to create a quickly prepared meal.
Dosas are typically served with a side dish which varies according to regional and personal preferences. More common side items include:
The ubiquitous Indian dish masala dosa has its origins in Udupi. A masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. It wraps the dosa around a onion and potato curry or sabji.
Dosa is supposed to have had its roots in the Temple Streets of Udupi.
Before it was invented, plain dosa was served with potato curry (batata bhaji) without onions in a separate cup. During a shortage of potatoes, he created a method where potato was mashed and sauteed with onions and other spices and placed in the dosa instead of a separate cup. He did this to hide the onions which are not eaten by some Hindus and Jains. People enjoyed this new dosa. Hence, he named it "Masala Dosa", from the sautéeing of spices (masala) during the preparation of the bhaji.
One variant of the masala dosa, the Mysore masala dosa, is served with both coconut and onion chutneys. In Bangalore, the masala dosa is usually served with a red chutney applied to its inside surface. This peculiarity lends itself to a unique taste and is something that is not found elsewhere. The red chutney usually has generous amounts of garlic (traditionally garlic is not used in masala dosa especially in the Brahmin community), and adds a nice flavor to the dosa when it is fried with ghee. In recent times this has become popular in other parts of Karnataka. Davanagere benne masala dose is another variant of the masala dosa from Karnataka. It is named after Davanagere in Karnataka. It is prepared by adding liberal doses of butter (benne) and also a potato filling (palya) that is unique. It is devoid mostly of any extra ingredients and is just mashed potato. The Rave dosa or Rava dosa is another variant which is made from semolina. Ragi dosa and Ade or Aday dosa are other variants that are native to Karnataka.
Other types of dosa include:
Though dosa typically refers to the version made with rice and lentils, many other versions of dosa exist and are popular in varying degrees. This is sometimes specific to a region in India. Some common ones are:
Packs of readymade "instant" dosa batter are available all over India. These are typically available in 500g and 1kg denominations, and are ready to be spread onto a hot plate (in some cases requiring addition of salt or water first). Typically, instant dosa batter can also be used to make idlis (see Idli).
There are various ways to transliterating dosa: dhosa, dosay, dosai, dhosai, tosai, thosai (used in Malaysia and Singapore).
