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| Type | Pancake,crepe |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | South India |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Rice andblack gram |
| Variations | Masala dosa, rava dosa, ghee roast dosa, podi dosa, paneer dosa, plain dosa, and many more |
Adosa (inIndian English) orthosai (inMalaysian English andSingapore English)[1] is a thin, savourycrepe inSouth Indian cuisine made from afermentedbatter of groundblack gram andrice. Dosas are served hot, often withchutney andsambar.
The dosa originated inSouth India, but its precise geographical origins are unknown. According tofood historianK. T. Achaya, references in theSangam literature suggest that dosa was already in use in theancient Tamil country around the first century CE.[2] However, according to historianP. Thankappan Nair, dosa originated in the town ofUdupi inKarnataka.[3] Achaya states that the earliest written mention of dosa appears in the eighth-century literature of present-dayTamil Nadu, while the earliest mention of dosaë inKannada literature appears a century later.[4]
In popular tradition, the origin of the dosa is linked to Udupi, probably because of the dish's association withUdupi restaurants.[4] The Karnataka dosa is traditionally softer and thicker; the thinner and crispier version of dosa, which became popular across India, was first made in present-day Tamil Nadu.[5] A recipe for dosa can be found inManasollasa, a 12th-centurySanskrit encyclopedia compiled bySomeshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka.[6]
The dosa arrived in Mumbai with the opening of Udupi restaurants in the 1930s.[7] AfterIndia's independence in 1947, South Indian cuisine became gradually popular inNorth India. InNew Delhi, the Madras Hotel inConnaught Place became one of the first restaurants to serve South Indian cuisine.[8][9]
Dosas, like many other dishes of South Indian cuisine, were introduced inCeylon (Sri Lanka) bySouth Indian emigrants duringBritish rule.[10][11]Tirunelveli andTuticorin merchants who settled there were instrumental in the spreading of South Indian cookery across the island by opening restaurants (vegetarianhotels) to meet initially the needs of the emigrant population.[12][13] Dosa has found its way into the culinary habits of the Sri Lankan people, where it has evolved into an island-specific version which is quite distinct from the Indian dosa. In both forms, it is calledthose (තෝසේ or[t̪oːse]) orthosai (தோசை or[t̪oːsaɪ̯]) inSinhala and inSri Lankan Tamil.
As in Sri Lanka, dosa was introduced far abroad since the early 18th century, by the migration of theIndian Tamil diaspora toSoutheast Asia and later in theWestern world, and through the worldwide popularisation of Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines since the second half of the 20th century.[citation needed]
Dosa is theanglicised name of a variety of South Indian names for the dish, for example,dosai inTamil,dōsaë inTulu,dōse inKannada, dōsa inTelugu anddosha inMalayalam.
The standard transliterations and pronunciations of the word in various South Indian languages are:
| Language | Transliteration | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Kannada:ದೋಸೆ | dōse | [d̪oːse] |
| Malayalam:ദോശ | dōśa | [d̪oːʃa] |
| Tamil:தோசை | dōsai | [d̪oːsaɪ̯] |
| Telugu:దోస[14] | dōsa | [d̪oːsa] |
The Tamil termதோசைdōsai lends tothosai as used inMalaysian English andSingapore English mentioned above.
Dosa is high incarbohydrates and contains no addedsugars. As its key ingredients are rice andblack gram, it is a good source ofprotein.[15] A typical homemade plain dosa without oil contains about 112 calories, of which 84% iscarbohydrate and 16% is protein.[16] The fermentation process increases thevitamin B andvitamin C content.[17]
A mixture of rice and white gram that has been soaked in water for at least 4–5 hours is ground finely to form a batter. Some add a bit of soakedfenugreek seeds while grinding the batter. The proportion of rice to lentils is generally 3:1 or 4:1. After adding salt, the batter is allowed to ferment overnight, before being mixed with water to get the desired consistency. The batter is then ladled onto a hottava or griddle greased with oil orghee. It is spread out with the base of a ladle or a bowl to form a pancake. It can be made either thick like a pancake, or thin and crispy. A dosa is served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap. It is usually served with chutney and sambar. The mixture of white grams and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour orsemolina.
Dosas can be stuffed with fillings ofvegetables and sauces to make a quick meal. They are typically served with a vegetarianside dish, which varies according to regional and personal preferences. Common side items are:
Masala dosa is a roasted dosa served with potato curry, chutney, and sambar, while saada (plain) dosa is prepared with a lighter texture; paper dosa is a thin and crisp version. Rava dosa is made crispier using semolina.[18] Newer versions include Chinese dosa, cheese dosa, paneer dosa, and pizza dosa.[19]
Though dosa is typically made with rice and lentils, other versions exist.[20]
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Uttapam | This variety of dosa is much thicker and softer and served with vegetable toppings. It also uses less oil, hence is considered healthier than the typical dosa. It takes more time to prepare than a regular dosa. Both surfaces may be baked. They are eaten like a regular dosa with servings of sambhar and chutney. Its history is as old as the dosa, featuring in Sangam literature. It is closely related to both the dosa and theappam. |
| Masala dosa | Roasted and crispy dosa, served with potato curry, chutney and sambar |
| Oats dosa | Healthy, crisp and lacy instant dosa made with oats |
| Wheat dosa | Dosa made with wheat flour batter; a typical wheat dosa may consume more oil and takes longer to prepare than a regular dosa. Instead of oil, ghee or butter may be used. |
| Set dosa | Smaller, spongy, soft and light, served in a set of 2-3 dosa per serving |
| Red rice dosa | A healthier variant of the regular dosa, it usesred rice instead ofwhite rice, though the batter may also involve a mixture of the two rice varieties, too. |
| Plain dosa | Dosa has light texture and can be crispy. |
| Kal dosai | A thicker, softer, and spongier variant of a plain dosa, it also uses a stone tawa instead of the regular iron tawa for other dosas. |
| Tandoori dosa | A variety of dosa that uses a tandoor to prepare it instead of a tawa |
| Ghee roast | (Nei dosai in Tamil) Plain dosa cooked with ghee instead of oil and usually with no filling |
| Paper roast/Plain roast dosa | A large, plain dosa known for its thin layer and crispiness resulting from making a very thin layer of batter and the addition of extra oil compared to plain dosa |
| Egg dosa | (Muttai dosai in Tamil) A thicker base of dosa topped with beatenegg, or beaten egg is added to batter before cooking. |
| Kari dosai | A Tamil Nadu specialty with a dosa of thicker base topped with cooked meat, usually chicken or mutton: Dosas topped with vegetables or vegetable curry are also sometimes referred to askari dosai. |
| Madurai kari dosai | A famous variant of kari dosai is the Madurai kari dosai. This has a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian variant. The latter consists of non-vegetarian toppings of a mix of omlette, minced meat, and without vegetables, while the former has a fully vegetarian topping of vegetable curry. |
| Pori dosa/Puffed rice dosa | Uses somepuffed rice alongside raw rice and some lentils in the batter |
| Paneer dosa | Spiced, flavorfulpaneer filling inside the dosa |
| Palak dosa | Layered withpalak (spinach) paste inside the folds of dosa |
| Pizza dosa | A fusion of the traditional dosa and a regular pizza, it comes in many subvariants. It primarily uses toppings that resemble those of a regular pizza. |
| Spring roll dosa | A fusion of the traditional plain dosa and thespring roll, it has vegetarian and non-vegetarian variants. It uses the same stuffing as in the spring roll and is usually cut and served rolled up as a spring roll. It is also notably spicy. |
| Jini dosa | A variety fromMumbai; a crispy, cheesy dosa stuffed with a spicy mix of vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and capsicum in addition to a tangy sauce. |
| Schezwan dosa | A type of dosa with stuffing of a mix of cooked vegetables and Schezwan sauce |
| Mini soya dosa[21] | Soya milk and wheat flour[22] |
| Pesarattu (green dosa)[23] | Made withgreen gram.[24] It is served with Allam Pachadi. (Ginger chutney) |
| Adai dosa | From Tamil Nadu, it is a dosa-like dish prepared from a combination oftoor dal, rice, curry leaves, red chillies, and asafoetida. The batter is not fermented, and is usually eaten with jaggery oraviyal. |
| Light white dosa | Rice and coconut[25] |
| Kadapa Neyyi karam dosa[26] | Rice flour fermented overnight and mixed with sodium carbonate. The topping is a mixture of onion and chili paste (calledyerra karam) and a chutney made with tomato and flour made in a gravy of curd. It is roasted inGhee. It is also occasionally topped with fried gram powder.[26] |
| Onion rava dosa[27] | Semolina, rice flour, onion |
| Ragi wheat dosa | Ragi, whole wheat flour[28] |
| Rava dosa | Made withrava orsooji (semolina), it is a healthier alternative to regular dosa. Rava dosa takes up more oil than a regular dosa and can stick to the tawa if enough oil is not used. It also takes more time to prepare than a regular dosa. |
| Benne dose | Made withbutter (benne in Kannada), it is predominantly famous asDavanagere benne dose associated with theDavanagere district in Karnataka. |
| Neer dosa | Made with a watery rice batter |
| Vodu dose or Kappa roti | Vodu dose or kappa roti is made from unfermented rice,fenugreek, gratedcoconut, thinly flattened rice, and sometimes leftover cooked rice. It is cooked on an earthen pan with a rounded bottom. It is fluffy and appears like a bread. It is cooked without the use of oil. |
| Amboli, ghavan, dhirde | In coastal parts of Maharashtra, variations known asamboli andghavan are thin ricecrêpes prepared with fermented batter, whiledhirde is prepared with unfermented batter. |
| Buttermilk dosa | Semolina, maida, buttermilk[29] |
| Jaggery dosa | Rice flour, maida, grated coconut,jaggery. |
| Minapattu | Very similar to plain dosa, this version tends to be thicker and, compared to plain dosa, it has a greater ratio of urad dal to rice flour or, in some cases, idli rava. |
| Maida dosa | The maida dosa batter is made from maida (refined flour) by adding water to get dense consistency; chopped onion, chilli, coriander leaves, and salt are added for taste. Maida dosa is quickly made in many households of Karnataka state, India. |
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On 16 November 2014, 29 chefs, at Hotel Daspalla in Hyderabad, India, created a dosa that was 16.68 m (54.7 ft) long and weighed 13.69 kg (30.2 lb), earning theGuinness World Record for the longest dosa.[30]
The ingredients for dosa preparation are not limited to just rice and black gram instead pure rice or a mixture of rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, or millets can also be used.
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