Dosa

For the term as used in Ayurveda, see Dosha.
Dosa /Dosai

Dosa
Origin
Alternative name(s) Dosa, dosay, dose, dosai, dhosha, thosai, tosai, chakuli
Place of origin India
Region or state Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Dish details
Main ingredient(s) rice batter and urad bean
Variations masala dosa, rava dosa, onion dosa, neer dosa, paneer dosa

Dosa or dhosai (Kannada: ದೋಸೆ, Malayalam: ദോശ, Tamil: தோசை, Telugu: దోసె, Tulu: ದೋಸೆ) is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils.[1] It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka. Dosa is also popular in Malaysia[2] and Singapore,[3] where the name thosai is more common,[4] and in Myanmar as toshay.

Contents

Origin

The origins of dosa have been widely discussed in literature and books. A few of them are listed below:

Orthography and transliteration

There are various ways of transliterating dosa: dose, dhosha, dosay, dosai, dhosai, tosai, thosai, or dvashi.

Nutrition

Dosa, a common breakfast dish[13] and street food,[14] is rich in carbohydrates, contains no salt, sugar or saturated fats, and its constituent ingredients of rice and lentils mean it is gluten-free and contains protein.[13][15] The fermentation process increases the vitamin B and vitamin C content.[16][17] There are also instant mix products for making dosa, with somewhat lower nutritional benefits.[18]

The street food variants may contain contaminants or otherwise undesirable additions, such as relatively high levels of copper.[19]

Basic preparation

Rice is ground finely to form a batter. Rice can be uncooked or parboiled. The mixture of urad dal (black lentils) and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour to make a maida dosa, or semolina for a rava dosa.

A thin layer of 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. It is flipped to heat both crusts and removed from the griddle when the crust becomes dry. A dosa ais served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap.

Serving methods

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:

Variations

Though dosa typically refers to the version made with rice and lentils, many other versions exist, often specific to an Indian region. Some variations include egg dosa, which is spread with an omelette, and cheese dosa, which is stuffed with cheese.

Masala dosa

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 an onion and potato curry or sabji. It is listed at number 49 on World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.[20]

Before it was invented, plain dosa was served with potato curry (batata bhaji) without onions in a separate cup. During a shortage of potatoes, a method was created in which potato was mashed and sautéed with onions with other spices. This was then placed inside the dosa instead of in a separate cup to hide the onions, which are not eaten by orthodox Hindus and Jains. This came to be known as "masala dosa", from the sautéeing of spices (masala) during the preparation of the bhaji.

Some variants are:

In Bangalore, the masala dosa is usually served with a red chutney applied to its inside surface. The red chutney usually has generous amounts of garlic.

Similar foods

See also

References

  1. ^ Shetty, Kalidas (2006). Food biotechnology. CRC Press. p. 1780. ISBN 9780824753290. http://books.google.com/books?id=E3bvD2jU4B0C&pg=PA1780. Retrieved 5 March 2011. 
  2. ^ http://goseasia.about.com/od/malaysianculturepeople/a/malaysia_indian_food_guide.htm
  3. ^ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/singapore/singapore-city/restaurants/indian-vegetarian/dosa-corner
  4. ^ http://www.metropolasia.com/Dosa_Corner
  5. ^ The Hindu : Epiphany and the Idli
  6. ^ Handbook of fermented functional foods - Google Books
  7. ^ Edward R. Farnworth. Handbook of fermented functional foods. CRC Press. p. 11. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=7LYHFGLJQNQC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=dosa+tamil+sangam+literature#v=onepage&q=dosa%20tamil%20sangam%20literature&f=false. 
  8. ^ K. T. Achaya (May 12, 1994). Indian Food: A Historical Companion. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 90. ISBN 978-0195634488. 
  9. ^ Raja M - The dosa, like most other south Indian culinary exports, is often linked to Udipi, a small temple town in the state of Karnataka. "India's new offering to curry Western flavor". Asia Times, June 24, 2004. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FA24Df05.html. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  10. ^ Lisa Rayner (2009). Wild Bread: Hand-baked Sourdough Artisan Breads in Your Own Kitchen (First ed.). Lifeweaver LLC Flagstaff, AZ. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-98006081-2. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=dFm-WunfbmoC&pg=PA132&dq. 
  11. ^ Pat Chapman (2007). India: Food & Cooking: The Ultimate Book on Indian Cuisine. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. p. 40. ISBN 978 184537 619 2. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=orHWFRMKf4EC&pg=PA40&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  12. ^ P. Thankappan Nair and Punthi Pustak (2004). South Indians in Kolkata: history of Kannadigas, Konkanis, Malayalees, Tamilians, Telugus, South Indian dishes, and Tippoo Sultan's heirs in Calcutta. p. 396. ISBN 81-86791-50-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=swNuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Dosa%22+%22indigenous%22+%22Karnataka%22&dq=%22Dosa%22+%22indigenous%22+%22Karnataka%22&pgis=1. 
  13. ^ a b "Eat healthy: dosa". livestrong.com. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/generic/dosa/. Retrieved 2011-05-21. 
  14. ^ Dalal, Tarla. Mumbai Roadside Snacks. Sanjay & Co.. p. 3. ISBN 9788189491666. http://books.google.com/books?id=4kjEPd1NmmkC&pg=PA3. 
  15. ^ Srilakshmi, B. (2006) [2002]. Nutrition Science (Revised 2nd ed.). New Age International (formerly Wiley Eastern Ltd.). p. 403. ISBN 9788122416336. http://books.google.com/books?id=f_i7j4_cMLIC&pg=PA403. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  16. ^ Pal, Dr J. S. (December 2006). "Traditional Indian Foods: Physio-Chemical Aspects". PFNDAI Bulletin: 3. http://www.pfndai.com/Dec06.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  17. ^ Nutrition and Dietetics - Higher Secondary - First Year. Directorate of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. 2004. p. 31. http://www.textbooksonline.tn.nic.in/Books/11/Std11-Nutr-EM.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  18. ^ "Calories in Dosa (Pan Cake)". calorie count. http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-mtr-dosa-pan-cake-i174221. Retrieved 2011-05-21. 
  19. ^ Simopoulos, Artemis P.; Bhat, Ramesh Venkataramana (2000). Street foods - World review of nutrition and dietetics. Nutritional Triggers for Health and in Disease. 86. Karger Publishers. pp. 74, 78. ISBN 9783805569279. http://books.google.com/books?id=QQgwVl22fXkC. 
  20. ^ CNN Go World's 50 most delicious foods 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-11
Indian breads
  • Recipes on WikiBooks
  • Category:Indian breads
  • The Food Portal
  • The India Portal
Asia
Europe
Africa
Americas
Types
Ingredients
Equipment
Processes
Uses
Other