Jump to content

Dosa (food)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 216.119.177.171 (talk) at 04:19, 7 March 2015. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the notion of doṣa (bodily humor) in Ayurveda, see dosha. For the genus of moth, see Dosa (moth).
Dosa
Dosa with chutneys
CourseBreakfast or Supper
Place of originIndia
Serving temperaturesoft crispy hot with sambar (dish) and chutney
Main ingredientsrice and black lentils batter
VariationsMasala dosa, Rava dosa, Onion dosa, Ghee dosa

Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. It is a staple dish in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is also popular in other parts of India, and other countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore.

History

Dosa is indigenous to South India; its exact birthplace in that region is a matter of conjecture.[1] According to food historian K. T. Achaya, dosa (as dosai) was already in use in ancient Tamil country around the 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature.[2] According to P. Thankappan Nair, dosa originated in the Udupi town of present-day Karnataka.[3]

In popular tradition, the origin of dosa is linked to Udupi, probably because of the dish's association with the Udupi restaurants.[1] Also, the original Tamil dosa was softer and thicker. The thinner and crispier version of dosa, which became popular all over India, was first made in present-day Karnataka.[4]

Names

Masala Dosa as served in Tamil Nadu, India.Masala dosa was listed as one of the World's 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNN Go.com

Dosa is known by several names. The standard transliterations and pronunciations of the word in various South Indian languages are as follows:

Language Transliteration Pronunciation (IPA)
Kannada: ದೋಸೆ dōse d̪oːse
Malayalam: ദോശ dōśa d̪oːɕa
Tamil: தோசை tōcai t̪oːsʌj
Telugu: దోస dōsa d̪oːsa

Other spellings used include dosé, dosai, dhosa, dosey, dosay, doza, dozé, dozai, dhoza, dozey, dozay, thosa, thosé, thosai, thhosa, thosey, thosay, thoza, thozé, thozai, thhoza, thozey and thozay.

Nutrition

Dosa with chutney and sambar traditionally served in banana leaf

Dosa, a common breakfast dish[5] and street food,[6] is high in carbohydrates, and contains no sugar or saturated fats. As its constituent ingredients are rice and Urad Dal (Vigna mungo), it is also a source of protein.[7] The fermentation process increases the vitamin B and vitamin C content.[8][9] There are also instant mix products for making dosa, with somewhat lower nutritional benefits.[10] Dosa's are considered high glycemic index food and should be avoided by diabetics.[11]

Preparation

Dosa making

A mixture of rice and urad dal (ulundu) that has been soaked in water is ground finely to form a batter. Some add hand full of Fenugreek seeds soaked along with rice. The proportion of rice to lentils is basically 4:1 or 5:1. The batter is allowed to ferment overnight. After the overnight fermentation, batter is mixed with water to get the desired thickness. 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. A dosa is served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap. It is also served usually with chutney and sambar. The mixture of urad dal and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour or semolina.

  • Rice batter
    Rice batter
  • Batter poured on a tava griddle
    Batter poured on a tava griddle
  • Batter being spread uniformly
    Batter being spread uniformly
  • After being cooked for some time
    After being cooked for some time

Serving

Butter Masala dosa served with coconut chutney, sambar and ghee

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.

Types of dosa
Name Key ingredients Notes
Onion dosa chopped and sautéed onions
Masala dosa spiced potatoes
Rava dosa rava or sooji
Ghee dosa ghee
Wheat dosa wheat flour
Moong dosa Moong dal
Podi dosa dry spices powder
Benne Dosa butter
Roast rice batter spread thinly and fried until crisp
Paper/Family/70MM roast rice batter variants of roast
Vegetable dosa steamed vegetables
Egg/Muttai dosa egg
Ragi dosa millet flour or ragi
Cauliflower/Gobi dosa cauliflower
Mushroom dosa mushroom
Paneer dosa paneer
Greens/Keerai dosa greens
Chow Chow dosa chow chow
Vendhaya dosa fenugreek
Babycorn dosa baby corn
Cabbage dosa cabbage
Noodles dosa noodles
Set dosa cooked only on one side and served in a set of three
Neer dosa watery rice batter
Uppu Huli dosa salt, tamarind paste
Kari dosa Dosa topped with mutton.A specialty in Madurai.
  • Sada (Plain) Dosa
    Sada (Plain) Dosa
  • Paper Masala Dosa
    Paper Masala Dosa
  • Ghee Dosa
    Ghee Dosa
  • Cheese dosa served with sambar and coconut chutney
    Cheese dosa served with sambar and coconut chutney
  • neer dosa with thick coconut chutney
    neer dosa with thick coconut chutney
  • Rava dosa
    Rava dosa

Masala dosa

Masala dosa as served in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. The dosa is wrapped around an onion and potato curry or masala. Masala dosa was listed as number 49 on World's 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNN Go in 2011.[12]

  • Pesarattu: a dosa-like preparation prepared from mung bean, which is typically served with a ginger and tamarind chutney
  • Adai: a dosa-like dish prepared from a combination of lentils, namely urad, kadalai and moong paruppu.
  • Appam/aappam/hopper : a pancake prepared from a combination of patted rice batter.The center is thicker and the outer rim is very thin. Served with sweet coconut milk.
  • Uttapam: a dosa-like dish made from the same batter. Unlike a dosa, which is crisp and crepe-like, it is a thick pancake. Uttapam is sometimes characterized as an Indian pizza.
  • Chakuli pitha: batter contains more black gram and less rice flour

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Charmaine O' Brien (15 December 2013). The Penguin Food Guide to India. Penguin Books Limited. p. 378. ISBN 978-93-5118-575-8.
  2. ^ K. T. Achaya. The Story of Our Food. Universities Press. p. 80. ISBN 81-7371-293-X.
  3. ^ P. Thankappan Nair (2004). South Indians in Kolkata. p. 320. ISBN 81-86791-50-7.
  4. ^ Vir Sanghvi (1 January 2004). Rude Food: The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi. Penguin Books India. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-14-303139-0.
  5. ^ "Eat healthy: dosa". livestrong.com. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  6. ^ Dalal, Tarla. Mumbai Roadside Snacks. Sanjay & Co. p. 3. ISBN 978-81-89491-66-6.
  7. ^ Srilakshmi, B. (2006) [2002]. Nutrition Science (Revised 2nd ed.). New Age International (formerly Wiley Eastern Ltd.). p. 403. ISBN 978-81-224-1633-6. Retrieved 2011-05-22. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Pal, Dr J. S. (December 2006). "Traditional Indian Foods: Physio-Chemical Aspects" (PDF). PFNDAI Bulletin: 3. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  9. ^ Nutrition and Dietetics - Higher Secondary - First Year (PDF). Directorate of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. 2004. p. 31. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  10. ^ "Calories in Dosa (Pan Cake)". calorie count. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  11. ^ http://lisamiraclediet.com/Pages/Diseases/Diabetes/Glycemic.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ CNN Go World's 50 most delicious foods 21 July 2011.
  • Media related to Dosa at Wikimedia Commons
  • Dosa (food) at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dosa_(food)&oldid=650248715"