Thosai/Dosa (Indian Rice Lentil Pancake)

Thosai (or dosa) is a fermented Indian pancake made from rice and lentils. It’s a healthy and nutritious meal typically eaten for breakfast.

I grew up eating a lot of thosai, but recently learned how to make it myself from my Indian friend’s mother. Turns out, it’s quite simple to make at home,

There are two types of plain thosai: thin and crispy, or flat and chewy. They’re also quite huge, but since I don’t have the kind of large cooking pan typically used to make this, I made mini versions.

Thosai is usually served with three sauces: dhal, chutney and curry. I have recipes for all three on the blog! The type of chutney varies. I’ve had mint coconut chutney and red chutney before, but the most common is a simple coconut chutney.

Dosa or Thosai?

If you go to India, dosa is the term they’ll use and it’s what you find in South and North Indian restaurants. In Malaysia, we call it thosai or dosai.

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The process of making thosai

The process may seem really long, but the batter itself only contains 3 main ingredients and doesn’t require much hands on time. A lot of it is just waiting, so don’t feel intimidated! Here’s a timeline you can follow:

4PM: soak the rice, lentils and fenugreek seeds for 4 hours.

8PM: blend the batter and ferment overnight

8AM the next day: cook thosai (optional, make chutney)

Ingredients

• ½ cup rice
• ¼ cup skinned white whole lentils (urad dal)
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ½ + ⅓ cup water
• 1 tbsp cooked rice
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

• Soak ingredients: In a large bowl, combine rice, lentils and fenugreek seeds. Rinse and drain a few times, then soak in water for 4 hours.

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• Make batter: Drain, then blend with ½ cup of water until the mixture is relatively smooth and thick. It’s okay if there are tiny grains. Pour out into a bowl, then mix with your hand for 2 minutes (this helps the fermentation process). Cover with a lid and let ferment in a warm place overnight.
• Prepare batter: The next day, the mixture should be foamy and have many air bubbles throughout. With a ladle, gently mix in another ⅓ cup of water and salt. The batter should be pourable but still thicker than water.

• Cook thosai: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, spread an even layer of oil. Using a ladle, pour some batter in the middle of the pan (the amount will vary based on the size of your pan, but start with lesser batter). Starting from the center, gently use the back of the ladle to spread the batter out in a swirling motion. Drizzle a bit of oil over the edges. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.
• Serve immediately with dhal, coconut chutney and curry. Enjoy!

Notes to make Thosai (Indian Rice Lentil Pancake)

• The texture of the batter will feel a bit gritty, because of the grains of rice. This is perfectly normal.
• Adding a bit of cooked rice to the batter improves the texture, but it’s optional.
• Add salt before cooking, as it will hinder the fermentation process.
• It’s possible to over-ferment the batter. In a warm environment, ferment it for maximum 12 hours.
• If you don’t have the kind of large pan they use to make thosai, use a good non-stick pan.
• If the pan is too hot, the batter won’t spread evenly so adjust the heat while cooking.

If you want to be a little extra, you could also make masala thosai! Masala thosai is basically thosai but with a spiced potato masala filling. Simple spread your favourite masala over the thosai before rolling/folding it.

If you liked this recipe, here are a few other Indian dishes I know you’ll love:

• Dhal (Malaysian Lentil Curry)
• Spicy Vegan Tofu Curry
• Choley Masala (Chickpea Masala)
• Vegan Roti Canai

If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!

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