Dosa

A dosa (sometimes called dosai) is a thin, crisp pancake made from a fermented batter of rice and hulled black gram (urad dal). The batter is ground, salted, and left to ferment overnight, which produces the characteristic tangy flavor and the leavening that gives a well-made dosa its airy, lacy texture. The crepe is cooked on a flat iron griddle (tava) with ghee or oil, and is most associated with the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala in southern India.

Dosas are typically served with coconut chutney and sambar (a lentil-vegetable stew), and are eaten at any time of day, especially for breakfast. Plain dosas are called "paper" or "sada" dosa; stuffed versions, such as masala dosa filled with spiced potatoes, are enormously popular both in South India and abroad. South Indian restaurants outside India typically feature masala dosa as their signature dish. Fermentation makes dosas more digestible than other breads, and the dish is naturally gluten-free.

The fermentation process is the heart of a good dosa: long, slow fermentation produces a batter that is light, tangy, and crisp when cooked. Commercial and home cooks often add a small amount of fenugreek seeds or cooked rice to encourage wild yeasts. The dosa has been eaten in South India for centuries, with references in Tamil literature as far back as the 6th century, and is one of the oldest continuously prepared foods in the region. Today, both traditional and instant versions are popular across the world, and dosas are a defining dish of South Indian identity.

[Source: Wikipedia — Dosa (food), accessed 2026-10-17, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa_(food)]