Thosai (தோசை in Tamil, තෝසේ in Sinhala) is a pancake made from a fermented batter of ground urad dhal (black gram) and rice. It is the Sri Lankan name for the South Indian dosa, and on the island it is a breakfast and dinner food, especially in Tamil homes, and it is a regular item in Sri Lankan eating houses. The Sri Lankan style tends to be softer and a little thicker than the paper-thin, crisp dosa of South Indian restaurants: it is usually cooked on both sides and eaten flat or folded, with sambar and a coconut sambol.
The batter takes time rather than skill. The dhal and rice are soaked, ground to a smooth paste and left to ferment overnight, which gives thosai its light, bubbly texture and mild sour taste.
How to make Sri Lankan thosai
- Makes about 16 thosai (serves 4)
- Prep: 20 minutes (+ 6 hours soaking and 8 to 12 hours fermenting)
- Cook: 40 minutes
- Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients
- 200 g whole or split skinned urad dhal (black gram), about 1 cup
- 300 g raw white rice, such as idli or other short-grain rice, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- About 350 ml water, for grinding
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or gingelly (sesame) oil, for the pan
Method
- Soak. Rinse the urad dhal and the rice separately until the water runs clear. Soak the dhal with the fenugreek seeds in one bowl and the rice in another, each covered by about 5 cm of water, for 6 hours.
- Grind the dhal. Drain the dhal and fenugreek and grind in a blender or wet grinder with a little of the water until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Tip into a large bowl.
- Grind the rice. Drain the rice and grind it with the remaining water to a smooth paste with a very slight grain. Stir it into the dhal paste.
- Ferment. Cover loosely and leave in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight, until the batter has risen noticeably, is full of small bubbles and smells pleasantly sour.
- Season. Stir in the salt. The batter should pour thickly, like double cream; thin it with a spoonful or two of water if needed.
- Heat the griddle. Heat a flat griddle, tawa or heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat and wipe it with a little oil on a folded paper towel.
- Spread the batter. Pour about 80 ml of batter into the centre of the pan and, using the base of the ladle, spread it outwards in a spiral into a round about 15 cm across.
- Cook the first side. Drizzle a few drops of oil around the edge and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top looks set and full of holes and the underside is golden.
- Flip and finish. Turn the thosai over and cook for about 1 minute more, until lightly spotted. Serve at once, or keep warm under a cloth while you cook the rest, wiping the pan with oil each time.
What do you serve with thosai?
- Sambar. A tamarind and lentil curry with vegetables such as drumstick, brinjal, pumpkin and potato, often finished with coconut milk in Sri Lankan kitchens.
- Coconut sambol or chutney. Freshly grated coconut ground with green or red chilli, onion and salt. A plain pol sambol works well too.
- A curry. Dhal curry is the simplest partner; chicken or fish curry makes it a fuller meal.
Why add fenugreek?
A small amount of fenugreek seed soaked and ground with the urad dhal helps the batter ferment and adds a faint, pleasant bitterness and colour. Too much makes thosai taste bitter, so keep to about half a teaspoon for this quantity.
How do you know the batter is ready?
Fermented batter has risen visibly, often close to double, and is light and full of bubbles, with a gently sour smell. In a warm kitchen this can happen in 8 hours; in a cool one it may need longer, so leave the bowl somewhere warm, such as an oven with only the light on. Add the salt after fermenting rather than before, especially in hot weather, when the batter can easily over-ferment and turn too sour. Once ready, the batter keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days; stir it well before using.
Variations
- Masala thosai. A spoonful of spiced potato filling, much like a dry potato curry, is spread on the thosai before it is folded.
- Egg thosai. An egg is spread over the batter as it sets, then the thosai is flipped or folded.
- Onion or tempered thosai. Chopped onion, green chilli and curry leaves, sometimes fried first with mustard seeds, are stirred into the batter or scattered on top.
- Quick thosai. Many Sri Lankan cooks use urad dhal flour mixed with plain wheat or rice flour instead of soaking and grinding. The batter still needs a rest, and the result is softer and less sour.
Why is my thosai sticking or thick?
If the thosai sticks, the pan is either not hot enough or not oiled enough; wipe it with oil and heat it well before the first one. If the batter sets before you can spread it, the pan is too hot: lower the heat slightly or sprinkle a few drops of water on it and wipe it before pouring. A batter that is too thick will not spread, so loosen it a little at a time.
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