Thosai

What is Thosai?

Thosai is a South Indian savoury, thin pancake made from a batter of various fermented pulses and rice flour, which is then cooked on a flat griddle. The dish is usually eaten at breakfast with accompaniments such as sambar (an Indian vegetable stew), curry and chutney. One of the earliest mentions of thosai dates to the sixth century and can be found in the Tamil literature of the Sangam period in India. The Manasollasa, a Sanskrit text written in the 12th century, mentions a similar dish known as dhosaka, which was made using only pulses without any rice added.

How is Thosai made?

This South Indian snack is made of various fermented pulses including dhal beans, rice flour and halba. The process of making thosai begins with soaking the urad dhal (black gram) and fenugreek for six hours in water. The ingredients are then drained before cooked rice and water are added to the mix and blended to a very smooth texture. Traditionally, the mixture is ground using a stone grinder, as it is believed that this results in a smoother thosai. Next, rice flour and salt are added to the mixture and stirred to form a lump-free batter, which is then left for at least 12 hours to ferment.

To cook the thosai, a ladleful of the fermented batter is spooned onto the centre of a heated flat griddle coated with oil. The batter is then quickly spread out from the centre of the griddle in a circular motion using the base of the ladle. When the batter develops little holes and its underside turns golden brown, it is flipped over. The thosai is then folded in two and usually served with accompaniments such as sambar, curry and chutney.

Types of Thosai

Paneer masala thosai

Paneer masala thosai is a North Indian version that uses a thin layer of paneer, which is cottage cheese instead of potatoes and onions for the filling.

Masala Thosai

Masala thosai is a thosai that contains spiced potato as filling. The potato is added while the batter is browning on the griddle. The sides of the thosai are then folded over the potato filling and served, sometimes on its own without any accompaniments. For masala thosai, the mixture usually comprises mashed potatoes with sliced onions, chillies, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Paper Thosai

Paper thosai is a large, crisp, paper-thin version of regular thosai. With a diameter of about half a metre, paper thosai is roughly twice the size of standard thosai.It is served in various shapes: folded in half or into a cone shape, or rolled out into paper-thin tubes.

Rava/ Rawa Thosai

Rava thosai has a nutty flavour derived from semolina flour, which also gives it a coarser texture. Cumin seeds, onions and chillies are added to spice up the batter. Rava thosai is usually served with coconut chutney and sambar.