Thosai - தோசை
Thosai
This is another common dish, easy to make and suitable to eat any time really.
Special equipment:
Griddle - a heavy cast iron flat round frying pan, a large rounded spoon or a ladle with a capacity of 4 tablespoon liquid and a flat stainless steel spoon.
Ingredients:
Plain white rice or basmati rice 1 cup
Urid dhal split and skinned or skinned and whole 1 cup
Plain flour - steamed 1 cup
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Cooked rice half cup - optional
Method:
Soak rice and urid dhal separately overnight - minimum 12 hours.
Drain and Grind them separately.
Grind to a fine thick consistency by adding minimum amount of water.
Grind fenugreek and mix all the pastes together with steamed plain flour and water to a thick mix which should flow but not runny.
You can grind half cup soaked cooked rice into a fine paste and add this to the above mixture before the next step - this will give a softer Thosai. This is optional.
Cover and leave to ferment overnight in a warm place.
In cold countries or in winter, leave this in boiler room or hot water cylinder cupboard.
When dough has fermented and risen, mix the turmeric powder and salt in little water and add this mixture to the dough.
Add more water if needed to make the batter run off a spoon easily but not at all runny.
Place the griddle or wide frying pan on medium fire and when hot, smear some oil preferably gingelly oil.
Pour a spoonful of batter (about 4 tablespoons) with the large rounded spoon or ladle on to the griddle and spread the batter evenly with the back of this spoon to a circular pancake form.
When bubbles appear and top surface appears done turn over and cook until done.
Remove and spread oil on the pan before the next thosai is spread.
Serve with: Coconut sambol, Sambar, Coconut chutney, potato curry or any curry.
Variations:
1) Masala thosai
Ingredients for Masala:
Potato 500 g
Onions 2 large
Green chillies 6
Mustard 1 tsp
Oil 1 tablespoons
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Curry leaves 6
Gingelly oil 2 tablespoons or ghee
Method to make masala:
Wash and skin potatoes and cut them into one inch cubes, boil in water and when soft drain and crush potato pieces very coarsely and keep aside.
Dice onions, fry mustard in little oil and when the seeds pop add onions and fry further adding curry leaves to it.
When onions are golden colour, add the chopped green chillies, stir;
Reduce heat and add the mashed potato, salt and turmeric powder and stir well until all are well mixed and cooked.
If necessary add little water to aid in cooking.
Stir constantly to avoid sticking to bottom of pan.
Now this is ready.
Make thosai and when one side is cooked, without turning over, spread two tablespoonful of the potato curry (masala) in the centre and fold the thosai into two, drop ½ tsp of gingelly oil or ghee on it and let it warm through.
Turnover and cook until done.
Remove and serve hot.
2) Ghee thosai
When thosai batter had been spread drop little ghee on the side around the thosai and on it and cook. When one side is cooked, turn over and cook until it gets little crispy.
3) Thosai with garnish
Ingredients for garnish:
Onions 1 medium
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Dry chillies 2
Curry leaves 6
Method:
In a hot pan with little oil, fry mustard seeds. When popped add diced onions and cut dry chillies to it and fry until onions are golden brown. Add the cut curry leaves and fry further.
Drain from oil and add this garnish to the thosai batter with salt and turmeric powder and mix thoroughly before making thosai.
This has a different taste and flavour.
4) Very crispier thosai
To get a crispier thosai, spread the batter very thinly and add gingelly oil over it while cooking.
When done on one side turn over and cook further until thosai becomes crispier.
5) Onion thosai
Ingredients:
Sliced onions
Method:
When you have spread the thosai batter on the griddle, spread the sliced onions over it and cook.
When one side is cooked, turn over and cook well.
6) Ravai Thosai
Ingredients:
Semolina 1 cup
White Rice flour 1 cup
Plain flour 1 cup
Curry leaves 6
Green chillies 2
Onions
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Coconut milk 2 cups medium thickness
Oil 2 tablespoons
Method:
Steam semolina in a steamer and when done crush and break up all lumps.
Mix steamed semolina, rice flour, and plain flour with coconut milk and make a mixture of medium thickness and let it rest for 4 hours.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seed and curry leaves fry until seeds pops.
Add this to the batter and also add chopped onions and chopped green chillies and mix well.
Add water to make the mix to a watery consistency but not too runny.
Heat griddle and spread oil and pour batter with a round spoon and spread to a circular pancake.
Add little oil to make it crispier, when brown, turn it over and cook.
7) Wheat Thosai
This is a very simple quick and easy to make snack which can be eaten at breakfast. It is similar to pancakes but without eggs and thinner.
Ingredients:
Wheat Flour 1 cup
Salt to taste
Water
Method:
Mix the flour with water to a slightly watery consistency but not too runny.
Add salt and set aside for 20 minutes to rest.
Make thosai like before on a griddle.
