Thosai (Dosai), the very popular South Indian lentil crepe, sounds simple but is (and has been) one of the most difficult recipes to make. Enjoyed widely, in both south India and in Sri Lanka, a Thosai feed is always a treat and one to be remembered a life time. They are one of those “pan to plate” items that have to be enjoyed as soon as they are made, so forget take out and home delivery if you are serious about enjoying your food!

A life time worth of memories often entails a lifetime of trial and error in achieving the perfect Thosai! for me I would say it took about 28 years to achieve consistently good Thosais. It has been a mixture of experience, luck, and finding good quality ingredients. A good grinder is a must have. I recommend a good Indian brand machine that have been designed specifically for heavy duty grinding. You will also need a flat pan (thawa), I use a non stick pan, and a ladle with a flattish bottom.

A good Thosai starts at least 15 hours ahead of the cooking. Lentils (urad or shelled blackgram dhal) and rice need to be soaked and ground into a fine paste, and then left to ferment, preferably overnight. In the morning, the batter should have frothed up and ready for making the crepes. I was told that one must use ones hands in mixing the batter for the fermentation to take place. I’m assuming this is to introduce microorganisms into the mixture. I often find (specially in these COVID days of constant hand washing and alchoholing) the batter does not rise well. My solution to that has been to add a little yogurt to the mixture and this usually does the trick.

For 4 pax, my recipe is as follows:

• 1/2 cup urad dhal

• 3/4 cup parboiled rice (I use iddly ponni rice)

• 1/4 cup raw rice (I used a Filipino rice this time -Sinandomeng)

• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

• Salt to taste.

• Ghee or butter for cooking Thosai

Wash and soak the dhal (together with fenugreek) and rices separately for about 3 hours. Drain and Grind the dhal and rice separately to fine pastes then mix well with hands in a large bowl that will allow space for expansion during the fermentation. Cover and set aside in a warm place overnight. If you want to use it sooner, you can add some butter milk and let it stand for about 3 hours. (I have not tried this so I am unable to guarantee the effectiveness of this step)

Now that you have the fermented batter, it’s time to make the Thosai. Your pan has to be moderate-high in heat. If using a nonstick, do not grease the pan. Using your ladle, pour the mixture in the center and with the back of the ladle, spread the dough in a circular motion. You should hear a lovely sizzle and the batter will break out in tiny holes as gases rice out with the heat. Using a spoon, drizzle melted ghee on the cooking Thosai specially around edges. When the Thosai is golden in colour, you should be able to lift it off the pan without difficulty. Lift and roll or fold your Thosai, if the batter has been spread thinly, there is no need to flip it and cook the other side. Wipe the pan clean before starting another Thosai.

Enjoy your Thosai with sambar, coconut chutney, or any other preparation -there are many, many options of side dishes to choose from.