These moreish rice and dal pancakes are a traditional breakfast staple in south India, but they’re versatile enough to stuff with anything you like and enjoy any time
Dosa, or dosai, is the name of a family of pancakes from south India first mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature about 1,500 years ago. They can be thick or thin, sweet or savoury, and made from everything from oats and barley to chickpeas, but the most common version, known only as “dosa” or “ordinary dosa”, is a tangy, crisp mixture of rice and urad dal, often served with fresh chutneys or stuffed with spiced potatoes (to make it a masala dosa). Full disclosure: these are a bit of a labour of love to prepare from scratch, which is why they make such perfect street food, but they’re also so good even when they’re bad, that I’m confident you won’t regret it.