Thosai is a savoury breakfast meal that has a crepe-like appearance, with a golden-brown outside and white inside. The batter is mostly made using fermented rice flour and black gram which adds a tinge of sourness to the dish. Most Malaysians enjoy thosai for its milky flavour and crunchy and chewy texture which makes the dish enjoyable to eat and addictive.
It is often served with dip sauces such as curry and dhal, which gives extra flavour to the dish. There are also other versions of thosai, with the addition of onions, cheese and eggs. The dish is best served with coconut chutney or sambar.
Make sure to try making it the irresistible thosai at home using the recipe below.
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 3 cups of rice
- 1 cup of black gram
- ¾ tsp of fenugreek seeds
- Salt (to taste)
- Cooking oil
- Water
Directions:
- Pour the fenugreek seeds into a bowl and add water., making sure the seeds are not floating. Leave overnight.
- The next day, wash the rice and black gram properly. Make sure to wash repeatedly until the water is clear or just a bit cloudy.
- After that, remove the water from the bowl and then add the ingredients into a food processor for grinding. The consistency should be a smooth and grainy paste.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add water to make a batter with a thick consistency. Pour the water bit by bit to make sure the mixture does not turn watery.
- Next, grease a pan with cooking oil and turn on the heat at high to medium level.
- Add the batter into the pan from the centre, spreading the batter in a circular motion.
- Take a cooking brush and dip the tip into the cooking oil to sprinkle the oil all over the thosai and its edges. Spread the oil by lifting the pan and swirling it in a circular motion.
- Once the underside is cooked, flip the thosai. You should be able to see a golden-brown colour on top of the thosai. Cook for another minute.
- Then, fold the thosai in half and cook for another half minute, making sure that the underside does not get burnt. Turn off the heat and serve with chutney or sambar.