To learn more about the history and culture of Indians, I spent multiple hours making crispy ghee roast dosa with two Indian style chutneys. I made Thakkali Vengayam chutney, also known as tomato onion chutney, and Tamil Nadu style coconut chutney. The ghee roast dosa took the most time to prepare, because there are three stages to prepare the batter: soaking, grinding and fermenting. The rice and lentils needed to soak in water for six hours before I could blend them into a smooth batter. Then, the batter needed to ferment outside, in a warm environment, for twelve hours. I used salt and fenugreek, which I bought at the grocery store, to season the dosa batter before leaving it to ferment. It took me a day to complete this three-stage process, but the following day I was able to eat ghee roast dosa! I also experimented with ghee, an Indian staple, by adding it to the pan when cooking the dosa. I learned the most when cooking the batter because I initially mistakenly used the wrong pan. I used a stainless-steel pan which burnt the dosa. Afterwards, I switched to a cast iron pan which cooked the dosa perfectly. Although the batter looked similar to pancake mix, it took much longer to cook than I expected. Both of the chutneys were seasoned with Indian spices and were simple to prepare. Turmeric was an ingredient in the tomato onion chutney, topped with toasted mustard and sesame seeds, and curry, red chili and mustard seeds were added in the coconut curry chutney.

Feasts and Feasts: A History of Food in India, explains how Indian culture was built partly on cuisine because of the immense affect agriculture had on India’s economy. India traded ingredients as well as recipes of dishes to many neighboring territories, now countries, initiating the start of one of the world’s first global economies. India was able to trade lentils, millet, pumpkin, melons, citrus fruit and a multitude of spices because they were indigenous to India. The urad dal lentils and turmeric spice that I used to cook the dish described above are a few of the ingredients that originated in India.

Although the origin of the dosa is unknown, there are a few theories that explain its history. Some historians say that as referenced in Sangam literature, the earliest Tamil literature, the Dosai or Dosa, was present in the first century AD in ancient Tamil county. Other historians, however, say that the origin of Dosa is linked to Udupi, a city located in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The latter theory is more accepted because of the link between dosa and Udupi restaurants.

There are many different types of dosas that can be made. There is the Plain Dosa, Rava Dosa, Mysore Masala Dosa as well as many more dosas that are made unique by their stuffing. Stuffing’s include mainly potatoes, but today people also use cheese and egg. My favorite part of the dosa is that it is gluten free which allows everyone to enjoy this dish!

 

References:

Doshi, Archana. “Ghee Roast Dosa Recipe – Crispy Paper Dosa Recipe.” Archana’s Kitchen, www.archanaskitchen.com/homemade-crisp-ghee-roast-dosa-s.

Doshi, Archana. “Tomato Onion Chutney Recipe – Thakkali Vengayam Chutney.” Archana’s Kitchen, www.archanaskitchen.com/tomato-onion-chutney-thakkali-vengayam-chutney.

Doshi, Archana. “Tamil Nadu Style Coconut Chutney Recipe – For Idli And Dosa.” Archana’s Kitchen, www.archanaskitchen.com/video-recipe-coconut-chutney-a-delicious-south-indian-accompaniment.

Sen, Colleen Taylor. Feasts and Fasts: a History of Food in India. Speaking Tiger, 2016.

Swarn, Author Lily, et al. “The Story of Dosa and Its Antiquity.” Different Truths, 22 June 2017, www.differenttruths.com/travel-getaways/history-culture/food-history-culture/the-story-of-dosa-and-its-antiquity/.