The Indian crepe made from fermented rice and lentil batter is called dosa. A dosa is a thin, savoury South Indian batter bread traditionally made from rice and black gram, also known as urad dal. The batter is soaked, ground, salted and left to ferment, often overnight, before being spread on a hot tava or griddle.
Fermentation gives dosa its characteristic tang and helps create a light, crisp texture. Plain dosa may be folded or rolled, while masala dosa is filled with spiced potato. Other varieties include rava dosa, made with semolina, and neer dosa, made from a watery rice batter.
Dosa is commonly served hot with sambar, a spiced lentil-and-vegetable stew, and coconut or tomato chutney. A frequent mix-up is idli: it uses a similar fermented rice-and-black-gram batter, but idli is steamed into a soft cake rather than cooked as a thin crepe. Dosa also has regional names, including dosai, dose and thosai.