The Indian street food made from fermented rice and lentil batter as a thin crepe is dosa.
Dosa is a thin, savory South Indian batter bread cooked on a hot tava, or griddle. The batter traditionally combines rice with black gram, also called urad dal. The ingredients are soaked, ground, salted, and left to ferment, often overnight, before being spread into a round crepe and cooked with oil or ghee.
Fermentation gives dosa its characteristic flavor and helps create a light texture. It can be served plain, folded, or rolled, usually alongside coconut chutney and sambar. Masala dosa is a popular variation filled with spiced potato curry, but the word dosa by itself does not require a filling.
Regional names include dosai in Tamil and dōse in Kannada. Vada is a fried savory snack, idli is a steamed rice-and-lentil cake, and uttapam is generally thicker and topped with vegetables. Dosa also has many modern variations, including rava dosa, neer dosa, ghee roast dosa, and millet-based versions.