Dosas, according to The New Laurel's Kitchen (which isn't that new as it came out in 1986) are "a classic South Indian pancake". The cookbook goes on to describe it as a different way of thinking about meal preparation as you start two days in advance. That doesn't make them hard to make, it just means you need to plan in advance.

First, let me get the usano idea of a pancake out of the picture. While they will physically resemble those things full of white flour and oil that you cover with sugar—and then wonder why you are hungry an hour later—these are nutritional and virtually grease-free.

This is the first time I have made them but certainly not the last. I made a batch of Masala Potatoes (which I will post sometime later) to make what you might call Indian tacos but Laurel suggests serving like pancakes with Tomato or Coconut Chutney or taco-style with Dal as the filling.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cuphulled split black gram (urid dal) or garbanzo beans. (I used garbanzos.)
• pinch whole fenugreek seeds (I would probably use more next time; maybe 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• water
• oil

Day One

Put the urid dal, brown rice and fenugreek seeds in a bowl, add water to cover, and let stand overnight. I actually let this stand for 24 hours.

Day Two

Drain off most of the water and grind the mixture in a food processor or blender adding water as needed to blend. You should end up with a thick, light, frothy paste. Add the salt and add water to create something the consistency of a thin pancake batter.

I found that what I had was a bit too thick. A better data point might be more like a fruit nectar. Of course, you can always add more water at cooking time.

Loosely cover this mixture and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. Warm just means maybe in the kitchen near the stove—not out in the sun.

Day Three

Good news, this is the day you get to eat them. While I did eat them for breakfast, they are clearly something that will make a good meal any time of day. The major change is going to be what you serve them with.

You now need to get your tools ready. You will need a griddle or large cast iron pan, a saucer with a bit of oil in it, a pancake turner and some sort of large, shallow spoon. The bottom surface of the spoon is used to spread the batter so the shape (slow curve) is more important that the size.

Heat the griddle to medium-hot. That means cooler than you would use to cook pancakes. If the dosas tend to lift up rather than sit flat, the griddle is too hot.

If the griddle isn't non-stick or not well seasoned, you may need to wipe it with a cloth dipped in oil. Otherwise, a dry griddle or pan should be fine. From here on, the goal is to make them and eat them so have your filling ready as well as those you are going to feed.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. (The exact amount will depend on how thin you want the dosas. They can be anywhere from paper-thin to the thickness of a think pancake. If they are very thin, you will end up with something crisp. If you intend to fold them, you will want to go for a bit thicker.

Using the back of the spoon and starting in the center, move the spoon in a spiral motion to spread out the batter. Be prepared to ruin your first dosa perfecting this technique. I found that waiting just a bit for the part of the batter in contact with the pan before creating the spiral make this pretty easy. The goal is to make a relatively large pancake—8 to 10 inches in diameter.

Now, dip the end of the pancake turner in the oil and flick it over the dosa. Laurel says this helps it cook. I'm not sure but it did it and nothing bad happened

When the top surface of the dosa has dried, turn it over. It is done when you can press down with the spatula and not hear a sizzling sound. Remove the dosa, either top with a chutney or fill and fold like a taco and immediately try to get it into the stomach of a waiting human.