Had a dosa lately? This Vancouver favorite is actually a popular South Indian breakfast dish. If you head down to the southern part of India your meal will likely consist of rice, coconut, or both. Rice is the staple the south as coconut is grown in absolute abundance along the coast.
In Southern India the morning aromas will be that of pancakes but not the kind with maple syrup, but the other kind made with rice. ‘Rice Pancakes’ are called dosas and are served with chutney or a mixed vegetable stew called sambhar. Chutney and sambhar are the two basic accompaniments for almost every south Indian breakfast along with these popular breakfast items.
1) Dosa: Indian style pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils served with chutney, vegetable stew or both. There are different kinds of dosas depending upon the ingredients used and the place they originated from. The most popular ones are called masala dosas, they are rolled up and have a vegetable stuffing.
2) Idli: Is made using same ingredients as dosas but the cooking method is different. These savoury cakes are steamed and are two to three inches in diameter. Like dosa’s idli are also served with chutney and vegetable stew.
3) Vada: Is a savoury breakfast food from Indian state, Tamil Nadu. They are made from dough or gram flour paste, potatoes and lentils, or a mixture of all three. They are seasoned with spices and then shaped in to a doughnut form before being deep fried. The end result, golden brown, hot and crunchy breakfast dish served with veg stew and chutney.
