To make a dosa, cooks soak rice and a kind of lentil called urad dal overnight. They grind them up into a smooth batter, then leave it for a day to ferment - which means tiny bubbles form inside it, the way bread dough rises. The next morning, the batter is ready.
The cook pours a ladleful of batter onto a flat hot pan and quickly spreads it round and round with the back of the ladle - thinner and thinner, until the pancake is the size of a dinner plate or bigger. A drizzle of oil, and in just a minute the dosa is golden brown and crispy at the edges.
Dosas are often served plain - folded in half or rolled into a long tube - and dipped into the side dishes. A 'masala dosa' has a filling of spiced potato wrapped inside, which is a kid favourite. There is also a special long, thin paper dosa that can be as long as a small child and tall as a hat.
Eating a dosa is hands-on. You tear off a piece with your fingers, dip it into a chutney - maybe coconut, maybe tomato - and pop it in. Sambar is a tangy, lightly spicy soup of lentils and vegetables that you can dunk into. It's a meal that is very filling without ever feeling heavy.