Author: Saritha Rai
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 6, 2012
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-dosa-by-any-other-taste/984228/0

The humble breakfast staple is evolving, with new Bangalore outlets offering twists on the traditional recipe

There is a new buzz around a humble staple that is a ubiquitous fixture on the breakfast and evening “tiffin” in many south Indian homes and restaurants. Chefs at haute dining destinations are giving it a new spin. Street food vendors are experimenting with it. The allure of the thin rice-and-lentil pancake has traversed the Vindhyas, making it one of the few dishes with pan-Indian appeal.

The dosa and its dressed up cousin, the masala dosa, are even showing up on quirky lists such as the Huffington Post’s “Ten Foods From Around the World to Try Before you Die”. There, it is the only Indian dish listed alongside Greek moussaka, French escargot and Peking Duck. “A subcontinental meal that could persuade a committed carnivore to order vegetarian”, it raves. The masala dosa was on last year’s list of the world’s 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNNGo.

“The masala dosa is a stand out, it is a delicacy India can be proud of,” says Bangalore-based dosa diehard Pavandeep Singh. Singh and his two friends, George Seemon and Mario Jerome, recently launched Love Sex Aur Dosa, a group dedicated to weekly restaurant outings themed around the dosa. These outings are then documented on Facebook and Twitter where the weeks-old group has amassed hundreds of followers.

“Ours is not a protest against corruption, it is not a morcha to save the environment,” says Geroge Seemon, an architect and co-founder of Love Sex Aur Dosa. “Who would not want to be part of a dosa adventure?” The group’s open-to-all Sunday morning meet ups at dosa eateries attract an eclectic bunch of people. When it comes to a dosa tasting, the group will balk at nothing — a hospital canteen is good and so is a roadside dhaba.

The dosa has endless possibilities. When food celebrity and Masterchef Australia host Matt Preston was in Bangalore recently, Chef Manu Chandra of Olive Beach served him a 12-course tasting menu. It included a funky dish inspired by the masala dosa: super-thin, chutney-smeared pancakes rolled into tight cigarettes and served with drumstick-seed veloute and potato foam.

The masala dosa was born in the kitchens of Udupi in coastal Karnataka, claims Subramanya Holla, who runs the three-outlet Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan chain in Bangalore. The masala dosa is the chain’s bestseller and sells in the thousands daily. Holla points to the differences between the Mysore masala dosa and the Madras masala dosa, only obvious to the discerning. The Mysore version is thicker yet crispier, more orange-brown than yellow, and is typically served with green coconut chutney, says Holla. He swears that Bangalore is the true home of the classic version. “If you close your eyes and picture the masala dosa, it will be a Bangalore special,” he says. South Indian dosa aficionados will eat masala dosa only with chutney on the side, just as they will eat the idli only with the sweet-spicy sambar, never the other way round.

Holla’s Balepet outlet makes it to Bangalore’s must-eat masala dosa places. Also included in that list are the venerable Vidyarthi Bhavan in Basavanagudi and CTR in Malleswaram, as well as the more recent Janardhan in Kumara Park. All are no-frills hangouts where the masala dosa costs under Rs 50. But just as every city has its own spin on the masala dosa, each Bangalore neighbourhood has its share of popular dosa outlets with their own legions of fans.

Dosa purists may shudder but change is coming fast. Love Sex Aur Dosa members say they are game to try anything that comes in the shape of a dosa. They will not get technical or puritanical. Neighbourhood outlets roll out dozens of variations. Koramangala’s 99dosa, for instance, has paneer, mushroom and chocolate variations. Jayanagar’s Dosa Plaza offers 104 variations including Schezwan, Mexi-roll and American Delight. An outlet called Rajbhog in Malleswaram claims the title of the country’s most expensive dosa with its Rs 1,011 concoction cooked in olive oil and covered in thin gold foil.