All of us have experienced the exponential joy of tearing a piece of dosa (or dose, dosai, doshai) dunking it into a bowl of steaming hot sambar or spicy chutney, and wolfing it down. What’s even better is when the dosa is filled with the rightly seasoned potato palya. But in the last few years, the humble dosa has been subject to many experiments. We can now find pizza dosas, Korean dosas, Schezwan dosas, and even Maggi dosas and must admit that some of them don’t taste all that bad!
However, the traditional dosas of Karnataka continue to be relished. And we aren’t talking about the masala dosa, mind you! We are referring to the unsung heroes of the dosa family like the Davanagere benne dosa, Mulbagal dosa, and neer dosa, which may not be as well-known as their crispy potato-filled counterparts across the globe, but nevertheless equally delicious and loved in the state.
After every 100 km in Karnataka, the taste of the dosa changes because of the changing nature of water, believes food influencer Kunal Bysani who handles the Instagram account @ghatotkatcha. “Each part of the state offers a different style of dosa. While Ballari masala dosas are thin but not crisp, the ones in Belgaum have the Maharashtrian influence and are more like the north Indian cheelas. The buttery benne dosas of Davanagere are not as tasty in Bengaluru because of the hotter weather of the former location, while the dosas of Hassan, known as thuppad masala dosa, contain dollops of ghee that is abundantly available in the region,” he explains. “The Mulbagal dosa, on the other hand, is like a semi-appam as the batter contains avalakki (or poha). It originates in the town of Mulbagal bordering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where fermentation occurs fast due to high temperatures,” he adds. When it comes to some of the old areas of Mysuru, Mandya, and Bengaluru, avalakki is used to make the fluffy and porous avalakki dosa. “It’s crisp on one side and white on the other,” explains Kunal.
When one talks about the traditional dosas of Karnataka, how can the neer dosa be left behind? White, porous, soft, and spongy, the neer dosas that originated in the coastal town of Mangaluru are a must-have in the state. To make the perfect neer dosa, all one needs is aged rice, at least as old as eight months, reveals Gaurav Anand, executive chef of Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn at Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Tech Park. “When it comes to soaking, we have done several experiments and come to the conclusion that soaking the rice for a minimum of 12 hours works the best. Grind, add a little salt, and voila! Your neer dosa batter is ready. There is no need to add any lentils to this batter,” he explains.
Typically served with a fish curry or coconut-based gravy that the spongy dosa soaks up, these dosas are so light and fresh that it’s not unusual for one to gulp down four to five of them in one go. But according to Gaurav, the best accompaniment with a neer dosa is just plain coconut milk.
Bengaluru’s culinary landmarks like CTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan, MTR, and Chalukya need no introduction. Not to mention the lip-smacking dosas of the numerous Udupi darshinis and 99 varieties flying off the carts for street food-lovers at every corner of the city. While Bengalureans may not be able to head to the Original Vinayaka Mylari in Mysuru or Shantappa Benne Dosa Hotel in Davanagere at the drop of a hat, they sure can find similar styles of dosas at many small eateries in the city.
In the older pockets of the city, one can find many historic hole-in-the-wall joints that serve authentic Karnataka-style dosas, each with its own speciality. So, the next time you walk through the green bylanes of NR Colony, visit Sri Guru Kottureshwara for its Davanagere benne dosa, or Hotel Dwaraka for its khali dosa. “The khali dosa at Dwaraka Hotel has more holes than any other dosa and is made completely without oil, thanks to a seasoned pan,” explains Kunal.
Mylari podi dosa at Malgudi Mylari Mane
Those who like their dosas in a more urbane setting can head to the newly-opened Malgudi Mylari Mane in Koramangala for its best-selling Mylari dosa. The ghee roast served with some lip-smacking vegetable sagu and coconut chutney originated at the Original Vinayaka Mylari Hotel in Mysuru over 80 years ago and has had people thronging the humble joint till date. Steven Thirumalai, co-founder of Malgudi Mylari Mane says that he fell in love with the soft brown dosa through his visits to the eatery during his trips to Mysuru. “I thought that it would pair well with a non-vegetarian side. So while we offer the original Mylari dosa with a green sagu and chutney, we also have several non-vegetarian versions of the dish that are served with chicken or mutton gravies, kheema, and chops,” explains Steven.
Oota is another urban space in Whitefield that offers the authentic Davanagere benne dosa for all dosa-lovers. “The essential bit about the Davanagere benne dosa is that it should have a dual texture, outwardly crisp but soft inside. During the cooking, dollops of butter have to be applied at least thrice and the dosa has to be served once again with butter and some coconut chutney. The potato palya that goes inside it is bland, with cooked onions being added to it later. While we have a firm hand on the butter as people may not want a very greasy dosa here, the rest of the process is as authentic as possible,” explains chef Mandaar Sukhtankar, corporate chef of Oota.
Mylari or Mulbagal, khali or avalakki dosa, the love for dosas among the people of Karnataka and across the country is here to stay. So, how do you like to have your dosa? Do you punch a hole in the center and watch the steam come out of the palya? Or do you enjoy a soft dosa with a curry on the side?
Deepa Natarajan Lobo is an independent journalist and content writer from Bengaluru with over 15 years of experience in the field of media and writing. She writes on a broad range of topics like human interest, lifestyle, food, art & culture, and entertainment among others, and has also edited two books.