In addition to being one of the most widely consumed foods of the subcontinent, Dosa is also one of the oldest foods known to mankind. That’s right, mention of dosa or dosai can be found in Tamil Nadu’s Sangam Literature of first century A.D. As per historian P. Thankappan Nair, the dosa we know of today, originated in the Udupi town of present-day Karnataka. It is said that the thinner, and crispier version of dosa was made here, the Tamil Dosai, which was much softer and also thicker. The recipe of the thin Dosaka can also be found in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia that was put together by Chalukya king Someshvara III,
Dosa is the crown jewel of Udupi cuisine, and while you find a slew of delish food in Karnataka, very few can hold a candle to the dosas of Karnataka. Now, of course, that is a very personal opinion, but if you ever make a visit to Karnataka, make sure you try these dosa variants to get a sense of what we mean. And if you can’t go there, you can always try making them at home. We’ve got a few recipes and pro-tips.
Mysore Masala Dosa
It’s like your regular Masala Dosa, but hotter, greasier and loaded. The masala of Mysore Masala Dosa uses heaps of butter, onions, peas and even paneer sometimes, in addition to the standard mashed potatoes. It is advisable to mix the masala on a greased tawa repeatedly using a spatula before propping it inside the dosa.
Davangare Benne Dosa
Benne Dosa simply means ‘Butter Dosa’. Coming from the Devanagare district of Karnataka, this dosa is actually not that old. To feed her children Chenamma migrated to the town of Davangare and set up a Dosa stall, her original recipe was very different from benne Dosa now, eventually, the Benne Dosa that was popularised by her children comprised a batter puffed rice, lentils, rice and lots of butter. The butter makes the dosa so soft that it melts in your mouth in matter of seconds. Make sure you do not add a lot of baking soda that will make the dosa hard.
Set Dosa
Set Dosa, is a popular tiffin item across South India. It is smaller in size, soft and spongy. It is not very crispy or charred, instead, they are of pristine white colour. Proper fermentation is very important, otherwise, you won't get spongy, porous dosa. They can be paired with sambhar, chutney, podi or stew.
Rava Dosa
The ultimate, crispy dosa made with semolina as opposed to the traditional rice batter was first made by the popular restaurant chain, Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) of Bengaluru. During world war 2, Karnataka was struggling with a shortage of rice, this is when the MTR decided to reinvent their batter with something that was readily available. Rice gave way for rava, and we got Rava Dosas and Rava Idlis, two of our all-time favourite snacks.