A dosa by any other taste

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.

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