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Indian food fills the table with a sensory array of flavors, aromas and presentations. In recent decades, Indian restaurants and takeout counters featuring curry and nan have proliferated in the Tri-Valley. Now the buzz has moved on from creamy tikka masala to crispy dosas.
The opening of new restaurants featuring dosas coincides with the growing number of Tri-Valley food enthusiasts and residents from the four southern provinces of India. While North Indian food often consists of chicken, lamb, and vegetables with thicker sauces such korma curry, vegetarian South Indian foods tend to have lighter and spicier sauces.
We are generalizing here. But after eating a dosa lunch at Mylapore in Pleasanton, I was ready to conquer the world rather than take a nap. I became a fan of Indian food while living in London where curry shops flourished on every street. I am at home with Indian food but late to reconnect with local dosas.
Dosas look like oversized crepes or giant, folded tortillas. The many shapes and sizes of dosas are based on the variety of filings and batter and preferences of the owners. The unique recipes for dipping sauces and chutneys are also key to enjoying the universe of dosas.
The most common dosa batter is from rice and urad dal flour. Urad dal, incorrectly called black lentils which are different beans, is grown in South India. After fermenting overnight, the batter is then poured into a pan and cooked.
To better hold dosa fillings such as potatoes and onions, a thicker dosa batter is cooked until crispy and folded into a half circle.
On my second visit to Mylapore I met owner Jay Jayaraman who shared stories about his family’s South Indian dosa traditions. “You must eat dosas with your hand, and you must eat it hot. My mother would make one dosa at a time and give it to me right away.”
At the dine-in restaurant, you are handed a table number on a stand. The counter clerk takes your order and notes your table number. Forget about the entire table being served at one time. Dosas arrive piping hot, one at a time, as they are cooked.
The signature dosa at Mylapore is the benne masala (potato) dosa. The crunchy exterior held a savory blend of potatoes and onions and immediately appealed to my palate. I recalled sitting in a lovely Paris crêperie and staring unhappily at my soggy crêpe flooded by a creamy sauce. The contrast between the aromatic spices of the masala mixture and crispy, flavorful crust was a pleasing sensual combination.
Dosas are all about the accompanying dipping components. I dipped my dosa into the cup of sambar, a lentil-based, spiced sauce close to soup consistency, and also spicy tomato chutney and coconut chutney with curry leaves.
The menu lists 23 dosas which contain many words unfamiliar to those new to South Indian cuisine. The SPL in the Mylapore SPL dosa, though, means “special.” This dosa features onion, tomato, chili and masala with a dose of podi spice, nicknamed “gunpowder” for its potent punch. The Indian words milagai and podi respectively translate to red chili powder.
Diners who enjoy no or low spice alternatives can order cheddar cheese-filled dosas or plain ghee (clarified butter) dosas. The cheese-filled dosas are reminiscent of quesadillas. Rava dosas are served during Mylapore’s happy hour on weekdays. Made from semolina wheat flour, rava dosas have a lacy texture and are served plain or filled.
Along with dosas, idly is another favorite South Indian food. Especially popular at breakfast, the rice-based idly are served throughout the day. As a fan of rice, I was eager to dip a piece of idly into sambar. Vada are savory donuts and pair well with idly.
Think of uthappam as a thick flatbread served plain or with savory toppings such as onions, tomatoes, podi, and chili. Check the handwritten board for the mini-thali platter of the day. The vegetarian thali may include a mound of rice and accompaniments such as vegetables, rasam broth, and a gravy-like sauce. Many menu items are marked V for vegan. Desserts include rice kheer, similar to rice pudding, and South Indian sweets. Mango lassi yogurt drinks and cold rose milk are served. Filtered coffee with warm milk is traditionally ordered at the end of a meal.
A trained chef and hospitality professional, Jayaraman is a culinary entrepreneur. What began in Sacramento as a South Indian food delivery service in 2008 has bloomed into Mylapore restaurants in Folsom and Pleasanton with another on the way, a catering branch and three Idly Express takeout spots. The central kitchen in Fremont prepares the many sauces, chutneys, and desserts on sale at multiple Mylapore locations. Having grown a mini-food empire, Jayaraman also focuses on what he called “social profits,” serving free meals at a Fremont senior center once a month on Tuesdays when Mylapore locations are closed.
Jayaraman extoled the plant forward nature of South Indian food which favors a healthy diet regime. He noted that many South Indians follow the Hindu precepts for a vegetarian diet. According to Jayaraman, the top reason to eat vegetarian or vegan-style, is that plant-based eaters do not contribute to global warming at the same rate as carnivores as he described on a Mylapore website blog.
The restaurateur’s food and mission attract a hungry audience. In South Indian homes, weekend lunch draws family and friends together for dosas at lunch. The Pleasanton location on a recent Saturday follows that tradition.
