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text_Avtar Singh photography_Abjinandita Mathur My Favourite Dish
What makes a Mysore dosa special is a red paste made from a mixture of pulses and red chilli. Sagar’s not in the habit of revealing its trade secrets, but I suspect that either jaggery or molasses is added to temper the spiciness and add sweetness. This paste is slapped on the dosa and the whole concoction is fried on the hotplate before being served with sambar (a south Indian stew, garnished with drumsticks) and fresh chilli, mint and coconut chutneys.
The city’s changed a great deal since that day, as have I, but the comfort I derive from the Mysore masala dosas at Sagar Ratna has been a constant in my life. Much like the presence of the restaurant itself, a precious piece of the past at the heart of ever-changing New Delhi. |
I can remember the first time I ate Mysore masala dosas at Sagar Ratna (18 Defence Colony Market, +91 11 2433 3658). I was 14, it was the start of a long holiday from boarding school, and my mother dragged me off to eat these south Indian crêpes at a nearby restaurant. She knew that I loved dosas and in those gilded days immediately following my arrival home, I could get away with eating them at every meal.
I recall walking upstairs to Sagar’s spartan first floor with a teenager’s keen anticipation of a feast in an unfamiliar restaurant. My mother ordered us each a portion of rasam, a spicy, almost-clear soup that’s a perfect partner for Mysore dosas. Then, having never seen the word Mysore used in conjunction with dosas before, my curiosity was piqued and I placed my order. It was the start of a lifelong addiction.
At that meal all those years ago, I ordered a glass of buttermilk to go with my dosa, and that lightly spiced drink, topped off with fresh parsley, has accompanied my dosas at Sagar ever since.