Mastana Dosa South Indian

Down in Gumti No 5, specifically in Om Nagar Gali, you’ll find our little spot. Kanpur is a busy city, and this area is especially crowded. We are near the TOT building at 119/555. Mastana Dosa is what we do. We spend a lot of time watching the batter ferment; it’s a temperamental thing depending on how humid the air is. The tawa is almost never cold from the time we open until we shut down for the night. It’s a lot of scraping and greasing the surface. The shop isn't very large, so things can feel a bit cramped when the breakfast crowd arrives. We use a lot of potatoes and onions, so someone is always chopping in the back. The street outside is narrow, and there’s always a cycle rickshaw or two blocking the way. We’ve been here long enough that we know the names of the people who live in the houses nearby. We don't use any fancy machinery; most things are done by hand. It’s tiring, especially in the Kanpur heat, but we’re used to it. The smell of sambar is usually what tells people they’ve found the right place in the alley. We keep the water jars filled and the floors swept as much as we can between the rushes. It’s a simple life, making food for people who are just going about their day in Gumti. Sometimes we run out of chutney, but we make more.