Mankar Dosa

Our little dosa spot is on Tilak Road in Kotharud. It is a busy stretch of road and we have been here long enough that most of the local shopkeepers know us by name. We don't have much of a storefront, just the counter and the big flat tawas where we pour the batter. Every morning starts with grinding the rice and dal in the back room. The smell of the fermenting batter is something you just get used to after a while. We serve our dosas on steel plates and they are always hot. Sometimes the edges are a bit more charred than others, but that is how it goes when you're cooking on a real flame. We use plenty of oil and butter because that is how people like it. There is usually a bit of a wait because we only have a few burners and a lot of hungry people. Folks stand around on the sidewalk chatting while they wait for their number to be called. It can get a bit messy with the chutney, but we keep a stack of newspapers and rags handy. We don't have any big plans or goals for the future. We just want to make sure the sambar is salty enough and the dosa is crisp. Kotharud is a nice place to work and we see the same faces every morning. If you are passing by Tilak Road, we are usually there flipping dosas until late evening.