Your Next New Food: Spicy Mysore Dosa At Mango Grove Brings Heat To The Crunch

Mysore dosa at Mango Grove

The next new food that you should try are dosas -- the dish that brings the crunch of a crepe and the flavors of Indian food.

I first ate dosas at Mango Grove here in Columbia.  They're a southern Indian dish, so they're not ubiquitous at restaurants that do northern Indian tandoori dishes.

But they're completely innocuous and accessible to anyone.  The regular masala dosa is a platter-sized crepe rolled around a filling of mashed potatoes.  You break off pieces of dosa and scoop up the spiced potatoes inside.  You dip them in the chutney and the vegetable soup served alongside.  It's filling, but light.  It's crunchy.  It's vegetarian, so you don't need to worry about surprise ingredients.

Now, we have branched into spicy dosas like the mysore dosa at Mango Grove.  it's a regular dosa with the inside brushed with a spicy red sauce.  That's real heat, although nothing fiery like spicy Thai or Tandoor Grill's chili naan.  It's a great contrast with lentils or the jackfruit dish called kathal korma.

I recommend the broad menu at Mango Grove.  They have two kitchens, one veg and one non-veg.   Plus, they have a dosa station right at the entrance where you can watch a chef pour batter and peel off crispy crepes.  Consider a table with a dosa, some Indian curries, and one of the Chinese-Indian specialities.