MUMBAI It’s World Dosa Day, and dosa makers and dosa lovers can’t keep quiet. While Instagram and Twitter are seeing reels and posts showcasing love for the beloved South Indian rice crepe, which incidentally has even climbed into the world’s top ten pancake lists, restaurateurs are out to set records.

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Ahead of World Dosa Day, Kamats Legacy, a South Indian restaurant in Mumbai, showcased one of the largest variety of dosas presented in a single day, showcasing a mindboggling range of 150 different varieties. From Murugan Podi Dosa, Poondu Dosa, Ghee Roast Masala Dosa to Benne Dosa, there were mouth-watering dosas being whipped up.

Founder and chairman of the VITS Kamats Group, Vikram Kamat expressed excitement about bringing authentic South Indian flavours to Mumbai. “Many of our ingredients are sourced locally, but some key ingredients come from specific regions. For example, our Nannari sharbat is sourced from Tamil Nadu, rice from Karnataka and special ghee from the southern region, which gives our dosas an authentic flavour.”

Bewildering flavours

Though 150 varieties would take some creativity, he stressed that Kamats Legacy has avoided fusion cuisine and focussed on preserving the true flavours of South Indian cuisine.

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While Kamat takes the puritan line, customers are clearly experimenting. Food ordering app Swiggy, reported a growing trend in dosa experimentation, with a baffling array of dishes like Chocolate Dosa, Pav Bhaji Noodles Palak Dosa, Schezwan Chop Suey Special Dosa, Dilkhush Dosa, Lays Dosa and American Chopsuey Dosa with Paneer, steadily gaining popularity. Not just the stuffing, but the batter too has come in for a fair bit of experimentation – with everything from oats to besan to millet dosa are available now.

Flying off the pan

According to a Swiggy report, dosa continues to be a popular choice, with cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai leading the dosa trend. In Chandigarh, known for its love for parathas, the masala dosa emerged as the city’s favourite dish. According to the order analysis spanning from 25th February 2023 to 25th February 2024, Swiggy delivered 29 million dosas in the last 12 months, with customers ordering an average of 122 dosas per minute during breakfast alone.

Sizzling ambition

In India, Dosa has been emerging as the second most ordered dish (Biryani tops the charts), but Kamat believes it could easily become number one. He said, “While there is a growing liking for South Indian food, the number of restaurants offering it, has decreased due to challenges such as staffing, competition from other cuisines and property owners selling their properties. Additionally, the quality of delivered South Indian food is often subpar, arriving soggy and not as crispy as it should be. Despite these challenges, dosa remains the second most ordered item after biryani and with improvements in delivery and quality, it could easily take the top spot.”

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