Chilli idli might sound like culinary fusion gone awry but the result is surprisingly delectable. Cocktail idlis bathed in deliciously brown sauce with pieces of capsicum, onion and slivers of cabbage await the fork.
The seventh edition of the dosa festival at Canopy at Abad Plaza gives the humble, nutrition-packed idli a twist in a Jackie Chan meets Rajinikant kind of way. In a best of both worlds kind of way. Chef Abdul Khader, chef in-charge Canopy, says there are even Schezwan idlis. “This time round we wanted to work with idlis,” he says. Then there are the dosas and uthappams, staples on the dosa festival menu.
Watching the rain and eating hot dosas….it is the stuff of a foodie’s fantasy. For the purists there are the traditional dosas – masala, plain, thattu, set etc. But for those open to experimentation there is plenty to choose from. Even the vegetarians have it good. Be it the simple, straightforward cheese and pepper dosa or slightly complex paneer-capsicum or the Schezwan dosa.
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The cheese-pepper dosa was a marriage of melted cheese and coarsely ground peppercorns a ‘simply’ delectable combination especially when you bite on the pepper. Schezwan dosa is a take on the regular ‘Chinese’ spring roll filled with mushrooms and assorted veggies with a delicious coating of Schezwan sauce. It is the kind that will make Mama proud. Ditto the paneer capsicum dosa with the desi-goodness of paneer. These are just a few of the dosas on the rather extensive menu.
Then on the Chef’s recommendation came the Chettinadu Kozhi dosa with its heady mix of authentic Chettinadu spices. This was followed up with Kuttanadan Chemmeen dosa. Generous fillings cosily wrapped in crisp dosas with sensational chutneys, add coffee to the equation…viva monsoon!
Coming to the chutneys – green (mint and coconut), white (coconut), red (tomato-onion), onion (with chilli powder and oil), cauliflower, brinjal…there is a huge variety, in chutney terms, to choose from. The chutneys that accompany the dosa depends of the filling. Says Chef Khader, “for some dosas with non-vegetarian fillings onion and oil chutney goes perfectly.” The Chef’s team has also played around, for a break in monotony, with how the dosa is folded. The Chettinadu Kozhi dosa is folded like a masla dosa, while the Kuttanadu Chemmeen dosa is folded into a square and the cheese pepper dosa is rolled. The different shapes keep up the curiosity quotient and everyone eating at the dosa festival feels like they are eating different things.
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For the health conscious there are the duck egg and quail egg dosas, much like the ‘mutta dosa’. Eggs done sunny side up tucked inside the two folds of the oil-less or oil-free (depending on how you look at it) make for healthy eating, assures Chef Khader.
The dosa festival is on till July 7 from 3.30 p.m. – 11 p.m. Some of the dosas have been included in the restaurant’s breakfast menu.