Meal 64. Bengaluru (Bangalore - South Indian) masala dosa, sambar & potato palya

Consummate foodie Shyam

 Shyam, my host tonight, has convincingly argued that it is completely reasonable to have more than one Indian meal for this blog, as the huge country has significant regional variations. He does not need to twist my arm too much, as the Bengaluru masala dosas he promises sound delicious, and many other have said the same before.

Though I have eaten in dozens of Indian restaurants all over the world, I have only seen (and eaten) the characteristic dosa (a fermented pancake) in one. This was in 2007, in the Wimbledon neighbourhood of London, not only known for its tennis but also for the great selection of South Indian restaurants. Not coincidentally, this was also the only Indian restaurant I was ever taken to by a (South) Indian friend.

Dosa, a thick pancake made with rice and lentil flour, is a shining representative of this region. You would not find it in North Indian cooking like the Bihari feast that was prepared for this blog by the lovely Anjana many years ago.

Funnily enough, I did recently watch a whole YouTube video of dosa being prepared by Mindy Kaling and Kamala Harris, who are both of South Indian descent. Shyam knows exactly what I am talking about when I mention the video. However, Mindy Kaling has taken a bit of shortcut for convenience, buying ready made dosa batter. Shyam has prepared his 48 hours in advance, so that is has had a chance to ferment properly in the cold German climate. Any self respecting Bengaluru family will have a batch of dosa or idli (similar but with less rice) batter on standby. 

Dosa batter, fermented for 48 hours

The batter (at left) is made with one part dal (lentils) and three parts dosa rice. When I mention that this seems to be a dish that I would not be confident making myself at home, Shyam persuasively manages to pull me back in by telling me about a shop right around the corner from where I live, TS Foods, which sells ready made batter. He also recommends their freshly made samosas (as do a few of their 800 Google reviews!).

South Indian Kodubale snacks

Shyam is a real foodie, who learned how to cook from his father, who often makes the family meals, as well as from his mother. However, he has mainly had to put this skill to use after moving abroad, having lived in Singapore, Plymouth and Manchester (UK) before moving to Berlin. He studied Business Management in Plymouth and has fond memories of cooking for his fellow international students. He has less fond memories of venturing into town and hearing mutterings at least once of week of "go back where you came from" or "brown bastard"...and being told by fellow students not to venture out alone after dark to avoid agression from (drunk) Plymothians. I am genuinely shocked by such a high frequency of overt racism. Shyam does offer, as a kind of reassurance, that this type of behaviour was almost absent in Manchester and London. We discuss how the same people who felt the need to spout abuse at him might also regularly enjoy a curry (now apparently Britain's most favourite dish). Though food does open doors to new cultures, it does not always open them very wide. 

Dosa in crêpe pan, with dal and potato palya

The dish I am having tonight consists of four elements. The thick dosa pancake itself is spread with two different sauces, one with a lentil base, the other with a potato base (the palya), then folded double and dipped into an aubergine and courgette stew (the sambar). These are enhanced by a selection of the typical South Indian flavours: cumin, chilli powder plus dried whole chillies, garam masala, asafoetida, mustard seeds, fenugreek, ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry leaves, coconut, and tamarind paste. Shyam has kindly dialed down the chilli content somewhat. He has learned from his mistake after a friend tried a truly genuine Bengaluru meal and almost passed out. Bengaluru is the less familiar (to me) spelling of Bangalore, but much closer to how the name of the city is actually pronounced. However, this spelling was only officially implemented relatively recently, locally in 2006 and nationally in 2014. It is similar to Bombay now being spelled Mumbai. I joke that the huge Indian film industry, Bollywood, was never renamed Mollywood to reflect this change, and share my recent 'discovery' with Shyam that a third of the global top YouTube channels are Bollywood companies. Of course, this makes some sense with India having more than a billion inhabitants, and the government not blocking YouTube like in China! 

Shyam in now studying Internation Marketing, and I take advantage of this background to ask him what he thinks of the controversial but sadly commonplace marketing of lightening skin creams in India by international brands like Unilever and L'Oreal. He agrees that the source of the problem is the widespread 'colourism' within India, with a strong preference for 'fair' skin tones. However, the huge budgets that go into tv, print and billboard advertising by conglomerates clearly exacerbates existing prejudices. He shares the news that only last year the Indian government has moved to ban these type of commercials. Unilever has already made a small step recently by renaming their top Indian skin care brand from 'Fair and Lovely' to 'Glow and Lovely,' and removing the so-called 'shade card' from their advertising. However, 'fairness' is still highly valued in marriage partners, as was also recently highlighted by the popular Netflix reality series 'Indian Matchmaking'...a guilty pleasure in which both Shyam and I have indulged.

The main meal - folded dosa with filling, to be dipped in the bowl of sambar

After two dosas I am stuffed. They are very filling, though it might not have helped that I snacked on the appropriately regional Kodubale snacks while Shyam was preparing the main meal. He is touchingly evangelical about his region's kitchen, making sure I take home some extra sambar in a tupperware container. As I am putting on my coat, he even presents me with two special culinary presents to help me have some authentic South Indian breakfast at home; directly imported by him from Bengaluru, and not even available for sale at TS Foods!